Live Review: Mo Sheerin
Nostalgic riffs, sublime showmanship and the abundance of beer and adrenaline-pumped audience members were certainly not in short supply at the Voodoo Lounge on Saturday.
Bullets and Octane, Sumo Cyco and CKY put on an absolute banger of a show for Dublin and definitely did not fail to please those who have waited a year and made the journey in typical Irish weather for the return of one of West Chester Pennsylvania’s most iconic bands.
The evening started with an illustrious bang as Bullets and Octane spontaneously initiated their set with tremendous enthusiasm. The Californian quartet provided the audience with irresistibly catchy tunes that please those who would be in favour of most 80s hard rock bands, and they certainly did not act as though the stage was their end game.
Lead singer Gene Louis and guitarist Felipe Rodrigo made use of the floor by rallying and pumping up every audience member they set eyes on (and who had a glass of beer in their hand, they seemed rather thirsty). Needless to say, as the opening act of the night, they put on a memorable show, and were well received by their debut Dublin crowd. Personally, I had a blast during their set and after the show, and would love to see these guys make a return to this little emerald Isle.
Sumo Cyco followed suit and once again the female fronted Ontario four-piece reeled in the excitement from audience members throughout their set, especially when they produced a fantastic cover of System of a Downs ‘B.Y.O.B.’ and, my oh my, did they have the house jumping. Who doesn’t love this song, right?
Considering the band suffered an unfortunate experience of having their passports stolen the same night before their set, this did not stop them from giving it their 100% ALL throughout the night.
Skye Sweetnam (lead singer) definitely did not portray defeat as she unleashed fire unto the crowd. They gave their all, and once again, credit due where credit deserved. Fair play lads! Hope the next time you play an Irish date isn’t too unlucky!
And finally, the band that everyone had been waiting for, CKY (Camp Kill Yourself) emerged on stage one by one. Jess Margera (brother of notorious Jackass prankster Bam) sat behind his kit, followed by Chad Ginsberg (one of my favorite and personally one of the most underrated guitarists out there) and bassist Matt Deis.
Now, for those who expect me to pinpoint a genre with this band, I can only say from listening to them since I was a kid myself, they sound like, well, CKY. This fact alone is most likely why they’re so popular. Their tone, the unique riffs (which is why Chad, in my opinion, is one of the most interesting guitarists of the last two decades) make them so easy to pinpoint and every song of theirs is a hit.
So, that being said, when the band opened with all-famous, hell-infused, ‘Rio Bravo’, it was worth the wait. The intoxicating progression and lyrics throughout the song threw everyone back to those vintage videos of where CKY and Jackass films started, perfection.
The band clearly seemed to be enjoying the monstrous and zombie-like audience in the narrow space that is the Voodoo Lounge. Having played Belfast the night before, the group seemed on a roll, and continued to provide Dublin with more classic CKY songs such as ‘Attached At The Hip’, ‘Frenetic Amnesic’ and ‘Sink Into The Underground’. All of which bestowed everybody with a dose of adrenaline on the side.
Now, whenever they started one song in particular, and I’ll wager everybody has heard that riff… ‘Berna-dette-nere’.
‘96 Quite Bitter Beings’ had everyone concurrently lose the plot, and for good reason too, the song captures the essence of what the band is really all about. So, collectively, the Voodoo lounge, band AND audience, performed the entirety of the song from beginning to end, word for word, riff for riff, headbang for headbang, mosh for mosh, and it was absolutely stellar craic.
10 out of 10 For CKY. 10 out of 10 for Sumo Cyco, 10 out of 10 for Bullets and Octane. And to the Dublin audience, 10 out of feckin’ 10. And I personally cannot wait to see CKY in Dublin or Belfast again.
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