Devilskin & Sumo Cyco
21st October 2017
Powerstation, Auckland, New Zealand.
Review by Sarah Kidd. Photography by Matt Henry Mendonca.
With both local and international friends in tow, it is with the promise of some new material and end of tour high jinx that Devilskin have once again taken over the iconic Powerstation for the final night of their seven date national tour. This will be their second major tour around the country in less than twelve months, the first seeing them team up with American band Halestorm.
In true kiwi style, Devilskin have utilized the support acts local to the area in which they are playing; as drummer Nic Martin stated in a recent interview “wasn’t that the idea of a local support … was that you could rope in the locals?” So it was nice to see that the majority of the audience had made the effort to arrive early to witness the set from local band His Masters Voice. While already rather well known on the Auckland circuit, with tonight’s exceptional performance they cemented their rightful place on the list of must see New Zealand acts. With a swagger that harnesses the spirits of the legendary rock and blues gods of days gone by while simultaneously remaining relevant through clever lyricism and raw integrity; His Masters Voice owned the stage as if it was already their second home.
At the forefront and the main constituent of what makes HMV just so damn special is lead vocalist and outstanding blues guitarist Jesse Sorenson. With a timbre to his voice quite unlike any other he naturally encapsulates the smoldering embers and sultriness of the blues within his lower registers before then projecting his voice from deep within his frame to step up and elevate the rockier tunes. Remaining in perfect control at all times, without impeding on the rawness that makes his performance what it is, this is how one recognizes true vocal talent. A professionally polished and tight player, Rene Harvey, the man behind the drums and founding member of His Masters Voice has a long tenure within the NZ music scene and this is shown within the ease of how he controls the kit before him. All barefoot and tattooed muscle, it is indeed through a form of ritual that he invokes his power, the audience mere disciples at the altar of musical worship. To his left, fellow practitioner and formidable lead guitarist Az Burns makes the strings sing with ease while taking it to a higher plain on the occasional solo. Like the mechanisms of an intricate timepiece, each component has its part to play in this momentum and in the case of HMV the fourth and final piece is that of bassist Brandon Bott. While often lost within a sea of silken hair, make no mistake his bass lines bind this cohesive unit together. From the undulating fierceness of ‘Don’t Trust Myself’ right through to the tumbling jaunt of their final song ‘Lonely Road’, each and every track is a masterpiece of both lyrical and sonic wonderment. With their third EP simply entitled Woman released just this month, His Master’s Voice are a more than worthy edition to the playlist of any discerning music lover.
Unfortunately the same could not be said for the second act on the bill tonight. Also hailing from a city called Hamilton, just in Canada instead of New Zealand; Sumo Cyco fronted by Skye Sweetnam failed to hit the mark this evening and instead took the audience back in time to the days of the nu-metal era where music such as this should have remained if unable to evolve. With boundless energy and looking like Harley Quinn’s poorer cousin no one could fault Sweetnam or her merry band of disjointed musicians on sheer effort. From the moment they strode out onto the stage they gave it their all, and for this they are to be highly commended. But an A for effort doesn’t necessarily translate into unassailable stage presence and melodic wizardry. For that you do need some component of natural talent and sad to say Sumo Cyco fall dreadfully short. Touted as a predominantly punk metal outfit the individual members of the group certainly know how to handle their instruments, both guitarist Matt Drake and bassist Ken Corke proficient in their skill set while drummer Matt Trozzi can deliver a blast beat to rival most drummers. But it’s just not enough; something is missing, a unity to bring the music together; instead each member sounds as if they are working on their own individual side project.
