Live: Allison Ponthier Is NYC’s Queer Cowboy Star

Allison Ponthier is a singer who has been on my radar for a while. In 2022, I saw her open for Holly Humberstone and got the chance to see her again when she opened for Hayley Kiyoko on her Panorama tour. 

Texas-born, Ponthier has called New York home for the past few years. Thankfully, the NYC rats haven’t eaten away at this singer’s Southern charm. Ponthier blends her country roots with rock and pop elements, producing a sound that’s soft, whimsical, and storylike…all with a slight country flavor. 

At a sold-out show at NYC’s Irving Plaza on Tuesday night, Ponthier kicked off her set with “Autopilot” the lead single from her latest EP Shaking Hands With Elvis. “I'm just stuck on autopilot, autopilot.” Through speaking her fears aloud, Ponthier’s soft voice transforms the gut-wrenching fear of not living life to the fullest into a song that feels like someone is there with you. 

Picking up her gorgeous electric guitar, Ponthier moved into “Hollywood Forever Cemetery.” While morality seems to be a topic too morbid for some artists to talk about, Shaking Hands With Elvis is an EP that doesn’t shy away from talking about the inevitable. Focusing on L.A.'s famous cemetery, "Hollywood Forever Cemetery" questions what happens when we go.  

“Hardcore” followed before Ponthier treated us to an unreleased song. Spoiler alert: you'll want to pre-save and stream when it comes out. 

Wearing an open pinstriped blazer over a fishnet top with baggy leather pants and Doc Martens, Ponthier jokingly said, “You guys see how I’m dressed. I’m a lesbian.”

Embracing herself as a queer artist, Ponthier writes about her experiences with queerness and reassessing oneself. Her debut single, “Cowboy”, is a soothing track that charts the singer’s journey with queerness. “It took New York to make me a cowboy,” opens the track. “Born from the beige/These feelings made me feel strange/A neon sign/Not the only one of my kind” heralds in a climactic bridge and outro, leaving us in a place of discovery and self-acceptance. 

Crowd members waved pride flags during the song as they connected with Ponthier’s story. Seeing rainbow and pastel colors flutter through the crowd as Ponthier sang created a magical moment. 

Moving into 2021 material, Ponthier followed up with the acoustic “Faking My Own Death” and “I Lied.” The crowd was rapt with attention listening to Ponthier’s soothing voice on the lighter tracks. 

Going out with a bang, Ponthier finished the night with her latest single, “Character Development.” Busting out her electric guitar again, Ponthier ramped up the energy for the high-power song. 

Taking back the narrative, “Character Development” is a song about existing for more than serving another person’s purpose. In the powerful chorus, Ponthier sings, “I’m not your teacher, your mother, your savior/Your lover, or out of my mind/I'm more than just your character development to hell with it.” If you’ve ever felt used by someone for their emotional gain, this song is for you. With catchy lyrics and rhythmic vocals, this song is an absolute anthem! 

Despite having seen Ponthier before, I was still amazed at the show she put on. Connecting and engaging with her audience through stories and lyrics, Allison Ponthier puts on an incredible live show!

Stay tuned for her new single coming soon and keep an eye on the NYC queer cowboy. She's got something special going on.

See photos from the show here.