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Dead Pony

Dead Pony
Dead Pony performing in 2024
Dead Pony performing in 2024
Background information
Also known asCrystal (2015–2020)
OriginGlasgow, Scotland
Genres
Years active2015–present
Labels
Members
  • Anna Shields
  • Blair Crichton
  • Liam Adams
  • Euan Lyons
Past members
  • Lewis Clarke
  • George McGarrity
  • Ross Taylor
  • Aidan McAllister
  • Lizzie Reid
Websitedeadponyband.com

Dead Pony, formerly known as Crystal, is a band from Glasgow, Scotland. Initially a duo comprising Anna Shields and Blair Crichton, they and three of their university classmates formed Crystal and supported Paolo Nutini at a BBC Scotland's Hogmanay concert. Shields and Crichton then formed a quartet with Lizzie Reid and Aidan McAllister and released numerous singles, before Liam Adams replaced Reid and the band changed their name to Dead Pony. After Euan Lyons replaced McAllister, the band released the EP War Boys and the album Ignore This; the latter charted at No. 8 on the Scottish Album Charts. They have variously been inspired by Kathleen Hanna, Hayley Williams, Nirvana, The Breeders, Wolf Alice, Fleetwood Mac, Courtney Barnett, N.E.R.D., Justin Timberlake, Limp Bizkit, and The Prodigy, and their music is generally classified as rock and pop punk.

History

2015–2019: Formation and early releases

In 2015,[1] Anna Shields contacted Blair Crichton as she wanted a guitarist to make music with.[2] The pair bonded over their love of 1990s grunge bands,[1] and eventually began making music as a duo,[2] choosing the name Crystal after an early track reminded Shields of a Spyro the Dragon sound effect triggered by Spyro collecting gems and crystals.[1] Shields and Crichton were later joined by Lewis Clarke, George McGarrity, and Ross Taylor, who Shields was studying alongside at the University of the West of Scotland.[a] The band won a competition to support Paolo Nutini at a BBC Scotland's Hogmanay concert[4] and released the singles "Passed Down"[2] and "Sugar Sweet" in 2017.[5]

The band then diversified into blues rock and then into grunge;[1] around this time, Clarke, McGarrity, and Taylor left. The duo would later form a quartet with Lizzie Reid and Aidan McAllister.[1] In 2018, they released "Heaven", a track written from the perspective of a theist questioning their belief system, alongside a music video.[4] They then released "Sex Rich" in January 2019[6] and re-released "Sugar Sweet" in April 2019.[7] After winning Pirate Prodigy 2019, they released "Speak of the Devil".[8] Reid then left the band[9] and was replaced by Liam Adams in late 2019.[10]

2020–2022: Name change and War Boys

"A horse – a pony – is one of the most beautiful, majestic creatures on the planet, and there's something really tragic about the idea of it lying there dead. That sense of waste, and the anger and confusion it brings, reflects what we've been feeling recently – but coming to terms with it has kinda' become the vibe of this band." [sic]

Shields talking to The Sunflower Lounge in 2023[11]

In April 2020,[11] the band renamed themselves "Dead Pony", which was the original title of their then-unreleased track "Everything is Easy".[9] The song is an attempt at conveying the feelings of betrayal the band had felt as children when they were told that Santa Claus was fictional.[12] By changing the name of the band, Shields and Crichton sought to tighten up its image.[13] "Everything is Easy" was released on 1 May 2020, their first release on LAB Records.[9] A subsequent track, "Sharp Tongues", addressed rumours and those who started them and was released in July,[14] with a self-shot music video released that September.[15] In November 2020, the band were nominated for "Best Rock/Alternative Act" at the Scottish Alternative Music Awards,[16] an award won by Fauves;[17] they were later nominated for that award ceremony's Sound of Young Scotland Award in 2022, which was won by Berta Kennedy.[18]

Later that month, the band announced that they were working on an EP and released "23, Never Me",[16] a punk rock track[19] about ending unhealthy friendships.[16] Euan Lyons replaced McAllister in mid-2021.[b] The band then released a further single in March 2022, "Bullet Farm",[22] which was based around a riff from a chase scene in Mad Max: Fury Road.[20] That June, they released "Zero" and announced their debut EP, War Boys,[23] which was entirely Mad Max-themed;[24] they released the EP's title track and then the EP that September,[25] followed by a cover version of Nelly Furtado's "Maneater" in December.[26]

