Dead Pony / Rebellion / Manchester
A touch of sunstroke on Tuesday meant I missed catching the Dead Pony’s “Eat My Dust” tour at Rock City, but this was one I did not want to miss, so a little 3 hour jaunt up the A1/M62 to the brilliant Rebellion in Manchester to see one of the hottest live bands around.
Kicking off proceedings tonight is rising pop-punk star Tally Spear. A thoroughly enjoyable start to the night, and one that had the packed Rebellion rocking right from the off. Her style of pop-punk is rich and textured and hits hard, Her latest EP “Bittersweet” focuses on two opposites - good and bad, and on the hurt and the ultimate healing that follows. The very idea that these two things can and do exist at once runs through the set, perhaps none more so, than in the live debut of the title track Bittersweet an emotional centrepiece to the performance and a touching tribute to her late father.
Unfortunately Tally suffered a couple of technical issues, especially when an intense wave of feedback flooded the room, with no apparent cause, and then the loss of sound to her mic, but these hiccups were taken in her stride and made light off. When the mic fired back up the room cheered and Tally continued where she left off, delivering infectious hooks, powerful riffs and enough energy to power the street !
Another notable track was Where Do We Go From Here, a rich and powerful platform from which to demonstrate her stunning vocals. Tally Spear delivered a great set, and won a lot of new fans tonight in Manchester. One definitely to keep a watch out for !
Next up are Scottish four piece Overgrown a Nu-Metal/Grunge band from the borders town Berwick-Upon-Tweed. This was their first Manchester performance, but you wouldn’t know it as they confidently ripped through a heavy, melodic grunge set.
It’s that kind of modern grunge, that you just have to dance to, and the chorus sections are particularly infectious, and urge you to headbang along to, the screamed vocals adding to the dynamic mix, and atmosphere.
Just like tally, there was an energy about their performance, one that seemed to rub off on the crowd. Hot outside, and Rebellion by now packed to the rafters, the temperature was rising fast and Overgrown did their absolute best to fan the flames lol.
By the time Dead Pony hit the stage, you just couldn’t move in Rebellion. Everyone packed in, pressing towards the stage to get a better view. Formed in 2015 in Glasgow, Dead Pony are Anna Shields (vocals), Blair Crichton (guitar), Liam Adams (bass) and Euan Lyons (drums). Having toured extensively and released a number of EP’s Dead Pony dropped their debut album “Ignore This” in 2024.
They opened tonight’s set with Eat My Dust and Rebellion just erupted ! The energy levels went through the roof, and a swirling pit started up for the first time tonight, encouraged by Blair. The band want, no yearn for the energy from the crowd, and feed off it like some kind of sonic vampire.
Anna Shields delivers a stunning performance tonight. Her vocals are right on point, huge, packed with power and emotion. Between songs her stagecraft and interactions with the crowd are excellent, her personality, the banter has the crowd eating out of her hand, and makes the sections between songs just as much a part of the performance as the music itself.
A real surprise right in the middle of the set, as Dead Pony roll out a stunning interpretation of the Alanis Morisette hit You Oughta Know, from her 1995 classic debut album “Jagged Little Pill”. A power track anyway, Dead Pony turn up the rock to 11 with this loud, energy packed and angry interpretation. Something can be a hit or a miss, and here Dead Pony deliver the goods.
The set is a great mix of newer material, such as Look Inside of Me and Freak Like Me and sit alongside fan favourites such as Cobra, Ignore This and the excellent Everything Burns perfectly. Everything Burns was a real highlight, packed with raw power, the pit was bursting at the seems, and the crowd all round it were bouncing up and down as well. It’s rare you see a room so packed with energy as this, and it was brilliant.
As the set drew to a close, Anna asked the crowd what they wanted to hear to round out the night. Voices cried out with their favourites, each competing for attention, and all great choices, but this is ‘the Eat My Dust tour’…… so there seemed only one suitable choice, and we enjoyed another dose of Eat My Dust ! And why not ? It’s an incredible track, and works as well as a set closer as it does to open the night.
Just as it ac ted as a call to arms at the start, it delivered one last injection of adrenaline to the already hyped crowd, who just lost it, the pit oscillating round the room, arms flying and voices raised. A truly chaotic, and magnificent end to the night.
An incredible performance, from a band known for their live shows. There’s something about their energy and enthusiasm, which just draws you in, kicking and screaming. The atmosphere is wild, powerful, but safe.
It surely can’t be long before Dead Pony are playing to much bigger crowds.
Setlist
Eat My Dust!
Everything Burns
Rainbows
Cobra
Mana
You Oughta Know (Alanis Morissette cover)
Fury
Freak Like Me
Boom!
Lost Inside of Me
Ignore This
Eat My Dust!
