Thundermother / Sweet Needles @ Z7 Pratteln
13.05.2023, Z7 Konzertfabrik Pratteln, Switzerland
What better way to spend a Saturday evening than with concentrated female power from Sweden. Thundermother have arrived in a new formation and kick off their Black and Gold Tour here in Pratteln. Some of their shows will be as support for the Scorpions – what an honour and challenge for a band that hasn’t really been tested live yet.
Excited about the new line-up, we first turn our attention to the ladies’ warm-up band:
Sweet Needles from Paris, France, deliver a colourful jumble of hard rock, metal, sometimes a tad of Punk madness. Some songs go down really well with the audience, others somehow don’t quite fit into the band’s repertoire at all. That’s why I have the impression that they haven’t quite found their style yet, or they just do whatever they feel like doing at the moment. The twins Arthur and Oscar founded the band in 2012 and then completed it with a few childhood friends. The gentlemen seem to have a lot of fun with their performance and enjoy every minute without much ado.
After a short changeover, the show continues punctually with Thundermother. The band around mastermind and guitarist Filipa Nässil has changed completely. After an argument between her and singer Guernica Mancini, Nässil parted ways with Mancini and the two remaining band members Emlee Johansson and Mona Lendgren decided they would rather continue making music with Guernica and so the three of them formed a new band together.
Replacements quickly came in for Thundermother with bassist Majsan Lindberg, who had been part of the band in 2019-2021, and Joan Massing, the new girl on drums. Linnéa Vikström, who has been with Therion and Kamelot, was recruited as vocalist. The band seems quite happy, the coodrinated all-denim stage outfits visually convey an additional unified image, which they definitely want to present here. Thundermother’s songs create a great atmosphere, no matter who sings and performs them, but…
Unfortunately, I have to say that Linnéa’s vocal power can’t match Guernica’s. Not that her voice isn’t good, too, but I miss some of the power. Majsan and Joan, on the other hand, do a great job, as far as I can tell. As always, everything revolves around Filippa, who is really getting lost in her guitar playing. I don’t think she has to prove her brilliance to anyone anymore, and in Pratteln she puts on a great show with her new crew.
A great evening and a band that doesn’t let itself be destroyed by changing members.
