‘Tis the season to be jolly, eating yourself into a food coma and hopefully having a great festive time. But where do all the bands go? And what kind of Christmas does a band have? We thought it would be fun to find out so Gary Trueman had a chat with Sumo Cyco singer Skye Sweetnam about her Christmas memories, her first time cooking Yorkshire puddings and what she hopes 2020 might bring.
What is your best Christmas memory?
“This is kinda funny. When I was a kid my sister received a life size Barbie which at that time was a four feet tall. I came running in and I was like I want it so bad but it was my sister’s. I asked my mum if I could try on the outfit and my sister was OK and said that’s fine. My mum was thinking oh I should have got one for Skye too as she wants to play with her sister’s toy so much. So my parents bought a second one and put it in the chimney and had my uncle drive in and say Santa must have forgotten something and it’s in the chimney. And there was this other life size Barbie. So to keep the Christmas spirit alive they wanted to make sure I got one too. That was my favourite day, when I got my life sized Barbie.”
What are the best and worst presents you’ve ever received at Christmas?
“Well my dad is pretty good at giving gifts and he got me a crane for my filming. One year he also got me a 3D printer which is pretty awesome. I would say those are the best gifts. I think the worst gift is maybe when you have to return it because it’s something that’s not your size. It kinda sucks because it’s a gift.”
How old were you when you realised Santa wasn’t real?
“I was eight or nine and it was my school teacher that told the whole class. What kind of school teacher does that? We were talking about what’s up at the north pole and one kid yelled out Santa and she’s like no he’s not real! The whole class was like … arggghhh!”
What do you most look forward to at Christmas?
“Well I have to say I have two amazing grandmothers and both of them make amazing Christmas dinners. So usually the tradition is to go to my dad’s side on Christmas Eve and my mum’s side on Christmas Day. Eating with family is my favourite thing. I can’t wait for the stuffing, it’s the best thing ever.”
What do the band do at Christmas? Do you hang out or are you fed up with each other by then?
“Haha, pretty much. I don’t think Trozzi’s family celebrate Christmas much. Oscar has a pretty big family and I know he loves their cooking and stuff so he’ll go there. I’ll go to my family and Matt will come with me and we’ll just eat.”
You touched on this with the mention of stuffing but what do you have for Christmas Dinner?
“Ok, so we’ve got the turkey. Last year was the first year I ever cooked a turkey myself and I did that for Matt’s side of the family. It was my first attempt at a full on dinner. You’ve got to have the turkey and the gravy and the stuffing. Mash potato, cranberry sauce, vegetables, my favourites are mushrooms or peppers. We did Yorkshire puddings which is not really my traditional thing that I’ll do with my family but Matt’s family is English. He was the one that said you’ have to try the Yorkshire puddings. I didn’t do an amazing job with them, they could have been a little bit better, but they’re a hard one to get right that’s for sure.”
Does Canada have any specific Christmas traditions that you won’t find anywhere else?
“I don’t know. We’re pretty close to the North American Christmas tree, Christmas lights kinda thing. One of the things I love doing is going around and seeing the Christmas light displays on houses. Some of the people in my neighbourhood go really crazy. There’s this one house that has them out first thing in November, the entire lawn is filled with all these different characters. Some of them synch to music and you can drive around and tune in and watch the lights go off to the music. That’s really cool.”
Have you got a new year’s wish for 2020?
“I have lots of wishes and lots of dreams, I have lots to accomplish. The main thing is just to get back to touring around the world and see lots of beautiful places and meeting new people. It’s what I love to do so if I can fit in some new adventures next year I’d be super happy with that.”
Have you got a seasonal message for Sumo Cyco fans?
“I hope everyone has a super safe and happy holiday. I hope you’re with friends and family enjoying life and eating well. And may sugarplum terranauts dance in your head.”
Interview and photos by Gary Trueman