So I went to see The Sonics! Yes, I did and it was my second time.
In 2010, when I heard they were on tour, I used to live in Goettingen, a small town in middle of Germany and the closest city they were visiting was Gent, Belgium. I traveled to Belgium to see them on stage. The support band was called The Wrong and I thought they were pretty good but was very excited to see The Sonics. And yet, they were on stage and they created the sound! The gig was at Handelsbeurs concert hall and all felt like a dream. After the gig, the band members were out there with us to sign LPs and Cds. I got a chance to talk to them but it was only very short.
Couple weeks ago, when I learned they were coming to Hamburg, I just went and purchased my ticket! I couldn’t have missed this! And there came the day for the concert, 28th of April. The gig was going to be held in Molotow, a night club here in Hamburg which had to move from their usual place to a temporary one as the original building they were located in was going to be demolished. It was the first time I had been in Molotow Exile, which I quite liked, with vinyl hanging over the walls and good posters around. The support band, Cryssis, a British/German power pop band opened. They were pretty active and had ear friendly songs. I enjoyed it from start to end. As I was waiting for The Sonics, I noticed dearest “Betty” by my side. I was remembering her from the Gent gig. We had a lovely chat with her, very memorable. Then it was time for The Sonics. Just a reminder, only three of the original members of the 1960s line up is touring, Jerry Roslie (organ and lead vocals), Larry Parypa (lead guitar) and Rob Lind (sax and harmonica). The bassist Andy Parypa and drummer Bob Bennett are replaced by Freddie Dennis (played with the The Kingsmen, Freddie & The Screamers) and Dusty Watson (played with Dick Dale, The Surfaris, Davie Allan and the Arrows among many more). They were amazing all over. They started with “Cinderella” and ended it with “Money”. Oh boy, did I never want it to finish. Jerry’s screams are still as he was sounding back in the day, Larry would play his guitar such that you know he was born for this, very comfortable and confident moves. Rob was in a pretty good mood, smiling at audience, handing over the microphone to screamers in front, so they could scream even more. Freddie did also sing a couple songs as well as Rob and they were both excellent, making the audience go wild with their never ending energy. And Dusty Watson… he was like from another planet. He did play the drums so hard, so the perfect Sonics sound could be completed.
By the end, I was shattered dancing and screaming but that was one of the best gigs I have ever been, after The Sonics concert in Gent! If you would like to see the upcoming tour dates, see their official Facebook page. Maybe, they are coming to your town as well!
I attach here some photos I made, so you can have a glance of that night a bit. Enjoy!
