A friend of mine attended a The Reytons gig in front of a couple of hundred people just after the pandemic released its death grip of the UK; last year they blew the roof off Sheffield’s Utilita Arena and sold out a 13 500-cap venue. It certainly has been a rollercoaster few years for The Reytons. And as usual, I was late in discovering the band – it didn’t happen until they released their fantastic 2023 album What’s Rock And Roll?
Tonight’s gig at Knust in Hamburg was also the first time the boys left their safe place on the other side of the canal and played their first show ever on German soil, and that means restarting the process of hauling in fans. Knust couldn’t offer 13 500 people but an almost sold-out 600-cap venue isn’t too bad for a start in Germany, especially not when 1/3 of the audience was expats or had joined the band on their first European tour – let’s say that for once, German wasn’t the loudest language at the venue.
But first, a few words about the support act, German iedereen (yes, lowercase letters just like artsy bands like it). We rarely review the support act, mostly because we get stuck at the bar counter and sip on a few beers while socializing with people, aka me talking too much and too loud to unknown people and the photographer.
iedereen are an indie rock/post punk two-piece from Cologne and set the tone for the rest of the night after just ten seconds – it’s furious! Ron Huefnagels bangs the drums like a madman while frontman and guitarist Tom Sinke is a lunatic on stage. I was waiting for anything to break but instead, we got an epic twist when he ran out in the crowd, handed over the guitar to a young lady fan and told her to play ‘fast as fuck’ while he started a mosh pit. How it sounded? Loud and fast and like shit, but who cares – it was entertaining! If that doesn’t sound like a fun start to a concert, define fun for me. We probably don’t have to tell you that we’ve already booked them for an interview when they return to Hamburg at the beginning of the summer. If they pass through your hometown, do not miss it for anything in the world.
Back to The Reytons – it has been an amazing year for the band. Achieving a number one album, and a mostly sold-out arena tour, South Yorkshire band, The Reytons have proved you do not need record company backing to enjoy success if your music resonates with people in such a way that you can be propelled to the top through word-of-mouth.
Obviously, every expat in Hamburg plus a few die-hard fans from their hometown Rotherham (I spoke to a Rotherham lad at the bar) had found their way to Knust, probably to make sure that The Reytons amazing adventure would continue and that the band get the same treatment in Germany as they get in the UK (well, after spending almost two decades in the British music industry I know that the German standard is heaps better). They wanted moshing, and moshing we got – the crowd was unbelievably fired up. Now imagine the utter scenes when The Reytons finally do take to the stage, instantly sending everyone into oblivion as they thrash out “Red Smoke” from an older EP, May Seriously Harm You And Others Around You.
The crowd was consumed by the band’s every action, fixating on each note and syllable as thrashing guitars and banging drums laid ample room for frontman Jonny Yerrell to jump about the stage as though he were singing to each member of the audience like he’d known them for years, and it just gained strength for every song they play. The first part of the set is focused on their latest album, Ballad of a Bystander, and “Adrenaline”, “Market Street”, “Let Me Breathe”, and especially the brilliant “Knees Up” worked perfectly for getting the audience going for the real show that started mid-way through the night. After “Knees Up” The Reytons turned left into history lane.
From here they dipped into infectious gems stretching back to 2017 like “Billy Big Bollocks”, “Kids Off The Estate” and “Slice Of Lime”, songs that encapsulate the power and range of The Reytons and put the abilities of bassist Lee Holland and drummer Sean O’Connor on display across the two with steady riffs and upbeat drumming keeping the evening lively as lead guitarist Joe ‘O’Brien pulls twanging riffs out of seemingly nowhere. The three lads behind frontman Jonny Yerrell really holding their own and letting their personalities shine through their work.
With sweat streaming down the walls, they finish their phenomenal set with “Low Life” and “Uninvited” thus mobilizing the increasingly moshing mob.
What’s the verdict on The Reytons first gig ever in Germany? By far the best gig of the year, and it will probably stay on our Top10 list throughout the year. Come back soon lads and we’ll promise you bigger gigs and even rowdier audiences.
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Photos: Kevin Winiker
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