Page 55 - Black Velvet Rock Music Magazine Issue 92

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SUMO CYCO / DEVILSKIN / EVA PLAYS DEAD / SISTER SHOTGUN – BIRMINGHAM O2 ACADEMY 3, 19.03.17
We’ve got four female-fronted bands making up the bill on this tour – a co-headline between Sumo Cyco from Canada and Devilskin, all the way
from Hamilton, New Zealand. Local band Sister Shotgun warm things up with songs such as ‘Misfortune’, ‘Dirty Mind’ and ‘Silhouettes’. The band
straddle the rock/metal fence with music that is powerful but not too heavy, and has melody. Frontwoman Chloe Ozwell almost has a dominatrix look
about her, as she wears fishnet tights and hotpants. Vocally, think a more metal Amy Lee of Evanescence. She knocks over a drink and her mic stops
working so she has to use the guitarist’s, although they don’t let these little hitches get in the way, and put on a decent opening set.
Eva Plays Dead take things up a notch
though. As soon as they come on stage and
crack into opening number, ‘Colours’, you im-
mediately sense a band that mean business
and have worked on their craft. Their set is
full-on, one of those that immediately grabs
you and does not let go until it’s finished with
you. Before ‘Get Back’, female vocalist Tiggy
Dee tells the crowd that guitarist Matt Gas-
coyne knocked his guitar into her head in
Sheffield and she had concussion, “So shall
we do the same?!” she eagerly asks. She is
definitely up for putting everything into the
show, as are her bandmates. Drummer Seb
Boyse takes his drums into the crowd for the
final song, ‘Monogamy’, with Tiggy joining
him. Eva Plays Dead are an impressive band,
one we hope to see more of.
Things get a little louder when Devilskin
take to the stage. The word ‘devil’ is not in
their name for no reason. Their sound is very
devilish indeed. The band play songs from
their latest album, ‘Be Like The River’ – that
sounds very calming, right? Wrong! Be care-
ful, your eardrums may get bashed in slightly
if you’re standing very close! Jennie Skulan-
der is a female with balls – she can do heavy
roars when need be, although they do turn
things down for ‘Animal’, a song for the ladies.
‘Mountains’ again shows the band as a force
to be reckoned with in all areas. They are sea-
soned pros and it shows. They cover ‘Holy
Dive’ by Dio. “You fuckin’ nailed that!” shouts
someone from the audience. “Thank you,”
replies Jennie. The set seems to get even
more brutal the longer it gets, with ‘Violation’
really turning up the metal.
“Birmingham, are you ready to party?”
asks MD13 of Sumo Cyco. The quirky ‘Inter-
ceptor’ gets the party started. Turquoise-
haired frontwoman Sever (AKA Skye
Sweetnam) is dressed in black pants and a
very short saucy nurse’s outfit, which we’re
not quite sure whether it is a T-shirt or dress.
The band’s set includes a mixture of songs
from their debut ‘Lost In Cyco City’ album and
new ‘Opus Mar’ album, which the band were
selling at the merch table. Songs such as
‘Anti-Anthem’ and ‘Free Yourself’ show the di-
versity of the band; their songs really do have
that psycho style. It’s kind of like being in an
adult playground where idiosyncratic weird-
ness reigns supreme and freaks and clowns
scare you as well as trying to be your friend.
Songs like ‘Crowd Control’ are very, very
catchy and Sever takes off into the crowd,
ending up on the bar, then gets carried back
to the stage in someone’s arms. “I went to the
back to get some A/C and some Jack,” she
tells the crowd humorously. They get the
crowd to crouch down during ‘Move Moun-
tains’, which features Benji Webbe on disc, al-
though obviously not live tonight, before
ending with the catchy ‘Fighter’. Sumo Cyco
are a band you have to see – and a band you
WILL see, as their quest for global domination
is going from strength to strength.
YYYY
SBV

Sever (Sumo Cyco) Photo By Shari Black Velvet

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