Photos and review by NOTES FROM VIVACE
LOS ANGELES – When do you know a set is amazing? At the end of the set, you look down at your phone to check the clock and find it shocking that more than an hour has passed.
Time meant nothing at the Zebulon as Skating Polly entertained their Los Angeles fan base. The band is in the middle of a more-than-50-stop tour that first had them going through France, United Kingdom and Germany and now they’re on their West Coast swing through the United States in support of their 2023 album release Chaos County Line.
The band includes stepsisters Peyton Bighorse and Kelli Mayo as well as Kelli’s brother, Kurtis Mayo. Peyton provides the emotional vocals while playing the guitar. Kelli’s vocals can pierce the eardrums while high kicking with the bass. Kurtis has a laser eye focus on the drum beats.
Let’s go with some sports metaphors since we’re at the start of baseball season, the middle of March Madness, and the end of hockey and basketball seasons. As the band came on stage, Kelli looked ready to play alongside Chet Holmgren of the Oklahoma City Thunder and get them to the top of the Western Conference. Peyton Bighorse, wearing devil ears, was set to hit the rink for the New Jersey Devils. Kurtis Mayo was concentrating on the pitcher, ready to hit that walk-off home run for the Los Angeles Dodgers.
The 17-song set leaned heavily on songs from “Chaos County Line,” but also embraced their last two albums “The Make It All Show” and “The Big Fit.” The set started off with metal rock clash of guitar, bass, and drums for “Singalong.” Those first few musical notes got the crowd energized. The Letters to Cleo vibes of “I’m Sorry For Always Apologizing” drew cheers from the crowd. “Nothing More Than a Body” had the crowd dancing to Peyton’s singing. The song “Oddie Moore” started off lowkey before the vocals went into Dolores O’Riordan (The Cranberries) territory with higher octaves set against the background of punk beats. “Send a Priest” had the crowd headbanging in a ritual way.
Starting with the song “Hail Mary,” the band switched up instruments with Kelli taking on guitar duties and Peyton going with the bass. The band probably had the most fun playing “Camelot,” showing they still had all the energy in the world even as their set was coming to a conclusion. Kellie showed some gymnastic level flexibility by leaning backwards until her head was just a foot or so from the stage floor all while playing guitar. Peyton took the chance to take that cool bass stance while strumming away with lightning speed.
The band saved perhaps their most impactful song for the end. The Mayo siblings left the stage, leaving Peyton alone with a guitar. “Charlie, your brother looks pretty under the city tonight. He told me that he’d never love me. And that I looked ugly when I cried. I finally grew to see you’re not the only man on the moon. Tattooed my arm in the dark thinking about you.” Those are some of the lyrics from “Charlie’s Brother.” How painful is it to be called “ugly?” The crowd listened attentively in near total silence and a couple individuals sat on the floor while others turned on their camera flashlights.
Skating Polly’s comment of the night: Why are you guys so sweet and lovely?
Skating Polly’s guitar / bass word art: “Ugly Pop” and a heart was painted on both instruments, dual reference to their self-described genre and 2021 documentary.
Opening up for Skating Polly was Minneapolis band Bugsy. They were also in support of a recent release, their 2023 EP Now I Spend All Of My Time Alone. The band’s song “hard to breathe” has rocking melodies layered over lyrics of a painful relationship, “Come on, make it easier. Say you don’t remember my name. Come on, make it easier. And go the fuck away. ‘Cause you make it hard to breathe. And not in a good way. And you make it hard to leave.”
The band did a cover of “I Kissed a Girl” by Katy Perry and then delved into how they don’t agree with the lyrics, because it isn’t cool to cheat on someone you’re dating. Devil ears also made an appearance during Bugsy’s set so the two bands were sharing some fun props.
Bugsy’s comment of the night: Yippie, I’m sick with power.
Bugsy’s guitar word art: “Bugsy” spelled out using felt alphabet letters and a red heart.
Skating Polly setlist: Singalong, Hickey King, Little Girl Blue and The Battle Envy, Man Out There, Louder in Outer Space, I’m Sorry For Always Apologizing, Free Will At Ease, All the Choices, Pretective Boy, Nothing More Than a Body, Oddie Moore, Send A Priest, Hail Mary, Girls Night, Camelot, They’re Cheap (I’m Free), Charlie’s Brother
Bugsy setlist: recluse, Tiger Beetle, oh well, capo 3, hard to breathe, talk to you, drunk, 3000, I Kissed a Girl (Katy Perry), Slip N’ Slide, soup
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