Mannequin Pussy Plays NPR Tiny Desk With String Quartet Accompaniment
The beloved punk rockers from Philadelphia stopped by NPR’s Tiny Desk for a four-song performance, and they were accompanied by a string quartet, bringing new life to the tracks. Watch their set below.
Mannequin Pussy | photo by Mo Smith | @phobymo
Mannequin Pussy is one of Philadelphia’s most cherished bands, and on Sunday they graced one of their largest stages yet: NPR’s Tiny Desk.
Vocalist/guitarist Marisa Dabice, drummer Kaleen Reading, bassist/vocalist Colins “Bear” Regisford, and guitarist Maxine Steen were joined by a string quartet — comprising Shaan Ramaprasad and Ashley Parham on violin, Kyung Leblanc on viola, and Juliano Bitonti on cello — for a reimagining of four songs: “I Don’t Know You,” “Split Me Open,” “Loud Bark,” and “Romantic.”
Watch their performance below:
The punk outfit supported breakout hardcore punk band Turnstile last year and played a raucous set during the tour stop at The Skyline Stage at the Mann Center in September.
Shortly thereafter, Foo Fighters and Queens of the Stone Age announced a massive co-headlining tour, and said Mannequin Pussy would serve as the opener for 10 dates of that tour, Philadelphia included. They’re also opening for Florence + The Machine six nights in May.
Mannequin Pussy isn’t the first Philly band with punk roots to play the Tiny Desk. Hardcore punk band Soul Glo’s Tiny Desk dropped in March 2024, and they were the first hardcore band featured in the series. Seven months later, power pop punk rock four piece Sheer Mag played Tiny Desk, as well.
That’s not to say Philly has only exported punk and rock to the NPR headquarters: Jill Scott, Tierra Whack, The Roots featuring Bilal, and Patti LaBelle have all gotten in on the Tiny Desk fun.