Naked Giants w/ Skating Polly and Cosmos 
The Crocodile, Seattle, WA 
10.16.16 

On the eve of their R.I.P. EP release, Seattle’s Naked Giants played a full room at The Crocodile, with a lot of love in the house. The young trio is now headed out on tour with other local buzz-worthy band Car Seat Headrest for November, but here’s a quick recap of their headlining madness.

The night kicked off with Cosmos, their blend of jazz and hip hop filling the all-ages room. They made the most of a 30-minute set, with some new tracks the crowd were digging. Most people were dancing, grooving, cheering with excitement.

Then came Skating Polly, a young two-piece consisting of drum and bass. The two teens – Kelli, age 15 and Peyton, age 19 – rocked their instruments like musicians twice their age, switching duties throughout. This was full-on, fuzzed-out riot grrrl-style rock. Track “Perfume For Now” was a particularly strong reminder of early Bikini Kill with a fresh post-grunge heaviness. The crowd was super into it, and this is a band to keep an eye on, as they open for legendary punk rockers X in November.

All was a great lead up to the headliners. The lights dropped and NG’s video “Easy Eating” played on the backdrop. The three-piece group came on to massive applause, and as soon as the first riffs of their first song, “Pyramids,” played, the crowd began to mosh. And it didn’t ever stop.

For about five songs they thrashed around the stage, just generally having a good time. They paused for a bit, announcing, “Ok, we’re going to slow it down for a bit. Sometimes we get too excited and wear ourselves out.” Then the band went into “Slow Dance II,” which is slighly slower in pace, but it didn’t slow them down at all. They still pranced around the stage at a blistering pace.

Bassist Gianni Aiello danced around the stage with great fury, playing while hopping on one leg, while Grant Mullen rocks the mic and guitar.  Drummer Henry LaVallee occasionally joined in on the act, popping out from behind the kit to run around the stage and dance with the rest of the band. Their uptempo surfy-punk-rock kept both the band and the crowd engaged. While the all-ages early curfew made an encore impossible, the band ended with a big thank you for the support, before they hit the road for a tour.

Tour Dates Here

Naked Giants Set List
Easy Eating Video
Pyramids
Surchin
Hey
TV
We’re Alone
Slow Dance II
Green Fuzz
I Get Paid Soon
The Age
Slide
Sheredded
Stoned
Twisted
Ya Ya

Review and photos by Alex Crick

Naked Giants, Skating Polly, and COSMOS