On an unusually warm night for Edinburgh, the underground cult venue La Belle Angele was packed out with a crowd eager to see headliners Dead Pony perform songs from their recently released Eat My Dust! EP. The Glasgow band have quickly built up an impressive and dedicated following, and you could barely move in the club – audience anticipation for tonight’s performance was peak.
Local alt metal band Fog Bandits were the first to the stage to get proceedings underway, and they showed a lot of promise whilst delivering a tight, energetic set. They were followed by Overgrown, a nu-grunge band who delivered a storming performance and managed to get a mosh pit going in readiness for the main act.
Dead Pony are, for me, one of the most exciting rock/nu metal bands in the UK just now. With a now-heavier sound that mixes electro hooks and grunge riffs, the set felt fresh and exciting. Kicking off with “Eat My Dust!” from the same-titled EP, the four band members immediately have a presence on stage that captures everyone’s attention. Lead singer Anna Shields knows how to connect with her audience and has clearly got a strong rapport with them, showing genuine swagger that the performance backs up. It’s a cracking start to the night, and it’s a sweaty, intense set that doesn’t let up.
All four band members were fully committed to their performance, with Blair Crichton on guitar, Liam Adams on bass and Euan Lyons on drums mixing their sound with clever sampling. The set continues with “Everything Burns”, their Batman and Joker inspired song from 2024 and Anna takes a moment after to tell the room that it’s been a dream of the band to play at this venue.
It feels like their next song, “Freak Like Me”, has become something of an anthem for them, and the crowd responded with an intense pit experience. As bodies crashed into each other in such a condensed space, the room felt electric and it’s easy to see why it’s such a fan favourite – it’s almost anthemic and the chorus lends itself to being an ear worm you’ll be singing long after you hear it. “Rainbows” is another song that resonates with the crowd, with it’s message that being different is beautiful and that rainbows always come.
A powerful cover of Alanis Morrisette’s “You Oughta Know” provides a 90’s nostalgia trip and then we’re brought right back into full on metal with “Cobra”. By this point the energy (and heat) is palpable and the band deliver an encore of “Ignore This” followed by a reprise of “Eat My Dust!”, leaving fans desperate for more but happy knowing that once again their band has delivered an incredible night. I’m sure that after this tour they’ll absolutely be leaving other bands to eat their dust.
SETLIST
Intro
Eat My Dust!
Everything Burns
Freak Like Me
Fury
Boom!
Rainbows
You Oughta Know
Cobra
Mana
Lost Inside of Me
ENCORE
Ignore This
Eat My Dust!
Dead Pony Tour
