Live Review : Smash Into Pieces + Cyan Kicks @ Club Academy, Manchester on December 2nd 2023

Another night, another pair of Scandi bands – it’s a hard life writing for ROCKFLESH! Tonight’s bill is somewhat different to my usual fare though, and looking around the crowd it’s a very different demographic. This is not a metal crowd. It’s very stylised, rather eclectic and for the most part very young. In fact I think this is the first time I have ever seen actual children at a Club Academy gig. 

Openers Cyan Kicks hail from Finland, and like the crowd they are very young. They have the usual number of band members – there’s a drummer, a bassist, a guitarist and a waif of a female singer. The actual music seems to be very heavy on pre-recorded synth though, which makes my teeth itch a little. Being old school (or just old!) I have been pilloried by certain bands for my opinion on this but it’s not that I don’t like backing tracks. I have seen many bands where the tracks are an integral part of the show, providing an enhancement to the live sound, and enjoyed them very much.

Sometimes though they just overpower the whole thing and from my spot at the back this happened tonight with Cyan Kicks. I wanted to like them. They look good, they play happy, bouncy euro-pop-tinged rock, and they’re from Finland. All of those are plus points. The vocals are a little lacking in power but they are clean and tuneful. But in every song the music starts before the band and finishes after them. I can see the guitarist and bassist throwing shapes but I can’t really hear what they are playing. It’s frustrating. The music has a lot of energy but it’s a little lacking in personality.

They are getting a decent response down at the front though, and the crowd are jumping with them so it could just be me. There are bits where I do find myself bobbing about a bit but not enough of them to really hold my interest. My feeling is that this is a band at the start of their musical journey and they are yet to find their feet. They don’t lack talent, but they do lack direction right now. Hopefully that will come as they grow into their own sound in the future. 

Headliners Smash Into Pieces are a new name to me. In my usual efficient manner I have totally failed to check them out on streaming services pre-gig so tonight I am going in without expectations, although I do know from speaking to a Swedish friend a couple of days ago that they have tried and failed to be picked as Sweden’s Eurovision entry on at least one occasion. Hmm.

I also know that the drummer is a kind of Darth-Vader-like cloaked figure in a full face mask with LED lights on it. Hmm again. Last time I encountered Swedes in masks it ended pretty well though, so I’m looking forward to seeing what they can offer. The first thing I notice is that they have managed to cram a massive drum riser onto the tiny stage along with full-sized video screens and a decent array of lighting, which gives them an impressive background against which to perform. They also seem to be fond of a motivational message. The merch area is full of them on posters and screens, and the intro tape is also full of live-your-best-life type encouragement. I like this positivity!

The music when it starts is irresistible. It’s euro-pop crossed with metalcore, and it’s catchier than a fleet of Icelandic fishing boats. The show is very visual – there are the screens and the drummer of course but bass & guitar have matching outfits and spin and pose throughout, and the singer seems to be wearing a flat cap and a flak jacket. This makes the show a very immersive experience.

It’s rock at its core, but they throw in all kinds of other bits just to gee it up a bit. It’s Rock Jim, but not as we know it! I am bouncing from foot to foot from the off, this is the kind of music that picks you up and carries you along without you realising what is happening until it’s too late and you are punching the air and mouthing the choruses cos you don’t know the words but the need to join in is paramount.

It’s metal enough to qualify for the ROCKFLESH seal of approval, but pop enough to have a much wider appeal. Some songs stand out for me – ‘Wake Up’ was good, and ‘Big Bang’ (which I believe is their most recent single release) was outstanding. There are pre-recorded synths galore here too, but they enhance the sound without overpowering it and my teeth remain unground for the whole set.

The band jump like marionettes on strings, and the crowd jump with them. During ‘Let Me Be Your Superhero’ the drummer throws out a couple more life-enhancing snippets of advice and I wonder if he is really. really hot in there. To my surprise the crowd know all the words to all the songs and sing along with gusto. On a couple of occasions the band stop to listen to them, seemingly overwhelmed at the outpouring of love washing over them like a wave. There are woah-oh choruses, there are places for us to wave our arms from side-to-side (sometimes holding our phones sometimes not) and the whole thing is uplifting and inspiring.

They get the balance between light and shade, pop and rock, just right. They fly us to the heavens and then plunge us into the abyss without missing a beat. There are time changes and complex rhythms, all held together with well-crafted songs. They have a definite “sound” but it’s not samey enough to be tedious, instead they change just enough in each song to keep me waiting with anticipation for the next. They have a power ballad ‘Broken Parts’ and a full-on rock out ‘Deadman’ in close succession, and that juxtaposition just works. The final song of the main set has my hairs standing on end, the drummer takes over on keyboards and it’s just him and the singer for a spine-tingling cover of Tears For Fears’ classic ‘Mad World’. What power and range this singer has.

Of course that’s not the end, they come back on to give us a couple more. The actual final song is the powerful ‘Six Feet Under’ with it’s singalong refrain and massive riffs, and it’s all over. The band promise us they will be back, but next time they will go bigger and better. Save me a space guys, I can’t wait. In the meantime as I head out into the chilly Manchester snow the words on that poster are etched on my brain. “don’t let anything stand between you and your dreams…… if it does, smash it into pieces”. Yep, that. 100% that. 

Check the “In The Flesh” page for more photos!
Smash Into Pieces, Cyan Kicks