Sweetnam is at least visually interesting, what with her continual clambering up and down on risers and one rather ill-advised mid show dash to the bar and back; but she just doesn’t have the chops to pull off the big songs and instead comes off as rather shrill and shouty. When combined with lyrics that appear to have mostly been lifted from a teenage diary it just adds up to not a hell of a lot, no matter how many “Auckland, let me see you (insert generic verb here)” she and Drake throw in. Judging by the audiences reaction, there were many who were already fans or who certainly enjoyed Sumo Cycos’ set, with much fist pumping and pogoing happening down the front. However there were also more than a few patrons who took their set as the chance to go and do other ‘things’ (bar, bathroom, etc) excessive crowd movement within a venue always an indicator of a band who is not in command. Following an atrocious cover of the Red Hot Chili Peppers classic ‘Give It Away’ and a couple more originals and the stage is suddenly invaded by people in monkey suits and a dude inside a giant inflatable penis; the obvious ‘last night of the tour’ frivolities momentarily transforming the venue from Saturday night gig to awkward house party that you just weren’t invited to.
Following the normal stage rearranging to low lighting and house music and sure enough the familiar tones of ‘Shout at the Devil’ are soon blasting through the speaker system signaling to one and all that the mighty Devilskin are about to appear. Arriving on stage to a wall of solid and heartfelt cheering Devilskin are decked out in their usual uniform, bassist Paul Martin and guitarist Nail in trademark black with matching red beards; while lead vocalist Jennie Skulander once again adorns the generic corset/hot pants combo that she has made her own over the last few years. Kicking off the set with ‘Limbs’ Skulanders’ clean vocals are a little off, it appears that she is straining and while still being able to push out those growls, they don’t seem to come as easily tonight as on previous occasions. The rest of the band however appear in fine form and follow the well tested and proven formula that they know works for both the venue and their fans; each guitarist working the entire length of the stage, standing up on risers and gesturing towards the crowd, while Nic Martin on drums impresses with his formidable playing.
Truth be told besides the addition of one new track entitled ‘Same Life’ Devilskins set tonight is very similar to what was seen earlier in the year at both the Logan Campbell Centre and Rock the Park, right down to the CO2 cannons and flower adorned crucifix on stage, But this matters none to the fans who truly are – as Skulander refers to them later in the set – an army with a loyalty that knows no bounds when it comes to the band that they adore. While Devilskin has come to be a rather polarizing band on the NZ metal/rock scene, with many firmly standing in either the love or the hate fields of opinion; one thing cannot be denied and that is the fact that they are wildly popular throughout the country and continue to sell out venues such as tonight’s, which is no mean feat.
Cyclic patterns and simple riffs have mass appeal and as Devilskin move through their seventeen song strong set the fans ebb and flow with the intensity of the music; moving as one and taking direction from the band they fire up with the faster paced songs and then fall back into lighter holding, raspy crooning on tracks such as ‘Voices’. As an independent, Devilskin have put in the hard yards and have built their fan base through polished and professional performances that have embraced their fans both on and off the stage; the band members are tangible, accessible and are therefore revered by those that follow. A perfect example of this is seen tonight as Devilskin perform one of their most popular tracks to date in their career ‘Little Pills’, the opening notes like a call to arms as straggling fans in the smoking areas and bar come surging forward to raise their voices and vigorously nod their heads.
With promises of a third album already in the works, one thing is for sure, like it or not Devilskin are here to stay for the foreseeable future.
Devilskin:
Sumo Cyco:
His Masters Voice:
Were you there at the Powerstation for this hard rock happening? Or have you seen Devilskin, Sumo Cyco or His Masters Voice perform live somewhere else before? Tell us about it in the comments below!
Devilskin Setlist:
- Limbs
- In Black
- Vessel
- House 13
- Believe In Me
- Elvis Presley Circle Pit
- Until You Bleed
- Voices
- Same Life
- Never See The Light
- Grave
- Animal
- Start A Revolution
- Pray
- Dirt
- Mountains
- F.Y.I
- Burning Tree [encore]
- Little Pills [encore]
- Violation [encore]
Sumo Cyco Setlist:
- Sleep Tight
- Anti-Anthem
- The Ugly
- Cry Murder
- Free Yourself
- Like A Killer
- Passengers
- Give It Away (Red Hot Chili Peppers Cover)
- Brave II
- Mountains
- Fighter
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