At first glance, one wouldn’t expect to see nu metal giants Nonpoint collide with LA metal outfit Butcher Babies. However, once you see the Kings & Queens tour live in action, you will be stunned by the similarities. We made it to their eighth scheduled stop on the bill on May 9th out on Long Island, New York at The Space at Westbury Theater. Two days before the gig, Cane Hill had to pull out from the remainder of the trek due to “an unexpected injury.” Despite Islander being added to the rest of the journey, we had three bands perform that evening with Canada’s Sumo Cyco.
Disney has a long history of promoting a strong statement that dreams can come true. Let’s not forget Pinocchio’s famous song, “When You Wish Upon a Star,” that has led many avid-Disney watchers to believe fairy tales happen. When under their spell long-enough, there’s a chance to become a pop sensation such as Miley Cyrus or Britney Spears. However, rules are meant to be broken. Sumo Cyco vocalist Skye Sweetnam had the chance to become the next popstar as her voice was featured in the 2003 Mandy Moore film How To Deal and 2006’s Barbie as well as opening for Britney Spears on her Onyx Hotel Tour, and more. Sumo Cyco formed in 2011 and have long since proven they belong in rock and metal as they have shared a stage with bands such as Coal Chamber, Life of Agony, and Hollywood Undead as well as releasing two full length albums Lost in Cyco City and Opus Mar.
Luckily for us, pop wasn’t for Skye and we saw it this evening. Whether people arrived as a fan of Sumo Cyco, they definitely left the house becoming one. Skye’s energy was fearless and unstoppable as she reminded us of a handful of faces ranging from Joan Jett, Debbie Harry, to even a hint of Courtney Love. Not only did the vocalist run up to the bar demanding a shot of whiskey, she also ran into the crowd and commanded all to jump as high as they could. For those who were unfamiliar with the group, they respectfully performed a cover of Red Hot Chili Peppers classic tune, “Give it Away.” They were by-far one of the best entertaining opening acts, with some saying they stole the show. Songs included: “Sleep Tight,” “Anti-Anthem,” “Undefeated,” “The Ugly,” “Cry Murder,” “Free Yourself,” “Go Go Go,” “Give It Away,” “Fighter,” “Move Mountains.”
SUMO CYCO
Before the night began, Nonpoint invited twenty fans for an intimate listening party to hear samples from their upcoming tenth studio album, which will be released later this year. While we don’t have an official release date for X, we thought this option before the show was brilliant. It was obvious that most people who were there that night were die hard Nonpoint fans as a few held out old posters waiting for an autograph.
The band were ready as they had platforms as well as strobes to play along with their tunes. While we expected to hear songs from the not-yet-released-album mixed with 2016’s The Poison Red, these nu metallers surprised us with a diverse set that included music from the beginning of their career such as “Victim” from 1997’s Separate Yourself as well as “Endure,” “Mindtrip,” and “What A Day” from their acclaimed album 2000’s Statement. Frontman Elias Soriano made sure he knew he was on Long Island and not in the city as he made the Long Islanders feel extra special. Luckily, they introduced us to two new tracks taken from the new record with “Dodge Your Destiny,” and “Wheel Against Will.”
Setlist:
“Bullet with a Name”
“The Wreckoning”
“Breaking Skin”
“Victim”
“The Truth”
“Dodge Your Destiny”
“F**K’D”
“Endure”
“Mindtrip”
“I Said It”
“Wheel Against Will”
“My Last Dying Breath”
“Alive and Kicking”
“What a Day”
NONPOINT
Butcher Babies closed the night as the stage turned into a visualization of what their latest album 2017’s Lilith would look like. It was exciting to see these metallers having a full headlining set as they have more-than proven their ability. Vocalists Heidi Shepherd and Carla Harvey as usual, gave it their all, if not more. Despite being in near darkness, they managed to run all across the stage while not missing a note, which also included the times Shepherd ran behind the barricade to demand the crowd to form a circle pit.
The setlist was pretty fair, as they were obviously there to support their new album with songs including “Lilith,” “Burn the Straw,” “Headspin,” “The Huntsman,” “Korova,” “POMONA (Shit Happens),” “Controller,” “Look What We’ve Done” and “Underground and Overrated.” However, they did make room for fan favorite tracks such as “Monster’s Ball,” “Igniter,” “Magnolia Blvd,” the Napoleon XIV cover of “They’re Coming to Take Me Away,” and more.
For those who live in New York City, there should be no excuse on missing out on this show, or any held at this venue. It’s a direct ten minute walk from the Long Island Railroad and the sound at this place alone is well worth the trip.
BUTCHER BABIES
