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X, Skating Polly @ The Complex; 09/08/17 Show Review
by R.G.B. Robb—
Over the past few decades, punk music has seen a large swath of sub-genres unleashed: hardcore punk, horror punk, crust punk ... the list goes on. With all of these new directions rearing their heads, it’s always nice to go back to the roots, where it all began. The show at The Complex on September 8th had two bands perform that showed not only the beginning of this fast-paced, energetic style, but also where the future of this genre is potentially headed—and I am desperately hoping I am wrong on that last statement.
Up first was a newer (since 2009) group called Skating Polly—and this is the potential future I was speaking of beforehand. Opening with a song called “Pretective Boy,” I was initially drawn to their sound. Their sound holds court in the realm of 90’s alternative grrl-rock with punk chord progression sensibilities—think Veruca Salt mixed with Hole and add a dash of early Siouxsie and the Banshees. After the first minute, when the vocals began, is when everything began a downward trajectory. Though mostly performed by vocalist/bassist Kelli Mayo—with her step-sister, guitarist/vocalist Peyton Bighorse taking over at times—the singing was done in a cutesy, high-pitched way that completely grated on my nerves. Though Bighorse could hold a tune better than Mayo, her singing wasn’t much better. But bad vocals are not enough of a reason to really find disappointment with a band, their music certainly matched the talent-level of the voices. Immediately following the opener was “Nothing More Than A Body.” The big problem I had with this number was that I would have thought that I was listening to the same song, had the band not taken a break and then counted off before starting. Most of their numbers consisted of this redundancy of tone and emotion. Though there was one track that stood out amongst the rest—“Hail Mary”—though considering how mediocre the rest of the material was, this feat wasn’t too difficult. Another element to this band which left me feeling sour was in how they teased the audience. At one point, Bighorse and drummer Kurtis Mayo switched places. The tease came from the fact that when they put their instruments down, I felt a surge of excitement because I thought they were done playing. Alas, I was wrong. The switch was done to accommodate their set-ender “Alabama Movies.” During this little ditty, now-guitarist Mayo began playing his guitar with a violin bow. Though I am thinking this was to add a tonal texture to the piece, it added nothing. The good news is that because the song was so poor, it didn’t really take anything away, either. I have seen a number of newer punk bands over the years, and I am certainly hopeful that their music is more indicative of where the style is going more so than Skating Polly.
The sold-out crowd was incredibly restless before the night’s headliners hit the stage, and they were met with roaring applause when they finally showed. Having seen the British punk legends The Damned on their 40th anniversary tour earlier this year—a thoroughly amazing event—I was more than excited to see how the Los Angeles punk legends X were going to stack up on this, their 40th anniversary tour as well. I am pleased to report that all expectations were exceeded. As the original members hit the stage—vocalist Exene Cervenka, vocalist/bassist John Doe, guitarist Billy Zoom, and drummer DJ Bonebreak—and went into the cut “Beyond And Back,” everyone knew that they were witnessing something special. Every member was on the top of their game, both musically and visually. Though Zoom’s playing was irreproachable, he spent most of the show seated stage left on a stool. However, both Cervenka and Doe were up for the challenge of presenting a truly physical performance, and more than made up for the seated Zoom. If you are unfamiliar with their music, then you need to get out from under a rock and spend some time learning a little rock and roll history. But if you do need a clue, their sound combines old-school traditional punk with a touch of rockabilly, and a touch of dream-pop—especially during “I Must Not Think Bad Thoughts.” At one point during the show, they were joined on stage by touring musician Craig Packham. Doing this allowed Bonebreaker to get out from behind the drums and step up to the vibraphone during a few songs, my favorite of which was the song “Come Back To Me.” For long-time fans the group had something special in store by playing songs on this tour that they have never played live before—“True Love” comes to mind specifically. Though I could go on about every song and how amazing they all were, the tracks that come to mind as those which wouldn’t leave my head after the performance were “Sex And Dying In High Society,” “In This House That I Call Home,” and “Blue Spark.” For an hour and a half, and three encores which saw “Devil Doll” finally close out the show, the punk legion kept rapt attention about as they showed the city of Salt Lake what old-school punk is all about.
Bands like X are a dying breed—both literally and figuratively. When you are 40 years in, there’s a bitter sweetness when it comes to tours of these kind, for both the band and crowd alike. Yes, there are going to be fans who have never had the chance to see legends of this caliber perform for the first time and can put them on their “show bucket list,” offering a once-in-a-life opportunity. But there is also the feeling that one gets when leaving a show knowing that the performance you just witnessed may be the last of that group. With this tour, and others like it, becoming en-vogue, I implore everyone to get out and see what all the fuss is about … it may be your only chance.
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