CKY @ o2 Academy, 13th May, 2017
Upon gaining access to the 02 Academy tonight I was suprised that we were in the main room, but after a while of seeing the crowd grow and grow my scepticism soon disappeared.
CKY arrived onstage at 9PM. Tonight they treated their fans to 9 songs from their 2002 record ‘Infiltrate Destroy Rebuild’ and 6 songs from their debut album ‘Volume 1’ (1999).
Opening with ‘The Human Drive in Hi-Fi’, lead guitarist and vocalist Chad Ginsburg got the crowd headbanging and singing along right from the get-go before hitting them with two later songs ‘Sporadic Movement’ and ‘Sink into the Underground’. Their style is a prime example of American rock; with hints of stoner rock and a grungier feel to some songs reminiscient of Nirvana and Soundgarden.
The band continued to fluctuate with these two albums further with the retro whiney riffs of ‘Frenetic Amnesic’, deep chugs from ‘Rio Bravo’ and ‘Flesh into Gear’s nice vocal work. Drummer Jess Margera and Bassist Matt Deis showed their technical skills during ‘Inhuman Creation Station’; the instruments interwining nicely around Chad’s masterful riff.
‘Days of Self Destruction’ saw the band delve into their 2017 album ‘The Pheonix’. It gave the fans a taste of newer stuff and it was catchy one indeed; Chad’s voice getting increasingly grungier and the music sounding tighter and more refined.
They went on to play the legendary ’96 Quite Bitter Beings’ with a riff recognized on a worldwide scale. The crowd went crazy, singing along and dancing about. Chad’s vocal work here delved into the punk/hardcore sector, direct and aggressive.
During the encore they played, ‘Bite It, You Scum’ a cover of GG Allin and it went down a treat with the older people in the crowd. Punk, punk and more punk.
They were a nostalgic crowd pleaser tonight and their humble attitude was a bonus. All the best from Birmingham CKY.
Review and Photographs: Neale Hayes