Photo by Nickolas Rossi
Step-sisters and self-described “ugly pop” rockers, Kelli and Payton of Skating Polly started jamming together at the ages of 9 and 14 at a family Halloween party. While their sound has evolved tremendously over the last eight years, from an irresistibly jarring twee-pop first album Taking Over the World (2011), straight from the band’s living room, to the more mature, but still gritty and cool, New Trick EP written with the help of Louise Post and Nina Gordon of Veruca Salt in 2017.
Fans of Bikini Kill, L7, and Babes in Toyland will dig Skating Polly’s post-riot grrrl sound. Tracks like “Perfume for Now” and “Hey Sweet” have a Nirvana-esque sound AND are also total bangers. Along with writing incredible original music, they’ve covered the likes of AC/DC, Grateful Dead, and Neutral Milk Hotel. Like their predecessors in the riot grrrl movement, who used music as a tool for female empowerment, these sisters used their cover of the Grateful Dead’s song “Morning Dew” to take a stance against oppression, racism, sexism, and the election of Donald Trump.Fans of Bikini Kill, L7, and Babes in Toyland will dig Skating Polly’s post-riot grrrl sound. Tracks like “Perfume for Now” and “Hey Sweet” have a Nirvana-esque sound AND are also total bangers. Along with writing incredible original music, they’ve covered the likes of AC/DC, Grateful Dead, and Neutral Milk Hotel. Like their predecessors in the riot grrrl movement, who used music as a tool for female empowerment, these sisters used their cover of the Grateful Dead’s song “Morning Dew” to take a stance against oppression, racism, sexism, and the election of Donald Trump.
Kelli and Payton manage to be two distinctly different heads of the same beast. Kelli’s voice is high and shrill but is balanced out by Payton’s deep, soft tones. They both possess immense stage presence, Kelli’s comes from her 17-year-old frame as she sings about her life at in-your-face volume. Payton has admitted to being a bit shy, which contributes to her beautiful opposition to her sister. Despite coming off as a little reserved, once she opens her mouth, the audience knows to shut up because she has something important to say. I have a feeling that the addition of their brother Kurtis as a drummer has helped the girls grow even more comfortable with their shared spotlight. Skating Polly will be joined in Seattle by local band Don Forgetti, and LA punk band Starcrawler whose sound is reminiscent of The Runaways.
Keep up with Skating Polly on Facebook, Twitter, and Spotify. You can catch Starcrawler on Facebook. Don Forgetti can be found on Bandcamp and Facebook.
I’ll be interviewing Skating Polly before their show at The Funhouse on December 1st, so keep an eye out for that coming soon! Doors open at 7:00 PM and the show starts at 8:00 PM! Tickets are still available here. This event is all ages, so no matter who you are, you can come rock out with me (if you want)!
HALEY PARSONS | girls with bangs are here to take over the world | KXSU Music Reporter