2023–present: Ignore This

Vocalist Anna Shields in 2024

In June 2023, they released "MK Nothing", a track Shields wrote after dreaming of a woman brainwashed by MKUltra to assassinate villains,[27] alongside a music video.[28] This was followed by "Mana" in July, a track describing survival in a post-apocalyptic ghost town,[29] "Cobra" in August, a combination of rock music and break beats,[30] and the lost love ballad "About Love" the month after that.[31] In November, the band won won the P&J Live Spotlight Award at the Scottish Music Awards.[32]

The band announced their debut album, Ignore This, in December 2023, alongside the release of new videos for "Cobra" and "About Love". The album got its title from the band's experience of being ignored,[33] and was recorded during two weeks in a Scottish Highlands[34] cabin, during which time it rained constantly. On the last day, they wrote the self-empowerment track "Rainbows" after the rain stopped and they saw one in the sky;[35] they released the track as a single that March,[36] followed by its music video the month after.[37] Ignore This was released in April 2024 and featured "MK Nothing", "Mana", "Cobra", "About Love", "Rainbows",[35] four interludes,[38] and seven other tracks.[35] Designed to evoke surfing between VHS tapes,[38] the album charted at No. 8 on the Scottish Albums Chart.[39]

Artistry

Shields stated in an April 2018 interview with The Skinny that she personally took inspiration from Kathleen Hanna, the lead vocalist of Bikini Kill,[4] while Lauren Jack of The Scotsman wrote that Shields "clearly" took inspiration from Paramore's Hayley Williams, even to the point of replicating some of her dance moves.[40] Iain Smith wrote in November 2020 that Shields took inspiration "from the pop and indie spheres with elements of grunge" and that Crichton's influences included metal and hard rock,[13] while Crichton suggested in 2023 that "Nirvana's simple, tasteful chord progressions and interesting note choices" had moulded the band's sound.[41]

"Heaven"'s style was influenced by Nirvana and The Breeders, while the song's vocals were inspired by Wolf Alice and Fleetwood Mac and its music video was initially inspired by the works of Courtney Barnett and Wolf Alice.[4] Their cover of "Maneater" was inspired by N.E.R.D., Justin Timberlake, and Limp Bizkit, as the band were listening to significant volumes of music from the early 2000s at the time,[26] while "Cobra"'s musical stylings were inspired by The Prodigy, who the band described as their "idols" in a 2024 Rock Sound interview.[35]

Emma Flynn of DIY described "23, Never Me" as "menacing" pop-punk and likened its chorus to works by the Marmozets,[42] while Alex Curle of When the Horn Blows described War Boys as having "flairs and dabbles of grunge, punk and hard rock with sounds similar to the soft and hard undertones of Wolf Alice and Bikini Kill".[43] Reviewing Ignore This, Samantha Hall of Distorted Sound wrote that the album "features everything from nu-metal riffs to pop-punk energy, as well as classic rock guitar solos and electro-synth".[38]

Members

Current members

  • Anna Shields – vocals, guitar (2015–present)
  • Blair Crichton – guitar (2015–present)
  • Liam Adams – bass (2019–present)
  • Euan Lyons – drums (2021–present)

Former members

  • George McGarrity – bass (2015–2018)
  • Lizzie Reid – bass (2018–2019)
  • Ross Taylor – keyboards (2015–2018)
  • Lewis Clarke – drums (2015–2018)
  • Aidan McAllister – drums (2018–2021)

Timeline

Discography

Albums

List of albums, with selected chart positions
Title Album details Peak chart
positions
UK Indie
[39] 		SCO
[39]
Ignore This
(Dead Pony)
  • Released: 5 April 2024[44]
  • Format: CD, digital, LP
  • Label: LAB Records
 11 8

EPs

Title Details
Youth
(Crystal)
Sex Rich
(Crystal)
War Boys
(Dead Pony)

