I personally think it’s important to have a passion in life. I am going to guess that if you’re reading the Musipedia Of Metal then you probably have a passion for music, if so then that’s one we share. I also guess that by clicking this article in particular you may have at least a passing interest in the subject of the Canadian rock/punk/metal/dancehall/whatevercore band Sumo Cyco. Funnily enough, I do too.
Actually I have more than a passing interest and so when the band announced that they were hitting UK shores for the tenth time (and playing their largest headline shows here to date) I decided to attend the first three stops (down to Southampton’s Joiners on the 24th , my home town Cardiff in The Globe on the 25th and over the bridge to Bristol’s Exchange on the 26th ) and this is a review of what I experienced over the three shows.
First off I’ll cover the support acts as for this tour the line up was identical for each show: up first was Australian solo rapper Suburban (7). Performing with a live drummer for these shows, he brings to mind dashes of Linkin Park and with a rap style that reminded me personally of Treach from hip-hop legends Naughty By Nature crossed with early Eminem, the man certainly has flow to his lyrics. He also throws in the odd burst of aggressiveness during his sung parts – hence the Linkin Park comparison. His stage presence is excellent too with his near-constant movement on stage making for three overall very enjoyable performances. Speaking to the man himself over the various shows he proves to be a personable chap too, particularly being very flattered by the Linkin Park and Naughty By Nature comparisons. He is also a self-confessed starving artist so appropriating his own words why not give him a follow – his social media handle is @thisissuburban. I sincerely hope he raises enough money to get back home to Aus following this tour!
Next on each lineup were Yorkshire alt.rockers As Sirens Fall (6). When I was doing my research prior to these dates it was apparent to me that I probably wouldn’t enjoy them all that much. It seems I was right. Whilst frontman Mikey Lord certainly has charisma to spare and the band did put on three solid shows the fact is that their music isn’t really my thing. Having said that the band do appear to have a loyal following and seemed to be making new friends at all three shows which is kinda the point of all this touring after all….. I would definitely encourage you to check them out if you’re into the likes of My Chemical Romance, although you could equally just go and check out the real thing since they’re back together as of this writing.
And so to the headliners, a band I believe in so much that I felt I just had to take this road trip, the mighty Sumo Cyco. In the introduction for a recent interview I conducted with the bands front and one half of the creative team Skye Sweetnam (http://musipediaofmetal.blogspot.com/2019/09/the-spotlight-interview-with-skye.html) I stated that the band’s fan-base “can at times resemble something of a cult”. I have since been corrected on this point, and rightly so: They resemble a cult at all times. I should know seeing as though I’m a fully paid up member of said cult. But I digress…
Prior to all the shows I attended Sumo Cyco’s acoustic VIP experiences. I’ve written about these before but I’ll reiterate this: They are a fantastic experience and worth every single penny. As guitarist and other half of the bands’ creative team Matt Drake mentioned there are a number of people who turn out for multiple shows plus the VIPs (or even all of them) every time the band tours the UK so the VIP experiences largely feel more like a cult meetin- uhh I mean gathering of friends and family than a gig. The band are pretty much on first name terms with their regulars which in my view once again demonstrates that the connection they have with their fans is very real. Each night was a different experience too, featuring the band performing different songs acoustically along with what I can only describe as a musical sperm being played by bassist Oscar Ansetti, which he has apparently christened “JJ” and which stole the show every night as it was just so damn funny! At this point I will give a special mention to Cardiff’s horror show due to the aforementioned Matt forgetting songs multiple times which, far from ruining the performance actually made it much more entertaining in my eyes, and thus was by far my favourite VIP of the three I attended. Watching the band perform in this stripped down environment really highlights what a strong, versatile voice Skye has too. It’s not for nothing that she describes the sound of the band as “like getting your head ripped off by a giggling cheerleader”.
