Blunda, Mannequin Fight, Ski Queen
Slash Run, Washington, DC
April 29, 2023
Review and Gallery by: Mari Abbate

Ski Queen, an indie-rock duo from Alexandria, VA, started off the night with a strong yet mellow set. Despite the slow jams, Julianne Lane put her all into her vocals and guitar. It was clear how passionate she is about her music as she jumped around on stage. The drummer, Ena Sullivan, had an impact on the audience even from the back of the stage, getting the crowd excited for the rest of the show. Ski Queen even called friend, Isabella Stevens, to the stage to play bass for a few songs.

Next up was the self-described “bathroom rock” band Mannequin Fight. After the first set, the audience definitely had more energy and started to get more comfortable, with some people even dancing and twirling each other around. It wasn’t hard with Mannequin Fight’s upbeat and alluring melodies. Soon most of the crowd was swaying and nodding along to the music. Their tunes are filled with almost nostalgic instrumentals accompanied by deep, intermittent vocals that completely wash over the listener.

Comprised of singer and guitarist Rachel, bassist Emerson, and drummer Alex, Blunda (pronounced “bloon-da”) is a local grunge rock band from Washington, DC. After shooting their debut show at the Pocket, it was amazing seeing them again at Slash Run, a small restaurant/venue. Despite encountering a few technical difficulties (which comes with the typical Blunda viewing experience, as noted by Alex), they completely blew the audience away. The crowd of locals wasted no time in starting a mini-moshpit, which I love. It always makes me happy to see fans having fun, especially at smaller shows. In addition, Blunda’s overall performance has improved greatly since I first saw them. It’s clear that as they’ve played more shows, they’ve gotten more confident. Rachel’s thrashy vocals paired with the stinging instrumentals creates an amazing sound, almost as if you can feel the passion and raw emotion behind their music. I don’t think there was a single stationary person at their show, even I couldn’t help myself from jamming out (when I wasn’t taking photos, of course). Their show certainly put a smile on my face, and I can say the same for the audience without a doubt.

As of now, Blunda hasn’t recorded anything yet, but we’ll update you when they do, as you definitely don’t want to miss out. Until then, catch up with them at @blundaband on Instagram.