Singles

As lead artist

Singles as lead artist
Title Year Album Ref.
"Heaven"
(Crystal) 		2018 Non-album single [46]
"Sex Rich"
(Crystal) 		2019 Sex Rich [47]
"Sugar Sweet"
(Crystal) 		[48]
"Speak of the Devil"
(Crystal) 		Non-album single [49]
"Everything is Easy"
(Dead Pony) 		2020 [44]
"Sharp Tongues"
(Dead Pony) 		[44]
"23, Never Me"
(Dead Pony) 		War Boys [44]
"Bullet Farm"
(Dead Pony) 		2022 [44]
"Zero"
(Dead Pony) 		[44]
"War Boys"
(Dead Pony) 		[44]
"Maneater"
(Dead Pony) 		Non-album single [44]
"MK Nothing"
(Dead Pony) 		2023 Ignore This [44]
"Mana"
(Dead Pony) 		[44]
"Cobra"
(Dead Pony) 		[44]
"About Love"
(Dead Pony) 		[44]
"Rainbows"
(Dead Pony) 		2024 [44]
"Generation Gap"
(Mazare & Dead Pony) 		The Losers Club[50] [44]

Other appearances

Song Year Album Ref.
"Siren"
(Crystal) 		2015 Blastproof 2015 [51]
"Paper"
(Crystal) 		[51]

Tours

Headlining

  • Ignore This Tour (2024)[52]

Supporting

Notes

  1. ^
    • For Taylor's name being Ross, see [3].
    • For everything else, see.[2]
  2. ^
    • For the fact that he replaced McAllister, see [20].
    • For mid-2021, see [10].
    • For the fact that his name was in fact Euan Lyons, see.[21]

