Generation Sap - Cyclefly

I don’t expect many of you to have heard of Cyclefly, a part Irish, part French and part Italian five piece, but on the evidence of their 1999 debut ‘Generation Sap’ (and fantastic live show) they should be stars of the alt-rock scene. Comparisons are difficult to draw, the most obvious is probably Placebo, and maybe a little Mechanical Animals-era Marilyn Manson, but the diverse sound on offer defies easy categorisation. Opener ‘Violet High’ never really gets going as a ‘rocker’, but is still an immensely catchy way to start the album, despite the slightly worrying lyrics (“You’re passing needles through me/ ...

It is very seldom that you come across a band who completely blow you away the first time you hear them, but for me Cyclefly are definately one of these rare gems. I first experienced Cyclefly supporting Bush at the Manchester Academy early in 2000, and they put the headliners to shame, both with the raw live quality of their music, and their on-stage antics; with the highlight being vocalist Declan O'Shea clad in neon pvc climbing and diving from the huge speakers. Acrobatics aside, Cyclefly are an extremely talented band, whose music is an eclectic mixture of punk, rock, grunge and to some extent pop, all with edgy undertones; this is a band who are very much ...