A few hours after their acoustic performances, the band plugged in their instruments for the main events (10). It’s difficult to pick out the highlights of all three shows but I’ll mention Matt slipping off the PA in Cardiff and injuring his butt as one that immediately springs to mind as an example of a man suffering for his art. There were also a number of Skye's skits – as the band refer to them – such as the crowd surfing (which didn’t happen at the Cardiff show as it’s prohibited in The Globe), the tour of the venue on the shoulders of various people (mostly Matt), and the occasional visit to the bar mid song. This is before mentioning drummer Trozzi’s brilliant facial expressions and bassist Oscar’s excellent shape throwing. All four members are simply a huge force of energy on stage which is reflected by the crowd and makes Sumo Cyco one of – if not the – best live acts currently doing the rounds in this writers opinion. It mattered little that the band went from a sold out show in Southampton’s Joiners on the Sunday night to a comparatively sparsely attended Monday in Cardiff’s (admittedly much larger) Globe; they played as if they were headlining a packed out Principality Stadium every night and left no-one disappointed.
Those in attendance on this tour are being treated to a brand new song - New Jive, which sounds like it will fit in well on the upcoming third album, along with the song first debuted on their last tour here in June dubbed This Dance Is Doomed. The shows I attended also featured blistering renditions of an old song that’s rarely played live in the form of early single Limp which was an unexpected treat for me as it’s one of my favourite songs by the band. There was also a neat mix of Passengers and The Ugly, which I believe is the first time the band are performing that (at least in the UK). The set list was largely the same on each night and was rounded out by some of the usual Cyco bangers such as Fighter, Free Yourself, Anti-Anthem and usual set closer (although it was swapped with Sleep Tight at the Southampton show) and possibly their most popular song Move Mountains (featuring Skye doing the “get down on the floor and jump up when I say” skit which went down an absolute storm every night as she was right in amongst it directing the chaos from the floor).
All in all I had a fantastic time at all three shows. I met some pretty awesome people and very much had a hugely enjoyable social and musical experience overall. The passion I mentioned earlier was very much in evidence from both the band and the fans every night and I would extend an invitation to anyone to come join the Cyco cult – uhh, I mean family.
A few hours after their acoustic performances, the band plugged in their instruments for the main events (10). It’s difficult to pick out the highlights of all three shows but I’ll mention Matt slipping off the PA in Cardiff and injuring his butt as one that immediately springs to mind as an example of a man suffering for his art. There were also a number of Skye's skits – as the band refer to them – such as the crowd surfing (which didn’t happen at the Cardiff show as it’s prohibited in The Globe), the tour of the venue on the shoulders of various people (mostly Matt), and the occasional visit to the bar mid song. This is before mentioning drummer Trozzi’s brilliant facial expressions and bassist Oscar’s excellent shape throwing. All four members are simply a huge force of energy on stage which is reflected by the crowd and makes Sumo Cyco one of – if not the – best live acts currently doing the rounds in this writers opinion. It mattered little that the band went from a sold out show in Southampton’s Joiners on the Sunday night to a comparatively sparsely attended Monday in Cardiff’s (admittedly much larger) Globe; they played as if they were headlining a packed out Principality Stadium every night and left no-one disappointed.
Those in attendance on this tour are being treated to a brand new song - New Jive, which sounds like it will fit in well on the upcoming third album, along with the song first debuted on their last tour here in June dubbed This Dance Is Doomed. The shows I attended also featured blistering renditions of an old song that’s rarely played live in the form of early single Limp which was an unexpected treat for me as it’s one of my favourite songs by the band. There was also a neat mix of Passengers and The Ugly, which I believe is the first time the band are performing that (at least in the UK). The set list was largely the same on each night and was rounded out by some of the usual Cyco bangers such as Fighter, Free Yourself, Anti-Anthem and usual set closer (although it was swapped with Sleep Tight at the Southampton show) and possibly their most popular song Move Mountains (featuring Skye doing the “get down on the floor and jump up when I say” skit which went down an absolute storm every night as she was right in amongst it directing the chaos from the floor).
All in all I had a fantastic time at all three shows. I met some pretty awesome people and very much had a hugely enjoyable social and musical experience overall. The passion I mentioned earlier was very much in evidence from both the band and the fans every night and I would extend an invitation to anyone to come join the Cyco cult – uhh, I mean family.
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