16.06.2023 Thundermother

Graspop Metal Meeting

Dessel (Belgium)

From the dark tent, we stepped out into the sunshine in front of the Main Stages. This was where the ladies of Thundermother performed, a band that had caused quite a stir not long before. Band founder and guitarist Filippa Nässil seems to be a rather difficult character. After the first early successes following the band’s formation in 2009, Nässil decided to replace all band members. As the band continued to rise, she clashed so severely with then‑vocalist Guernica Mancini during their U.S. tour earlier this year that she kicked her out of the band. Out of solidarity, drummer Emlee Johansson and bassist Mona Lindgren also left, forcing yet another fresh start.
So there was plenty of curiosity about the new line-up, now consisting of vocalist Linnéa Vikström, bassist Majsan Lindberg, and drummer Joan Massing. The area in front of the stage was already nicely filled when the opener “Loud And Free” from the current album “Black And Gold” thundered across the field. The direction was immediately clear: classic, high‑quality hard rock. The ladies showed right away that they were in top form, repeatedly firing up the crowd to join in. Although “Black And Gold” made up the majority of the set list, all other previously released albums were also worked through one by one, offering a great cross‑section of all phases of the band’s history. The mood in front of the stage was excellent, with plenty of clapping and loud singing along. Overall, Thundermother delivered 45 minutes of top‑tier entertainment and were sent off with great applause after the final notes of “Driving In Style” from the 2020 album “Heat Wave”.
Just as the morning had already started strong in the tent, Thundermother continued seamlessly in the same vein. I had not seen the band before, but they offered a solid mix of well‑crafted old‑school hard rock. Nothing that completely blows you away, but genuinely good entertainment. As far as I was concerned, the day could have continued just like that.