Sink Ya Teeth : Georgian Theatre Stockton

Fans of Post Punk were in for a double treat last Friday night at the Georgian Theatre Stockton, when Norwich duo ‘Sink Ya Teeth’ took to the stage in the support slot for ‘A Certain Ratio’ on their 40^th anniversary tour.

Formed four years ago ‘Sink Ya Teeth’ comprise of ex ‘Girl In A Thunderbolt’ Maria Uzor, and ex ‘KaitO’ Gemma Cullingford.

Counting BBC Radio 6 music DJ Steve Lamacq among their fans, Maria and Gemma who write, record and produce all of their own music, take inspiration from Electronic Dance Music fused with 80’s and 90’s rare groove.

It’s fairly obvious from the outset, how ‘Sink Ya Teeth’ are a good fit for the nights gig.

They appear cool and collected opening the show with one of the first songs they ever wrote ‘Shutdown’ a stark and repetitive Punk funk track harnessed by strident keyboards and stark vocal delivery style.

This is a fairly good indicator of the set to come – as the audience are steadily drawn in by the interplay of the brilliantly animated stage performance of Maria on vocals, keyboard and synthpad, along side Gemma’s well executed rhythm and timing on bass.

The bass heavy ‘Petrol Blue’, a melancholic darkwave sounding track with a surprisingly upbeat tempo soon gets the crowd a little more animated.

Whilst ‘Pushin’, the third single taken from last year’s self-titled debut album is a deeply personal account on the nature of salvation. Raw in its delivery, and uncompromising in it’s message ‘Pushin’ is as intense as it’s subject matter of addiction.

It’s an arresting sight to witness this duo win over an audience with their own unique take and spin on a more dance friendly version of Post Punk.

This is what any well-seasoned fan of electronica/synth driven music wants to come out for on a Friday night.

Coupled with bleak undertones and buoyed by infectious beats ‘Sink Ya Teeth’ command attention with a deep and dramatic lyrical musical style.

Break through single ‘If you see me’ again delivered in a tone that skilfully draws on a hypnotic melodic loop, complimented by off kilter percussion and repetitive beats really showcases Maria’s vocal style and Gemma’s solid bass.

Towards the end of the set, the band experience some technical difficulty with Maria’s keyboard – (hey this is live music) unshakable and unflappable however, the band played on with a steadfast conviction in their capabilities to deliver the goods.

‘Complicated’, flawless in its shift towards a more terse, clipped vocal style range, deals with the everyday monotony of navigating a world where people never seem to do what they say they’re going to do. (hey- we can all relate).

Whilst ‘The Hot House’ opens with a distinctly retro club feel with pulsing drums, textured sound and infectious beats more reminiscent of the 1980’s house scene. The distorted guitars therefore take the audience by surprise as the track evolves into a much more punchy edgier direction.

It really shouldn’t work, but somehow it does, and this appears to be one of the more engaging performances of the evening as the show builds to a natural high.

The pinnacle of the evening however, was the marvellously defiant ‘Substitutes’-  a brilliantly dark take on friendship with a blustering guitar driven bassline. The staccato drums only served to add to the unsettling build up to this floor stomper, and it’s the track that proved to be the most popular with the audience.

This marked a fine end to the bands Stockton debut, where new fans were introduced to this burgeoning new talent that seem to belie a career where they already present as accomplished well seasoned professionals, despite only forming four years ago.

We were certainly won over by the stage presence, ability, style and musical genius that are ‘Sink Ya Teeth’.

There quite simply isn’t anyone else like them!

You can catch ‘Sink Ya Teeth’ on tour throughout the rest of December in France, and across the UK from February until March 2020 with a new album release expected in early 2020.