Skating Polly Came of Age in the Indie Rock Underground. Now They’re Bringing Their Intense Live Show to xBk on July 29
By Fred Love
Stepsisters Peyton Bighorse and Kelli Mayo of Skating Polly got their start in indie rock early—Peyton was about 14 and Kelli just 9 when they made their first trip together to the Conservatory, a storied punk venue in Oklahoma City.
They were nearly always the youngest people in the room, but the venue staff and music community looked out for them, nurturing their budding passion for underground rock. They made connections in the punk and indie worlds and — perhaps inevitably — formed their own band, started recording and hit the road.
“It was the coolest club in Oklahoma City. Me and Kelli went there as often as we could,” Bighorse said in a recent phone interview. “Something really cool about the Conservatory was how accessible the artists were. We’d see bands and stay in touch over the years. We formed a lot of cool relationships in that venue.”
Skating Polly will bring that sense of community—and the explosive creative energy they honed in the indie rock underground—to xBk Live in Des Moines on Tuesday, July 29. Tickets are available now at xBklive.com.
Their live performances bubble with a tension that always feels on the verge of boiling over, threatening to scald anyone within earshot. The sound is raw, visceral, and unpredictable, a musical pressure cooker that never fully releases steam.
The power trio — Mayo and Bighorse, along with Kelli’s brother Kurtis Mayo — swap instruments and trade lead vocals with the kind of ease that comes from growing up together in the same musical sandbox. Their songs veer from lo-fi alt-rock to riot grrrl punk to moments of pop clarity. That stylistic whiplash is part of the thrill.
What holds it all together is the band’s unnerving intensity. Every performance teeters on the brink of emotional detonation. It takes serious psychic effort to keep the set from careening into complete, red-hot chaos. But that tension—the razor’s edge between restraint and catharsis—is where Skating Polly thrives. It’s the dangerous sweet spot where some of the best rock ’n’ roll is born.
Bighorse pointed to the song “Send a Priest” from the band’s most recent full-length, Chaos County Line, as a prime example. It opens with a tense bassline pulsing beneath cooing vocals, then erupts into a full-on assault of drums, fuzzed-out guitars and venomously growled lyrics.
Skating Polly also collaborated with their heroes Nina Gordon and Louise Post of Veruca Salt on the 2017 EP New Trick. EP standout “Hail Mary” features a brooding buildup in the verses that explodes into a melodic rager during the chorus. Produced by veteran indie rock producer Brad Wood, the EP recalls the best of ’90s alt-rock with a hint of modern dark pop lurking in the corners.
Bighorse said she’s excited for the band’s upcoming tour, though it means a protracted absence from her beloved Chihuahua, Georgie, who’ll stay with her mother while she’s on the road. Long van rides between gigs can breed snippy moments between the family members, she admitted with a laugh, but the close-knit dynamic also fosters a creative environment where ideas flow freely and everyone feels supported.
Each member’s versatility means anyone can pick up an instrument or slide behind the drum kit to compose a new part, making for a freewheeling and collaborative songwriting process.
“It’s very comfortable writing with and around Kelli and Kurtis,” Bighorse said. “I don’t know if it’s because they’re family or just because I’m used to it. Writing can be a really vulnerable thing, and it’s great to have people I know, love, and trust around while we do it.”