It was one of the nights that will undoubtedly go down in history as one where “you just had to be there”. Manchester and Berlin quartet Mandy, Indiana took London’s HEAVEN by storm – fresh from the critical success of their sophomore LP URGH, released earlier this year on Sacred Bones, and celebrating it reaching number 1 in UK’s Official Albums Chart.
By the time Mandy, Indiana graced the stage, HEAVEN was bursting at the seams. The subtle hum cut with a haunting siren signalled the beginning of ‘A Brighter Tomorrow’ and soon Valentine Caulfield‘s dreamy French vocals took us on a brief ethereal journey – until ‘Drag [Crashed]’ turned HEAVEN into the pulsating nightclub that it usually is, with the band’s industrial, electronic noise sounding absolutely immense under the arches.
Mandy, Indiana at HEAVEN – photo by Magda Campagne 
Mandy, Indiana at HEAVEN – photo by Magda Campagne 
Mandy, Indiana at HEAVEN – photo by Magda Campagne 
Mandy, Indiana at HEAVEN – photo by Magda Campagne 
Mandy, Indiana at HEAVEN – photo by Magda Campagne 
Mandy, Indiana at HEAVEN – photo by Magda Campagne 
Mandy, Indiana at HEAVEN – photo by Magda Campagne
Valentine has been quoted saying “if you’re not angry, then you’re not paying attention” – and I am increasingly finding that the current noise scene shares a lot of the ethos with punk – the confrontational nature of the music allows for a cathartic release and in Mandy, Indiana‘s case the lyrics, sounding like French incantations, offer a scathing commentary on current social issues.
Introducing ‘I’ll ask her’ as a “song of protest”, Valentine chanted “FREE PALESTINE!” and quickly added, with palpable emotion in her voice, “and can we please stop drugging drunk people, please”. After that plea, the lyrics of the song poignantly reverberated through the walls.
Women cover their drinks around him
And his ex went to the police
He brags about getting them drunk
Yeah your mate’s a fucking rapist
Valentine has a magnetic stage presence – maybe I’m leaning into a French cliche here, but there’s something Edith Piaf-like about her, but the magnetism is amplified by the way she carries herself and by how she takes up space – joyfully and freely. She would come to the front of the stage, onto HEAVEN’s unique proscenium, and just sit in front of the wedges, eyes closed, contently smiling to herself full while the band behind them assaulted our ears with walls of noise set to the rhythm of Alex Macdougall’s drums. Or she would lie down on the boards of the proscenium, letting the music wash all over her.
But the culmination came during the last few songs, when she walked right into the audience and simply raved with the crowd until the end of the set, ensuring that she paid attention to every corner of the room. It was absolutely exhilarating to watch the collective joy she sparked in each mini rave pit she created as they swirled through the room. Meanwhile, every time I turned my eyes to look at the band on stage, they were having an absolute blast – while unleashing the perfect industrial walls of noise. Their album might be called URGH, and many of us feel that URGH too often in recent months, but that night at HEAVEN it felt like we collectively hexed the demons away in an act of euphoric catharsis.
Opening the night were the Liverpool duo Those Holy, who warmed ears and tentative dancing feet with their cold, gothic infused Celtic electronics. I have spent most of the year so far losing myself and finding community in industrial noise and the joining of forces between Welsh singer and producer Lucy Grey and an Irish producer Chrissy Connor has created an ethereal quality to the harsh edges of their sound. Painting pictures of hopelessness, pain and yearning for transformation laid the perfect foundations for what was to come.
Their tour continues throughout Europe in April and I would happily see them over and over again.