Skating Polly returned to the UK last month for the first time since the release of their sixth album, Chaos County Line. Kicking off the tour in London, the almost sold-out show brought a wide variety of their diverse fan base and, in similar fashion, the brother and sisters showcased a varied set of their large discography. Blake Leonard reviews.
Supporting were the Welsh band, Half Happy. During their loud, reverb-laden opening set, a mood took over the venue foreshadowing the energy to follow during the headline set. Following on from Half Happy, Skating Polly took the stage opening with Singalong from the new album. With the words ‘Ugly Pop’ written across both guitar and bass, the band unleashed their signature sound at full force. As they started to play Hickey King, their first single release since 2020, the crowd parted and made way for a chaotic pit which would endure the duration of the set. Even the false ending of the song didn’t fool anybody as everybody seemed to knew the songs inside-out. This became more evident as they played Little Girl Blue and the Battle Envy, where Peyton broke down whilst playing guitar after hearing her fans singing her sister’s lyrics back at them.
"With the words ‘Ugly Pop’ written across both guitar and bass, the band unleashed their signature sound at full force."
After swapping instruments towards the end of the set, Kelli brought her guitar for a ride as she crowd-surfed to Camelot, travelling as far as her guitar lead would allow for before being carried back to the front. Putting down her guitar before the last chorus, the band finished the song with just bass and drums as Kelli approached the crowd once again, causing a surge of bodies towards the stage.Â
Again, the band swapped instruments again with Peyton on drums and Kurtis on guitar to play out the set with their most listened to track to date, They’re Cheap (I’m Free). Armed with drumstick, Kurtis filled every ounce of empty space with screeching guitar sounds that perfectly juxtaposed the calm of the remaining instrumentation. Skating Polly truly showed off their dynamic range with no relent from any fan in the front half of the venue, which shook to the rhythm of jumping and pushing.
"Armed with drumstick, Kurtis filled every ounce of empty space with screeching guitar sounds that perfectly juxtaposed the calm of the remaining instrumentation."
Loud calls for an encore brought the band back on stage to try a song they’d only ever played twice in a live setting, Not Going Back Again. Unfortunately, the song was abandoned in a light-hearted fashion after two attempts and instead they played Perfume for Now from their fourth album, The Big Fit. Allowing for one last expenditure of energy, the venue erupted as soon as the heavy fuzz of the guitar and bass kicked in, ending in a thick atmosphere of sweat and shared love for music.
Blake Leonard
Edited by Tabitha Smith
Featured Image courtesy of Skating Polly via Facebook
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