Skating Polly - EU/UK Tour 2026

Over the past decade, few bands have embodied the unbridled freedom of punk quite like Skating Polly. Founded in 2009 by stepsisters Kelli Mayo and Peyton Bighorse, who were just nine and thirteen years old at the time, the Oklahoma-based band has channeled their versatile musicality into a sound they call "ugly-pop", which is unruly, subversive and wildly melodic all at once. Since Kelli's brother Kurtis Mayo joined the band on drums in 2017, they have built up a close-knit fan base and earned the admiration of their musical idols. This has led to them collaborating with icons such as Exene Cervenka of X and Calvin Johnson of Beat Happening, touring with Babes In Toyland and starring in a feature-length documentary.

On their latest double album "Chaos County Line", released in summer 2023, Skating Polly reach a whole new level of self-possession and present their most comprehensive and emotionally powerful work to date. They once again collaborated with Brad Wood, the acclaimed producer behind indie rock classics like Liz Phair's "Exile in Guyville". While their stylistic spectrum ranges from art-punk to noise-rock to piano-driven power-pop, the band pairs this musical complexity with a razor-sharp narrative voice that explores both internal (identity/detachment/unhealthy coping mechanisms) and external (obsession/deception/gaslighting) patterns of human behavior.

Even if they don't see themselves in this role, they are still often compared to Riot Grrl icons like Bikini Kill or Babes in Toyland and their fans include Shirley Manson from Garbage as well as the Flaming Lips, who they have already supported on their US tour. After two really energetic and packed guest appearances at the scheune Blechschloss and the Ostpol, the band is now returning to Dresden.

Support act: Lord Friday the 13th