SICKONES interview about their wild tour with Dead Kennedys

Ashlea Bea Photography

SickOnes are a three piece groove driven, frantic, DIY hardcore punk band that are pushing themselves to whole new levels. SickOnes have been very busy this year, playing a number of shows around the UK and even doing a tour in the United States. It is very clear that SickOnes aren’t stopping anytime soon, as they continue to play bigger and better shows, along with working hard to release a EP and a new video.

However, the most recent excitement for SickOnes is the fact they have just returned from a small run of shows with the legendary American Punk band Dead Kennedys, who played 3 shows around the UK: Northampton, Manchester and Oxford. I caught up with SickOnes to see how they got on and how they got to tour with such a massive name in the genre!  



So Firstly, how did this tour come about? "I reached out to their people some time ago in hope of supporting them last year. At that time things didn’t work out. I was told they liked our sound but couldn’t help us. They said they’d remember us though. Intitially I was pretty cynical of that response but it all came through and a year later I spoke to their agent and the tour was secured. It truly just came about from reaching out to the right people at the right time." What were the highlights of this tour?  "Despite the obvious fact that we were touring with DKs, which was wild! Just having been given the opportunity-someone having faith in us to provide something for these shows was a real honour. We played to 450/550 people each night which was incredible. The Manchester Show in particular was probably one of the best of our short career- thanks to everyone who watched us." Did you spend much time with band?  "I had a good few conversation with the drummer-we spoke about how grateful we were to be involved. We also spoke about being big fans of Sepultura / Soulfly which was a surreal conversation for sure. The rest of the band were all very friendly and open to our newer, wilder sound. I think we were all pretty aware DKs have been on a thousand tours with a thousand support bands and were respectful of the fact they probably didn’t want to mingle constantly." Being a relatively new band, how did you think people thought of Sickones on this tour?  "We openly embraced the fact our sound was going to be pretty different to DKs even though  its coming from the same realm. We just did our thing and it went down a treat. We put a lot into our live show and I think people can’t help but be curious about that. People bought merch and we got to talk to some kids who were at their very first punk show - was a real full circle moment." How were these shows different to a smaller/more intimate show?  "Honestly as a 3 piece used to playing smaller spots it was our biggest concern. But it transitioned very well! We had some great sound guys and I particularly picked up loads of tricks for filling out our live sound. Shows with a barrier are definitely an alien thing to smaller punk/hc bands like us. We tried our best to dominate the stage and if that failed we went over the barrier. I think we nailed it." Were you fans of Dead Kennedys before the tour? 

"All three of us were definitely fans yeah - the legacy they hold is insane. But in particular our drummer, Andy - he’s had several jackets covered in DK patches since he was 14/15. For him that tour was a real lifetime achievement/bucket list event. Very wholesome." What have you got planned for SickOnes in the future?  "We have a few more shows in the next couple of months up and down the UK. Then we are going to be taking some time, recoup, reevaluate and potentially make some major changes."

So, it seems like Sickones may be taking a break from their relentless touring and recording schedules, but we can't wait to see what their "major changes" will entail and what they will do next- watch this space!

By Sam Hennerley