Messed!Up
Can a Tuesday night in Hamburg, in one of the worst work periods of the year, at one of the darkest of the year be uplifting? Oh yes! It was even chaotic, rowdy, and sweaty to a point where I found myself crawling on the floor looking for lost beer after being knocked down (my bad; a combination of beer in both hands and a balance like a toddler while getting a small push).
SONS were back in Hamburg for the fifth time (the band wasn’t sure, but I’m sure I’ve seen all their gigs in Hamburg), and by now I know that means chaos. In fact, it’s a love story that started in 2019. SONS had just released their (still) awesome debut album Family Dinner and were playing two gigs at old Molotow’s 29th Birthday Bash, and we hauled the Antwerpen (that’s in Belgium, peeps) boys in for our first interview. From that day we learned that the best garage rock bands aren’t from the UK, they’re from Belgium. Six years, two more albums, another interview with Messed!Up and on tour with their latest album Hallo, it was time for another gig in Hamburg, at Molotow’s Top Ten Bar.
It kickstarts directly; the band goes full throttle already with the opener ‘Do My Thing’, one of the singles from their latest album, and from there the show just keeps picking up speed. It’s the different personalities of the band members that make their shows so awesome. Frontman and guitarist Robin Borghgraef was barking into the mic, flinging himself across the stage, or on the floor (he went out into the audience a few times), violently, and it felt like he was about to combust at any moment. And then you have thunderous bassist Jens De Ruyte, a whirlwind that’s everywhere on stage and on the floor at the same time. The last time I saw the line, at Indra Club 64 at Reeperbahn Festival in 2023, he almost knocked our photographer to the floor when she came too close to the action. It’s a brutally wild bass playing and he’s soaked in sweat after three songs.
When they hit it off with some older stuff from their debut album, especially ‘Family Dinner’, the roof is off at Molotow. Our photographer for the night, whom I had to convince to join me, was in shock – he didn’t know where to stand to shoot photos because the band was everywhere at once. Luckily, it calms down in between because the new album is a lot slower, and the band shows off another type of songwriting skills than on their first two garage punk albums. It’s less chaos, a lot more rock music.
What makes SONS such a thrilling live act is the way their collective energy compounds, especially in their older songs. Don’t misunderstand, the last two albums, Sweet Boy and Hallo, are very good garage rock/rock albums, but their debut album, Family Dinner, is a kick in the gut from the first to the last song. ‘Family Dinner’, ‘Waiting On My Own’, and especially ‘Naughty’, throw Molotow into frenzy, and people start bouncing around the perimeter. And when they play their biggest hit to date, ‘Ricochet’, somewhere mid-set, the night peaks. Robin leaves the stage (for the zillionth time) and climbs into the sound booth, then walks back onto the floor where the roadie puts the mic and continues while the rest of the band goes nuts on stage. It’s also necessary to mention that the band heavily relies on amazing guitar skills by Arno De Ruyte, playing some really advanced lead guitar solos, and one of the best garage punk drummers I’ve seen, Thomas Pultyn. The combination of these amazing personalities makes a night out with SONS something to remember. It’s entertainment at its best!
They had me convinced already when they released Family Dinner in 2019, and I have followed the band closely over the years. Righteously, they have great label support by well-reputed label PIAS, but I don’t understand why people don’t come out for their shows. Few bands surprise me as much as SONS always do, and even fewer bands pull off a show like last night’s every day of a tour.
If you haven’t watched SONS live, it’s about time!
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Photographer: Niko Schmuck