References

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  2. ^ a b c d McQuade, Christopher (22 June 2017). "Glasgow band CRYSTAL warm up for new single". Glasgow Live. Archived from the original on 10 July 2024. Retrieved 10 July 2024.
  3. ^ a b "SEX RICH EP". Spotify. 25 November 2017. Archived from the original on 9 July 2024. Retrieved 6 July 2024.
  4. ^ a b c d "CRYSTAL - Heaven (Video Premiere)". www.theskinny.co.uk. 24 April 2018. Archived from the original on 9 July 2024. Retrieved 7 July 2024.
  5. ^ Mackinnon, Derick; Furniss, Olaf (8 April 2018). Under the Radar: Crystal. Scotland on Sunday. p. 39.
  6. ^ Oswald, Suzanne (11 January 2019). "PREMIERE: CRYSTAL 'Sex Rich' | New Music". Tenement TV. Retrieved 7 July 2024.
  7. ^ Oswald, Suzanne. "CRYSTAL 'Sugar Sweet'". Tenement TV. Archived from the original on 9 July 2024. Retrieved 7 July 2024.
  8. ^ Murphy, Georgia (9 August 2019). "This Feeling Track of the Day: Crystal 'Speak Of The Devil'". Gigslutz. Archived from the original on 9 July 2024. Retrieved 7 July 2024.
  9. ^ a b c Ewins, Eamon (15 April 2020). "TTV TALKS: Dead Pony on their name change, signing to LAB Records, future plans and more". Tenement TV. Archived from the original on 9 July 2024. Retrieved 7 July 2024.
  10. ^ a b The Sound Lab (27 June 2022). Interview with Dead Pony - Glastonbury Festival 2022. Archived from the original on 9 July 2024. Retrieved 8 July 2024 – via YouTube.
  11. ^ a b "Dead Pony". The Sunflower Lounge. Archived from the original on 29 July 2024. Retrieved 9 July 2024.
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  16. ^ a b c "Dead Pony Share Punishing New Cut '23, Never Me'". Clash Magazine. 5 November 2020. Archived from the original on 29 July 2024. Retrieved 8 July 2024.
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  26. ^ a b Weaver, James (11 December 2022). "Dead Pony release new cover of Nelly Furtado's 'Maneater'". Distorted Sound Magazine. Archived from the original on 9 July 2024. Retrieved 9 July 2024.
  27. ^ Carter, Emily (6 June 2023). "Listen to Dead Pony's explosive new single, MK Nothing". Kerrang!. Archived from the original on 9 July 2024. Retrieved 9 July 2024.
  28. ^ Taylor, Sam (6 June 2023). "Dead Pony's new single is about a girl who's mind controlled to assassinate bad guys". Dork. Archived from the original on 29 July 2024. Retrieved 9 July 2024.
  29. ^ Carter, Emily (19 July 2023). "Dead Pony have released an intense new single, MANA". Kerrang!. Archived from the original on 9 July 2024. Retrieved 9 July 2024.
  30. ^ Taylor, Sam (18 August 2023). "Dead Pony have dropped their "diss track to everyone we stand against", new single 'Cobra'". Dork. Archived from the original on 9 July 2024. Retrieved 9 July 2024.
  31. ^ Taylor, Sam (27 October 2023). "Dead Pony have dropped a ballad about lost love, new single 'About Love'". Dork. Archived from the original on 29 July 2024. Retrieved 9 July 2024.
  32. ^ "Complete lineup of winners announced for the 2023 Specsavers Scottish Music Awards | News". What's On Glasgow. Archived from the original on 29 July 2024. Retrieved 9 July 2024.
  33. ^ Kelly, Tyler Damara (14 December 2023). "Dead Pony announce their debut album, IGNORE THIS". The Line of Best Fit. Archived from the original on 15 December 2023. Retrieved 5 July 2024.
  34. ^ Picker, Ciaran (29 February 2024). "Dead Pony: "We didn't have time to mess around"". Dork. Retrieved 10 July 2024.
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  37. ^ Taylor, Sam (2 April 2024). "Dead Pony have shared a new video for 'Rainbows', a song about loving yourself". Dork. Archived from the original on 10 July 2024. Retrieved 10 July 2024.
  38. ^ a b c Hall, Samantha (2 April 2024). "ALBUM REVIEW: Ignore This - Dead Pony". Distorted Sound Magazine. Archived from the original on 8 April 2024. Retrieved 10 July 2024.
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  40. ^ Jack, Lauren (7 September 2023). "Dead Pony kick off UK tour in style with Aberdeen show". The Scotsman. Retrieved 9 July 2024.
  41. ^ Walker, Logan (8 November 2023). "Celebrating 30 Years of Nirvana's In Utero - The Skinny". www.theskinny.co.uk. Archived from the original on 11 July 2024. Retrieved 11 July 2024.
  42. ^ Watson, Elly; Swann, Emma; Wright, Lisa (9 November 2020). "The Neu Bulletin (Banji, Dead Pony, Jesswar and more!)". DIY. Retrieved 10 July 2024.
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  44. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o "Dead Pony - Discography". Spotify. Archived from the original on 9 July 2024. Retrieved 9 July 2024.
  45. ^ "Youth". Spotify. 28 September 2016. Archived from the original on 29 July 2024. Retrieved 6 July 2024.
  46. ^ "Heaven". Spotify. 4 April 2018. Archived from the original on 29 July 2024. Retrieved 6 July 2024.
  47. ^ "Sex Rich". Spotify. 11 January 2019. Archived from the original on 29 July 2024. Retrieved 6 July 2024.
  48. ^ "Sugar Sweet". Spotify. 26 April 2019. Archived from the original on 9 July 2024. Retrieved 6 July 2024.
  49. ^ "Speak of the Devil". Spotify. 1 August 2019. Archived from the original on 29 July 2024. Retrieved 6 July 2024.
  50. ^ "The Losers Club - EP". Spotify. Archived from the original on 10 July 2024. Retrieved 10 July 2024.
  51. ^ a b "Blastproof 2015". Spotify. 16 July 2015. Archived from the original on 29 July 2024. Retrieved 6 July 2024.
  52. ^ @DeadPonyBand (22 April 2024). "HEADLINE TOUR!! Let's goooo 😎 IGNORE THIS tour across the UK this December 🔥" (Tweet). Retrieved 9 July 2024 – via Twitter.
  53. ^ "Baby Strange announce support acts for UK tour". Tenement TV. 28 June 2021. Archived from the original on 10 July 2024. Retrieved 10 July 2024.
  54. ^ @mothermother (11 November 2022). "Hey FamFam, we're excited to announce support for the upcoming UK + EU dates! We'll be joined by @Robert_Grace in Dublin, PAMELA in Helsinki and @DeadPonyBand for all remaining dates" (Tweet). Retrieved 10 July 2024 – via Twitter.
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  57. ^ @KidKapichi (11 March 2024). "As the beginning of our world tour gets closer, tickets are starting to sell out! Can't wait to take 'There Goes The Neighbourhood' on the road with some old favourites as well. Grab your tickets now to avoid disappointment 💛" (Tweet). Retrieved 9 July 2024 – via Twitter.
  58. ^ Carter, Emily (29 May 2024). "Against The Current announce two intimate summer shows with Dead Pony". Kerrang!. Archived from the original on 9 July 2024. Retrieved 9 July 2024.
Quelle: Https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dead_Pony