Review
Review
Mary in the Junkyard at ICA, 03/10/24
The hotly tipped three-piece produce a spellbinding set at London’s ICA
It’s been something of a startling year for Mary in the Junkyard. A year to the day that they played their first ever headline gig and here they are emerging onstage at the ICA, amongst the grandeur of SW1. They’ve come a long way from the dingy back rooms of London’s underground music scene. But don’t go thinking they’ve come to reject their roots. You wouldn’t be further from the truth. Despite the glamour of their surroundings, and surrounding area for that matter, Mary in the Junkyard remain a DIY indie band at heart. Having cut their teeth at The Windmill in Brixton, one of the capital’s best spots for emerging alternative music, it was there that the first whisperings that something special might be happening.
But this past year has seen those whispers from south of the river turn into more of a shout, turning the band into something of a word-of-mouth phenomenon. Here at the ICA they proved their worth. Opening track ‘Marble Arch’ contains all the hallmarks of Mary in the Junkyard; introspective lyrics and a dizzying ability to create sparse, fragile moments of space that career into a sort of frenzied chaos. It means we immediately dive headfirst into their world of experimental indie rock. ‘Ghost’ quickly follows, a song that crackles with energy and tension, and even elicits audience participation in the form of the crowd howling, something that is becoming a familiar sound at these shows.
It isn’t just crowd favourites, however. New, unreleased material made for a refreshing change of pace. Swapping distortion pedals for acoustic guitars, it was also a change of sound, suggesting a potential move towards a more traditional folk direction. Even here though, despite a lack of familiarity with these new songs, there was a connection with an audience that has been carefully nurtured by their years in the underground. And it is this that strikes at the core of Mary in the Junkyard; a true do-it-yourself ethos that runs through every aspect of their being. Even the clothes and set decorations on the night were homemade.
There isn’t just a connection between band and audience, but clearly a chemistry within the band too. Instruments are swapped with ease. A violin emerges (can you really call yourself post-punk or indie these days without some sort of alternative non-guitar-based instrument?), but it all points to the chemistry and artistry within the band. There is no ego here either, instead there’s a real openness and vulnerability to Mary in the Junkyard; a welcome change given the machismo personas of some of their contemporaries, and it’s a real privilege to be able to glimpse.
The set ends with ‘Tuesday’, their sprawling and frenetic debut single, and allows for a final burst of energy from all involved – there was even time for something resembling a mosh pit to form. “Widen my horizons, please” lead singer Clari Freeman-Taylor implores as ‘Tuesday’s opening line and, for the uninitiated at the ICA, many such horizons had likely already been expanded.
But then it’s over and the night comes crashing down, quite literally in the case of the band who all pile on top of each other at the climax. There’s no need for an encore with a set this good – instead everyone leaves through the splendour of the ICA, left to walk back through the wind and cold to the tube, wondering if the crowds that walk these streets realise quite what they’ve just missed out on.
Mary In The Junkyard play London’s Fabric in February 2025. Find tickets here
Photo: Mary In The Junkyard / Steve Gullick