CKY returned to the UK this year for their headline tour, hot on the heels of the release of their new single “Can’t Stop Running”. Joining them on their tour for main support are a multitude of up-and-coming UK underground artists. For this region, CKY have brought along masked nu-metallers Black Gold with their infectious bouncy riffs and Limp Bizkit-laden verses.
It is worth mentioning the original main support for the tour was Fiend without a Face, but due to the tragic and sudden passing of frontman Brent Hinds (RIP), a number of UK bands were chosen as main support for certain segments of the tour.
Black Gold
Just in case anyone in Birmingham had forgotten that it’s the home of heavy music, Black Gold were quick to remind the O2 Institute 2 crowd – “This is the home of rock ‘n’ roll people – wake the fuck up!” the masked frontman shouted, jolting the crowd into motion. The band took to the stage covered in ’90s hip hop attire, but donning masks over their face, hiding their identities behind the nu-metal hip hop image.
Their set moved seamlessly between red-hot aggression and groove. The London collective brought a bouncy yet mosh-filled chaos to the stage – a cocktail of nu-metal madness and hip-hop bounce that felt like Limp Bizkit re-worked for a modern Gen Z audience and nostalgic for older millennials and Gen Xers.
In between the dissonant guitar chords that would make Wes Borland jealous, the group shook it up with old-school ‘90s hip-hop rap interludes with the singer spitting bars while being flanked by two masked turntable DJs. By the time they ripped into “I ain’t going out like that” – the rap-rock vibes were in full swing.
Black Gold finished out their set with “Gangster’s Paradise” playing as their outro, thanking the crowd for their time. Judging by the bouncy chaos rippling throughout the crowd, Birmingham was wide awake and ready for CKY.
CKY
After Black Gold roused the crowd, CKY took to the stage with their trademark sense of heavy riffs, irreverence and sense of family that only heightened the emotional undercurrent of the night. CKY stormed the stage opening with CKY fan favourites “Rio Brave” and “Attached to the Hip”.
Touring with Soulffy’s bass player taking up duties on the low-end, CKY sounded heavier and sharper than ever before. The low-end bass rhythms and grooves brought a punch to the guitar riffs and complemented the drums from Jess Margera himself – bringing back the almost nostalgic sounds of a band whose riffs defined many early 2000s skate rock and dominated the “Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater” soundtrack.
Before continuing into the set’s chaos, frontman Chad took a moment to pause, remember and celebrate the life of Brent Hinds, not only a fellow musician the band admired, but also a close friend who was due to follow them on tour as support. There was silence in the crowd for a minute. Chad promised “This one’s for Hinds” and the crowd erupted in cheers.
From there, it was relentless mayhem from CKY. The band barrelled through their set with a mixture of old-school favourites from “Volume 1” and “Infiltrate. Destroy. Rebuild” to deep cuts from later album cycles.
In true CKY fashion, spontaneity ruled. Mid-set Chad plucked two members from the audience to sing and chant the now infamous “Brian’s Chinese Freestyle”. After some lyrical improv and a few forgotten words (met with laughs all around), Chad thanked them and promised “We’ll do Skeletor next time!”. From here the band continued to skilfully rip through their set.
It came to that part of the night where the inevitable question was thrown towards the audience “Does anyone know this one?” teasing the audience might only know this one before mimicking the sound of the iconic riff. The band launched into “96 Quite Bitter Beings”. The now iconic riff hit like a sonic portal to the past, the crowd responded in rapturous applause and raucous mosh pits aplenty.
At the end of the set, the entire room chanted “CKY” reverberating throughout the entire venue giving the upstairs rival main room at the O2 Institute a run for their money. The band finished out their set with the classic “Disengage the Simulator” and a GG Allin cover “Bite It You Scum”. CKY might have matured as a band but their shows remain as true as ever from the heydays of the early 2000s – part comedy, part catharsis, all heart.
