GWAR have never been a band that politely enters a room.
They kick the door off the hinges, spray fake blood everywhere, and leave you questioning reality, so naturally they’ve now turned their sights on Chappell Roan’s ‘Pink Pony Club’ and, somehow, it works.
The cover arrives via A.V. Undercover, the A.V. Club’s beloved video series where bands perform covers chosen from a curated list, the franchise originally thrived in the blog era golden age, disappeared for a while in the 2010s, then came roaring back in 2024 under new ownership.
GWAR were part of that return too, helping relaunch the reboot with a cover of ‘I’m Just Ken’, Ryan Gosling’s big theatrical piece from the Barbie soundtrack and now they’re back for round two, swapping plastic heartbreak for a song that’s basically become a modern anthem for self reinvention.
Originally released in 2020, ‘Pink Pony Club’ found a second life years later as Chappell Roan’s profile exploded, the track’s story of leaving home, stepping into your own skin, and dancing through the judgement has made it a lightning rod for fans. It’s already been covered by the likes of Kacey Musgraves, Corey Taylor, and The Dismemberment Plan.
Alien metal spectacle
GWAR recorded their version at Chelsea Studios in New York City, pushing the song into their own grotesque galaxy, they aimed to transform “the song’s glitter-drenched celebration of identity and self-expression into a full-scale alien-metal spectacle.” according to Stereo Gum.
We know GWAR turning anything into an “alien metal spectacle” is basically their whole religion.
In a press release, vocalist the Berzerker Blöthar summed up exactly why the band connected with the track, saying: “‘Pink Pony Club’ is about embracing exile from a boring, shitty world and remaking yourself into whatever you want — be who you are, be who you aren’t, piss people off, we don’t care!”
It’s an oddly perfect match, Chappell Roan’s original is defiant and bright eyed, while GWAR’s version sounds like it crawled out of a sewer on another planet with a grin on its face.
Either way, it’s a reminder that good songs survive translation, even when the translator is a pack of intergalactic maniacs in armour.
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