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Sick Joy + Shelf Lives + Torus. Independent Venue Week.
February 4, 2023 @ 8:00 pm - 11:00 pm
£9
In tough times, music can be the way through. With an expertise in fuzzy riffs, melodic heaviness, high energy and sharp lyrics, Sick Joy are not only one of British rock’s most promising young bands, they know a lot about overcoming challenges and learning to breathe again.
Even their start was a challenge to be beaten. Originally formed in Newcastle, the band soon relocated to Brighton in order to be part of a bigger music scene. That is, singer/guitarist Mykl installed a bed in the back of the band’s van and lived and slept in there.
Quickly, though, the move began to pay off. Their Amateurs EP announced them as something exciting, with some describing them as straddling the melodic genius of The Pixies and the raw energy of Slipknot. Off the back of the EP, the band received huge support from Radio 1, Kerrang! Radio and Radio X. Live, meanwhile, their shows with the likes of Feeder and Demob Happy fully demonstrated Sick Joy’s infectious vitality and power.
Their recent debut album, We’re All Gonna Fucking Die, is a roaring, fuzzy alt.rock explosion. Despite its title, it’s a record that actually leans into a great deal of joy; “For me, that title’s a positive,” says Mykl. “I realised, ‘it’s going to be over one day, man. So do whatever the fuck you’re gonna do, and have a good fucking time. And I don’t mean just get loaded and be a dick. I mean do the things you want to do. Don’t let fear decide where you’re going to go. We’re all going to fucking die. So get out and fucking kill it, man.”
Featuring contributions from Jamie Lenman and Mykl’s own stepdad (lending a touch of harmonica to Belly Aching Beast), We’re All Gonna Fucking Die takes life’s gristle and turns it into something uplifting and euphoric. Praise for the album plus recent gigs with Deaf Havana, Dinosaur Pile Up, Pixies and Pearl Jam and appearances at Reading & Leeds, 2000 Trees and others, mean it looks, fittingly, like the start of a happy chapter for Sick Joy.
“Brighton based rockers Sick Joy seize the day on excellent debut album… KKKK” Kerrang!
“It’s a record that oozes of carefreeness and positivity, despite also talking about some very real and very raw subjects” Rock Sound
“Sick Joy are amongst the most exciting new players in the scene” Upset