For all fans of female fronted alt rock bands, tonight’s show is the gift that keeps on giving.
They may be 10 years into their career but this is the first time the band have visited Liverpool. Hailing from Oklahoma USA. Skating Polly were formed by three talented siblings: Kelli Mayo, Kurtis Mayo and their step sister Peyton Bighorse. They’ve already recorded five albums and the most recent, 2018’s ‘Make It All Show’ received many accolades from fans and critics around the world for its raw, punk rock attitude.
First on the stage tonight is adopted Liverpudlian, American born artist Natalie Papa and her band. Natalie and the Monarchy present powerful lyricism delivered via an eclectic mix of grunge and performance art. It makes for a highly entertaining start to proceedings.
After a short break Health Junkies arrived on the stage, a London based rock band with the electric Nina Courson on vocal. In keeping with the theme of the evening, they thrash out a short set of driven, authentic guitar music matched with energetic vocals all delivered with with punk like attitude and energy.
It is great to see a strong line-up filled with talented and powerful women. We need more concerts like this!
Finally it’s time for Skating Polly to make their long awaited, Liverpool debut. The band start their set with the melodic ‘Queen for a Day’, originally recorded with Exene Cervenka from Californian punk band X. On this occasion it’s Kelli and Peyton who take on dueling vocal duties.
‘Louder in Outer Space’ and moodier ‘Free Will at Ease’ are next. Both highlight the brilliantly catchy vocals and pop sensibilities at the heart of the band, albeit driven along with pile-driver fuzzy guitars which are definitely becoming their trademark.
Following these is the epic ‘Little Girl Blue and The Battle Envy’ with Kelli tapping out the solitary bass motif that forms the backbone of the track as it builds and builds into to its powerful climax. We get a taste of the full range of her amazing voice, emotional, energised and almost certainly channeling her inner Brody Dalle such is the venom in her delivery.
We also hear a few older songs like ‘Nothing More than a Body’ or ‘Perfume for now’ both lifted from 2016 album ‘The big fit’.
The band is well known for all members being multi-instrumentalists so it’s no surprise to see them swapping instruments. Peyton moves from guitar to bass during ‘Hail Mary’ and soon after we see Kurtis thrashing out some serious riffs on guitar. Great to see this as it always seems to keep the band and the audience on their toes.
Second from the last song of the evening ‘Camelot’. Mayo goes full fraggle, screaming out ‘I want something, I want something new‘, you don’t doubt she means it! Yet again we can hear the powerful three string bass and distorted guitar mixed with brutal drumming. So powerful!
The fantastic fourteen song set finishes off with the vitriolic ‘They’re cheap (I’m Free).
What a great band! What a great night!
Words & Pictures: Tom Adam @tomadampics