Jools
The Sheffield Corporation is still filling up when the Leicester 6 piece come on, but they waste no time in grabbing our attention with some high energy, punky electro-indie type vibes. Lead vocals are split 50:50 between Mitch and Kate – each as outgoing as the other, and neither are afraid to get right in your face. My first impressions are that there is a strong ‘Idles’ influence going on, right from the guitar sound and riffs, to the lyrical content and delivery…. And I mean that in a highly complimentary way… these guys and girls aren’t just copycats; they certainly have their own style and twist on things.
Having released a handful of singles dating back to 2019, it seems they’ve had a somewhat ‘relaxed’ approach when it comes to getting round to releasing an album – their debut full-length debut album only dropped earlier this year. ‘Violent Delights’ has received strong reviews, and as I’m soon to discover, their live shows have cemented their reputation as one to watch.
The dual vocal styles complement each other nicely – Kate and Mitch are constantly bouncing off each other, and at times seem to be locked in a game of one-upmanship in terms of who can give out the rawest energy. Halfway through the set the band takes a breather for a moment while Kate gets on the mic to rail against inequality, violence against women and women’s rights. Towards the end, Mitch tells the heartbreaking story of recently losing his father, and how much his dad believed in the band. He thanks the crowd for helping keep his dad’s spirit alive at every gig – it’s a truly tear-jerking moment. He’s keen to bring the spirits up again and not finish the gig on negative energy, so he dives into the crowd once more for the high adrenaline finishers ‘FKA’ and ‘The Pleasures’
Solid performance that went down well – and with a UK tour arranged for the springtime, I predict that 2026 is the year that Jools will really gain some traction.
Setlist:
Spineless
Mother Monica
Cardinal
Knee Injury
No Passage
97%
Guts
Live Deliciously
Dunoon
Limerence
Violent Delights
FKA
Encore:
The Pleasures
CKY
Barely minutes after I arrived in Sheffield I saw the dreaded news that due to illness and high fever throughout the whole band and crew, CKY had cancelled their show . . . TOMORROW. But hold on . . . they’re well enough to play tonight? This decision to drop Norwich tomorrow is apparently so the London show the night after ‘can be as good as possible’. Must admit, I’ve never heard that one before, and if I’m honest, I think that detail would have been best kept to themselves.
While we’re at it – let’s address the elephant in the room. There was drama a few days ago when ‘Blackgold’ (another support band on the bill) voluntarily removed themselves from the tour, alleging that main man Chad was a huge narcissist, and there was no way they could be around him any longer. I wasn’t going to mention it, except Chad himself brought it up during the gig – read on . . .
Then there was last year’s debacle, when CKY were unceremoniously booted off the Alien Ant Farm tour, after Chad punched AAF singer Dryden Mitchell (Norwich suffering another gig cancellation because of this). And then of course there is the acrimonious split when original frontman Deron Miller left to form his ‘96 Quite Bitter Beings’ solo project version of CKY. Does Mr. Ginsberg have a penchant for rubbing people up the wrong way? Let’s see . . .
CKY are introduced to the stage to rapturous applause from the Sheffield crowd, by none other than April Margera (Jess’ mother). We have founding members Jess Margera on drums and Chad Ginsburg on guitar (also taking over lead vocals since the departure of Deron), and then the new guy – Mike Leon, better known in heavier metal circles as the bass player in Soulfly/Cavalera Conspiracy for more than a decade.
Straight away they hit with that post-grunge alt rock guitar sound, kicking off with ‘Rio Bravo’ then ‘Attached At The Hip’. The signature guitar tone is so distinctive, and it invokes feelings of nostalgia in me from when I first heard CKY some 20-odd years ago. I was wondering whether the fans tonight would mainly fit the same demographic as myself – discovering CKY via younger Margera brother Bam in ‘Jackass’ in the early noughties, but I was surprised to find the average age younger than I was expecting. Most of the fans in the first 2 or 3 rows look to be only born around that time, so CKY are certainly still current and relevant in 2025.
After a few more strong songs from 2002 album Infiltrate Destroy Rebuild, Chad – seeing the smiling faces in the crowd grabs the mic to introduce ‘Flesh Into Gear’ and shouts “C’mon guys, what you lookin’ so happy for?… you’re dealing with a massive narcissist, remember?!”, referencing the dispute with Blackgold last week. From his general demeanour and stage attire (hoody up, shades on), he gives off the aura of someone who doesn’t give a f*ck. That may or may not have been interpreted as supreme arrogance and self-importance by some in the past, and honestly I have no idea whose side of the story to believe about the aforementioned. All I know is that it’s going down really well with the Sheffield crowd tonight. Mike Leon is animated in his bass playing, clearly enjoying his new band and acting the goat a little. He was a longtime fan of CKY and seized the opportunity to join this year – and I believe he’s enjoying the lighter hearted side of rock, having been in a straight up metal band for the last few years.
The setlist – predictably, is predominantly from the Infiltrate Destroy Rebuild album, and it goes down well. Chad offers the crowd the opportunity to get on stage for Bran’s Chinese Rap. Reportedly, the chap who got on stage last night only lasted 5 seconds before running out of lyrics, but tonight a young lady named Lydia stepped up, and absolutely nailed the whole thing!
Towards the end of the set, CKY really shines. ‘Can’t Stop Running’ is the latest offering, released only last month. Chad then jibes that the band only really has one song, and that’s what we’re all here for. He is of course wrong, but there’s no denying that ‘96 Quite Bitter Beings’ is an absolute banger. ‘Close Yet Far’ is the set closer, and it’s beautifully serene. For the encore, its a brilliant cover of GG Allin’s ‘Bite It, You Scum!’, and the same 20-somethings on the front row I saw mouthing all the words previously, now don’t have a clue. It’s a brilliant cover to finish on, and the mosh pit is raucous!
I can’t speak to Chad’s personality but tonight CKY were proper decent and very fun.
Setlist:
Rio Bravo
Attached at the Hip
Sporadic Movement
Frenetic Amnesic
Flesh Into Gear
Head for a Breakdown
Sink Into the Underground
Behind the Screams
Escape From Hellview
Shock & Terror
Plastic Plan
Disengage the Simulator
Bran’s Chinese Freestyle
Can’t Stop Running
96 Quite Bitter Beings
Close Yet Far
Encore:
Bite It, You Scum (GG Allin cover)
Words & Images by Rob Lindesay (Instagram: @rock.the.lens)
