SKATING POLLY | LIVE REVIEW
Le Public Space, Newport, Tue 11 Sept
Making a welcome return to Wales, this time in Newport at Le Public Space, the trio of multi-instrumental stepsiblings collectively known as Skating Polly come armed with a peach of a new album, The Make It All Show, and the assembled crowd are buzzing, eager to hear the new stuff in the live arena. The first thing I have to address, though, is the venue itself: I attended many a show at the old Le Pub and was quite sad to see that go. So with my first visit to Le Public Space, I felt a tinge of sadness and approached with trepidation. I needn’t have – the spirit of Le Pub is alive and well and the venue is absolutely fantastic, so well done to all involved.
I first experienced Skating Polly last year at The Moon in Cardiff and was absolutely blown away. Could they repeat that? From the opening chords of Pretective Boy, the answer is a resounding yes. Joint vocalist Kelli Mayo lurches around the stage in one of Dolly Parton’s old cowboy shirts like the bastard child of Sid Vicious and Cherie Currie, literally kicking and screaming. Her more subdued older sister Peyton handles most of the vocals on Nothing More Than A Body, effortlessly skipping between the high and low notes.
The first of several new tracks is aired – the bass-heavy Little Girl Blue And The Battle Envy, which brings to mind that early-90s shoegaze sound. Free Will At Ease ignites a modest moshpit, which carries on through Stop Digging, and that’s when things start to go wrong. A broken guitar gives Kelli the chance to step up and show off her a capella vocal skills, while her sister attends to her guitar. Peyton and drummer brother Kurtis swap instruments for a track before the show finishes prematurely due to ongoing issues with the guitars – but as it was approaching the scheduled finish anyway, the crowd depart happy, Skating Polly having once again ripped South Wales another one.
words CHRIS ANDREWS photos THEODORE SWADDLING