Infected Rain Unleashes a Tempest on New York's Mercury Lounge
Located on the Lower East Side, Mercury Lounge is one of the mainstays of New York City's indie and alternative music scene. I've shot there a handful of times, but never a metal show. Infected Rain drew a crowd well before doors opened, and there was enough leather, black denim, and fishnets on the block to draw confused stares from neighborhood residents wondering what exactly was going.
For a band that has shared stages with heavy metal's greats since 2008, the logic of booking them in a room that holds fewer than 300 people was curious. The venue appeared to underestimate their following, as Infected Rain was booked as the second show of the evening, creating confusion around doors versus VIP and leaving the rest of the night's timing a bit jumbled. The fans waiting outside on one of spring's warmest days were, understandably, a bit disgruntled.
STITCHED UP HEART
Any frustration that had built up outside the venue, quickly disappeared the moment Stitched Up Heart hit the stage. The Los Angeles alt-metal band, fronted by Alecia "Mixi" Demner, brings a darker goth aesthetic to their sound, and the crowd responded to it immediately. All the fans needed was their daily dose of metal — some air conditioning!
Mercury Lounge has no barricade, putting fans inches from the performers, and Mixi made the most of that closeness. Throughout the set she connected with fans pressed right up against the edge of the stage, and made a point of giving extra attention to a couple of fans with physical disabilities that the crowd had made sure were right up front. Even bassist Randy Mathias and guitarist Drystan Barnett made a point of passing guitar picks directly to fans across the front row.
If you are looking for some quick adds to your playlist, "Cannibal" and "Monster" are two tracks that show the range of what Stitched Up Heart can do, from heavy breakdowns to more melodic metalcore.
INFECTED RAIN
The moment Stitched Up Heart's set ended, the stage crew moved quickly and efficiently to get the evening back on schedule after the delay at doors. Infected Rain’s crew members communicated in what I believe was Romanian as they broke down gear, secured the risers for band members, and pushed the drum kit as far back as physically possible.
The band is from Moldova, a small country nestled between Romania and Ukraine, and they brought everything with them on this North America run. Video screens flanked the drum kit on either side, supplemented by additional atmospheric tour lighting well beyond what the venue had on stage. This is a seasoned band that travels with a full production, and they crammed as much of it as possible onto that small stage to make sure fans got the full experience.
When the band took the stage, the video screens flickered and the strobes fired. Lena Scissorhands immediately commanded the room to split in half. A wall of death in Mercury Lounge. F*ck yes, that happened! The band has a striking visual aesthetic as well. Lena's long orange locks contrasted sharply against her black outfit, while Vidick's tightly woven blonde dreadlocks whipped as he grooved through the entire set. Bassist Alice Lane and drummer Eugen Voluta each brought their own energy to the stage. This band clicks from top to bottom in a way that is genuinely hard to put into words, because confident and locked in do not quite cover it.
There are always one or two people in a crowd who do not mix well with alcohol. In a larger venue they become background noise, but at Mercury Lounge everyone could hear that guy. A fan near the front had taken to loudly chanting Lena's name between songs. She stopped once to kindly point out that they were, in fact, Infected Rain. And he continued. Later in the set she called him out directly, telling him he’d been loud all night without moving once, then invited him to start a circle pit for the next song. It was handled with class, though a few of us were quietly hoping he took a couple of extra bumps when he accepted the challenge.
Sunday's performance was an incredibly intense experience and, nearly halfway into 2026, one of my top metal performances of the year. The only thing that could be improved was giving this band a larger room to fully let loose. Something to give the mosh pit room to actually open up and let the full scale of the show's production shine — perhaps Bowery Ballroom or Gramercy Theatre.
The tour continues through the Midwest to the end of May, then down the West Coast into early June. If you are in the path of their storm, step outside, tilt your head back, and let it wash over you. You will not regret getting drenched in their sound.
