With an expertise in fuzzy riffs, melodic heaviness, high energy and sharp lyrics, Sick Joy are one of British rock’s most promising young bands.
Originally formed in Newcastle, before relocating to Brighton in order to be part of a bigger music scene. The band (Mykl Barton – vocals/guitar, Danny Piston – bass and Sam Rattray – drums), soon announced themselves as something exciting, with some describing them as somewhere between The Pixies and Slipknot, with the band receiving huge support from BBC Radio 1, Kerrang! Radio and Radio X. Live, meanwhile, their shows with the likes of Feeder, Dinosaur Pile-Up and Demob Happy fully demonstrated Sick Joy’s infectious energy and power.
Now they return with the roaring, fuzzy alt.rock explosion of new single ‘Belly Aching Beast’ (ft. Jamie Lenman). No strangers to adversity, Mykl’s lyrics deal with overcoming the bad times through taking a moment to find some perspective.
“There’s times when you’re in a moment, and you convince yourself that the voice you’re listening to is you. But it’s only later on that you realise that it’s bullshit,” he says. “You think, ‘I’m fucking this up, and it’s me doing it, and it’s annoying.’ And that’s what brings you down – it’s about understanding it and breaking through it,”
It’s this sense of overcoming that’s at the heart of Sick Joy. Things can be bad, but it’s important to move through them and not let them get in your way. It’s a positive spin that buzzes right the way through Belly Aching Beast.
“It’s about not only recognising that in myself, but seeing it in friends and family, and wanting to encourage them,” he continues. “Ask yourself, ‘why do I feel like this?’ Don’t just don’t own the feeling. Don’t become sadness, don’t become anger or jealousy. Do the things you want to do. Don’t let fear decide where you’re going and what you can or can’t do.”
Sick Joy will be bringing Belly Aching Beast – harmonica optional – out on tour with them when they hit the road in March, including a show at London’s O2 Forum Kentish Town as main support to Dinosaur Pile-Up, as well as a month’s worth of their own dates.
It’s just the start for the next chapter of the Sick Joy story. Catch the sickness now.
MARCH
04 Southampton, Heartbreakers
05 Exeter, The Cavern
06 Bristol, Crofters Rights
07 Newport, Le Pub
09 St Albans, The Horn
10 Birmingham, The Sunflower Lounge
11 Stoke on Trent, The Sugarmill
12 Manchester, Castle Hotel
13 Blackpool, Bootleg Social
15 Glasgow, The Garage (Attic Bar)
17 Hull, The Adelphi
18 York, The Fulford Arms
19 Leeds, Hyde Park Book Club
21 Nottingham, The Bodega
22 Norwich, Voodoo Daddys Showroom
23 London, o2 Forum Kentish Town (w/ Dinosaur Pile Up)
25 Milton Keynes, Craufurd Arms
26 Brighton, Green Door Store
