A year and a half into touring I Got Heaven, the band announced a Vancouver date—and I immediately started brainstorming how to make a FANGIRL piece happen. And when the chance to interview MP’s guitarist/vocalist Missy Dabice came up, I was excited, but deep down, I knew someone who might be even more excited: my good friend and WAIT//LESS frontwoman, Rebecca White. I’ve only had this column for a few months and have already met so many of my idols—this time, I wanted to pay it forward and make another fangirl’s dream come true.

As Rebecca and I made our way down the familiar (and foul-smelling) alley behind the Commodore Ballroom, the usual wave of pre-interview jitters hit me—but this time it felt different. I was sharing the moment. It was Rebecca’s first time doing an interview, and it just so happened to be with her idol. No pressure.

We sat in the green room trying to play it cool. Then the door opened, and in walked Missy.

I sat back and watched as two badass frontwomen—both of whom inspire me—started to talk. I hit record and leaned in, eager to hear where the conversation would go. They wasted no time bonding over their upbringings before diving straight into the things they love to talk about: music, sex, and politics.

Rebecca White: Do you write your songs for yourself?
Missy Dabice: For a long time, when I wrote songs, it was very diaristic. I had all of these emotions and didn’t know what to do with them. They were spilling out in ways that weren’t graceful, kind of pathetic. But as I’ve levelled out emotionally, it’s become easier to write from a collective perspective—not just about myself and my feelings.

RW: Where do you think you source your power from?
MD: I think I’m the result of everyone who’s come before me. There are bits of their unrealized power that have been passed down. I’m a conduit for all the women in my family who didn’t get to live freely.

RW: How would you say sexuality influences your art?
MD: I’ve been thinking about this a lot. I saw a comment like, ‘I used to love this band but now that Missy has sexualized herself, I don’t.’ And I thought, am I? And if I am, why is that bad? What does it mean to sexualize yourself? Music is expressed through the body—through dance, movement. Women aren’t free to wear whatever they want without risk. So there’s something sacred about being on stage, where you can express your comfort with your body and style. And if I want to wear a hot little outfit, is that illegal? Does that degrade the art?

RW: Are you happy?
MD: Personally? Yes. In a macro sense, no. Every day I wake up grateful for my life, but I’ve struggled to find joy lately. There’s a collective sadness I feel for the world—especially as an American. I’m ashamed of what our country is doing to the Palestinian people and others. Every administration seems addicted to greed and cruelty. I don’t know how we rise up and fix that.

Megan-Magdalena: I have one final question I always ask: who or what do you fangirl over?
MD: Sexxy Red! She’s getting hate for her verse on that Justin Bieber track, “Sweet Spot.” But I love it. I love her. People hate on her for talking about her coochie. Like… shut the fuck up and stop being so prude and boring.

On that note, we all screamed “EVERYONE SHUT THE FUCK UP” into my phone and ended the interview in cathartic, fangirl bliss.

Back out in the alley, we snapped some pics and said our goodbyes. The second we were out of earshot, Rebecca and I casually freaked out. We met up with WAIT//LESS and some friends to grab drinks before showtime.

Rebecca White (WAIT//LESS) and Missy Dabice (Mannequin Pussy) in the alley behind the Commodore Ballroom. (Photos: Megan Magdalena)

Inside the sold-out Commodore Ballroom, opener Gouge Away had the crowd primed and ready. As soon as Mannequin Pussy kicked off their set with “Sometimes,” the energy exploded. They kept ratcheting up the intensity, delivering poem-like speeches between songs that echoed the themes we’d just talked about backstage.

When Missy launched into “Loud Bark” followed by “I Got Heaven,” the place erupted. Crowd surfers came crashing toward the stage while security scrambled to keep up. Missy paused to address the crowd: “If you’re the kind of person who thinks politics don’t belong in music, then you’re gonna hate this next part! And that’s your right, but fuck you.”

She spoke about government failures and the importance of community: “They want to turn us against each other, because without community we have nothing—and they know that.”

Then she got specific: “Our tax dollars are used to starve innocent Palestinian children. And for what? Free Palestine. Fuck antisemitism. A free Palestine is not antisemitism.”

The crowd roared as the band launched into “OK!OK?OK!OK?” and “Pigs is Pigs,” catharsis bleeding through every note. They closed with “Romantic,” giving the audience exactly what they came for.

Did the political messaging go on “too long”? Maybe some people thought so. But here’s my hot take: what a privilege to feel uncomfortable for 20 minutes when others live in that feeling every day. We’re sipping cold ones at a concert while atrocities unfold. Thank you, Mannequin Pussy, for using your stage to speak truth—and for letting us scream back.

SETLIST
Sometimes
Nothing Like
Softly
Control
Drunk II
I Don’t Know You
Loud Bark
I Got Heaven
Of Her Aching
Everything
Perfect
Clams
OK!OK?OK!OK?
Pigs is Pigs
Emotional High
Romantic