Sometimes, when you go to a concert, you want to be blown away by ultra-talented, no-mistakes-made, steady performers. Even though they have performed countless shows, these bands almost always give some variation of the obligatory thank you speech (“We are so grateful,” “we are humbled by our fans,” “This never gets old for us”). Somehow, the authenticity of these statements fades for me, realizing that this unexciting Michigan lull in the tour is just one of many, many shows they have done. However, when I saw Misterwives at St. Andrews Hall in Detroit, only 3 days into their very first ever headlining tour, there was no denying their raw excitement, gratitude, and humility.
Misterwives, fronted by the beautiful Mandy Lee, is a indie pop group from New York City that just released their first full-length album on February 24th of this year. They took the stage in Detroit with a synchronized set of dance moves accompanying their album title track, “Our Own House”. Now, normally I would have thought this was incredibly cheesy and forced, but take my word for it--it worked. Throughout the rest of the concert, Mandy provided many more scripted jokes, including my personal favorite: leading into “No Need for Dreaming” with a corny quip asking her bandmate to be pinch her to awaken her from her dream come true. Honestly,though Mandy is just so damn cute that everything she does works, and when you watch her, you can’t help but share in her happiness and excitement.
The band members visibly thrived off of the crowd’s energy, and the song that received the best response was the most popular single from their original EP, “Reflections.” Then, midway through the show, Mandy impressed the crowd by showing off her impressive pipes in a call and response performance with the trumpet. The second half of their concert changed the pace with a more serious tone. Mandy got emotional sharing the song “Queens,” a track very close to her heart that she wrote about growing up in her hometown in New York with the same name. The band also made a statement about gender equality with their song “Not Your Way,” urging the crowd to speak up for what we believe. Mandy pumped out push ups and her lyrics promised that she wasn't “growing up to be a trophy wife.” Lastly, the band closed by satisfying our requests for an encore with a crowd pleasing cover of Mark Ronson and Bruno Mars’s “Uptown Funk” and my personal favorite up-tempo song on their album--”Imagination Infatuation.”
By their second tour, many veteran vocalists have figured out how to hold back on the belting just enough to preserve their voices for the whole tour. Mandy, on the other hand, gave it all she had at the Detroit show. It seemed as if she was pouring all her excitement and passion into every note she hit--and the woman can hit quite an impressive range. So much so in fact, that they had to cancel their subsequent shows in Minneapolis and Kansas City due to a voiceless front-woman!
I hope that, amid the pressures they’re sure to face from managers and record labels, they can find a way to stay true to themselves and keep this fresh passion they have for performing. I highly encourage you to check out their new album, and if they come through your town, check out their live show for yourself.
~Erin Koren
