Dead Pony: Bridging the chasm between chaos and harmony

The appeal and raw energy of the former is to be harnessed and unleashed; the honeyed lure of the latter serves as reward for the soul.

More often than not, bands will begin at the extremes, only to shift from both poles and meet at that sweet spot in the middle, harvesting and mixing soft and harder elements, with some deviation.

But not all bands. Dead Pony are something else entirely. Instead of converging, of compromising and producing a style that has some shade of both chaos and harmony – they crash both sides together. It’s less about finding the balance and more about keeping the two sides raging from the poles.

Anna Shields and Blair Crichton are the driving force behind the band. They ride the post-punk wave, but their unique warring of styles is the heart of their music.

Singer and guitarist Anna takes inspiration from the pop and indie spheres with elements of grunge. Guitarist Blair is an advocate of the riff, with metal and hard rock among his influences. The result is Dead Pony – a cocktail as abrasive as it is sweet, as chaotic as it is harmonious.

Shields tells The Weekender: “It’s just so important to experiment a wee bit and try to create something unique, rather than recycling something that has been done a million times before.”

Even a cursory listen to Dead Pony will gleam an insight into this experimentation. Shields and Crichton are equal parts chaos and harmony, without sacrificing the key components of either extreme.

Blair honestly blows my mind when it comes to songwriting. He could literally take an instrument and in ten minutes he could have written an absolutely ripping song that is totally insane."

The harsh dissonance of Crichton’s guitars is soothed by Shields’ measured pop-infused vocals.

“We have completely different influences,” the singer continues. “I love pop music; I love Madonna and Ariana Grande and Doja Cat. But I also love indie, folk music, punk and grunge. And Blair, well, he is just a total riff man, he loves metal and grunge and indie as well.

“There are a lot of influences there and I think that brings a very important element to the songwriting and it all fits together. Because of my vocal style, we tend to land on some pop melodies, but then it is contrasted with the totally punk feel and gritty guitars.”

The songwriting process also presents a divergence in styles. Crichton is purposeful and direct, while Shields explores all the options before her. It is a framework that secures the best of both worlds, with the chaos paving the way for the harmony to come.

Shields says: “Blair honestly blows my mind when it comes to songwriting. He could literally take an instrument and in ten minutes he could have written an absolutely ripping song that is totally insane.

“That’s his style; he can sit down and write a banger just like that. My process, on the other hand, is a lot slower. I like to write about personal experiences, and it can take a bit more time.

“And when we work together it can be quite challenging sometimes. Blair is just so on the ball and is always coming up with ideas, whereas I’m usually sitting there thinking about what I’m going to say and how the melody should reflect the lyrics.

“Our two styles are very different, but it’s so good to have that difference. We have someone who can sit down and write a banger in 15 minutes and also someone who likes to add a very personal or vulnerable element to the music. It just means the songs will not only sound good but will also mean something as well.”

A focus on riffs is high on the agenda for Dead Pony; it is not a band that will settle for simply a chord progression. Crichton’s ingenuity adds real flavour to the mix.

“And that’s another thing I didn’t really think about in songwriting until I started working with Blair,” Shields adds. “I would always think of trying to hook someone with the chorus and the melody.

“But Blair is different; he’s always thinking about how to create a riff that people are going to remember. He wants to come up with something that as soon as folk hear it then their eyeballs are going to explode, and their face is going to melt off.”

Despite the circumstances, the last 12 months have been a huge success for Dead Pony. They have emerged as one of the country’s biggest prospects and their last three releases have propelled them to admirable heights.

Of course, this time last year, the band wasn’t even called Dead Pony. They took the decision earlier in 2020 to ditch their previous name Crystal as they sought to tighten up their image.

“A name change can be really risky,” Shields admits. “Some people thought we were a new band or that our music was going to change. But it’s still us – it’s just a more refined style, and once people realised that, it’s all been good.”

She added: “When Blair and I first started the band, we just thought we would make some music together and we didn’t actually think people would listen to it. And, so, we didn’t really put too much thought into the name; it was one of those things where you just pick a name out of a hat or something and say: ‘Right, OK, that’s the name of the band.’

“But then a couple of years later, we both sort of just agreed that the name Crystal just, kind of, sucks and we had to change it.

“People used to say they liked the name Crystal because it contrasted with our sound. But we just always hated; even now when people say the word Crystal I just go: ‘Ewwww, ohh, no…’

“Dead Pony actually came from a song we had. We wrote a song, which is now called Everything is Easy and that song is about being a child and then realising that all the things you used to believe in turned out to be lies and that adulthood is a bit s***.

“And we called that song Dead Pony and were playing the song live for months and calling it Dead Pony. I don’t think anyone actually realised that we stole that name for the band when the song name changed.

“I am hoping for this vaccine soon so we can stuff 1,000 people in a room and just spit in their faces.”

“But when we were thinking of a new name for the band, someone just suggested Dead Pony and it just fitted; it felt like that was what we were always supposed to be called.

“We just wanted to focus our image and really capture first-time listeners. We have seen just how much a name can affect how you are perceived. It’s also easier to attract people to listen in the first place – personally, if I were looking at a poster for a festival, I’d go see a band called Dead Pony before Crystal.”

With such a huge 2020 now, more or less, behind them, Dead Pony will certainly be ones to watch come the new year. What exactly the climate of live music will look like over the next six months is anyone’s guess, but Shields insists they will be ready to hit the ground running.

An EP is, perhaps, on the cards, but a return to live performing is a priority.

The singer says: “It’s been quite a long journey – but a good one; an exciting one. We’ve just rounded off the year with 23, Never Me – and that’s been our most popular song so far.

“Next year, we’re just hoping to get gigging again, play some festivals to maybe reap the benefits of our hard work throughout 2020, putting out these three songs.

“We have no concrete plans for gigs, but, we’re dying to play live – I feel like I’ve forgotten what it feels like. I’ve looked back and watched old gigs and it feels unreal.

“I am hoping for this vaccine soon so we can stuff 1,000 people in a room and just spit in their faces.”