My first impression of Sumo Cyco happened before I stepped foot in the venue door. Whilst waiting for the start of a gig I like to hang around outside and listen to the fans. I heard nothing but utter praise and adoration for these guys. Fans telling me how Skye will always go out of her way to meet the fans and interact. This rings very true to her interview, she says ‘The fans are everything’ and every one of the people I spoke to this evening would agree.
This evening Sumo Cyco were supporting Alien Ant Farm. Now, Alien Ant Farm are a band I saw ‘back in the day’ and couldn’t wait to see again but I can honestly say the highlight of my night was Sumo Cyco. These guys have such great energy and presence on stage. Often I go to a gig to photograph the event and find one member of a band that you just can’t get a good shot of (and not because they are a drummer and too far at the back of a high stage for my meagre height and lens!) – they just don’t play to the audience, they look down, they never seem to truly engage with the audience (and hence the lens) but not with Sumo Cyco. All band members were fully engaged and rocking out!
Most songs played today were from Cyco’s debut album Lost in Cyco City which the fans loved. However, the band also played two tracks from their new album, Opus Mar (due for release early March 2017) which can sometimes lead to a lull in the audience but not in this case! “Move Mountains” and “Anti-Anthem” were fantastically received.
Now for a bit of technical stuff… I sometimes find at this venue that the stage can be a little dark. Well the lighting tech was fantastic this evening. The band was well lit which certainly made my life as a photographer much easier, but more importantly the fans got a great show. The sound was also incredible, so much appreciation again must go to the awesome sound tech at the Engine Rooms that night!
I can honestly say that Sumo Cyco are the best new (to me) band I have heard all year and I can’t wait to see them again. Thank you Skye’s mom for missing out on the snowboarding camp place and putting Skye into ‘Popstars’ camp instead!
All photos by Amy Harris of CE Photography
Sumo Cyco: official | facebook | twitter | youtube | instagram | myspace | tumblr