The Gems at Skogsröjet
The Gems were on fire on a hot Swedish summer afternoon.
The Gems at the Skogsröjet festival in Rejmyre, Sweden on 2nd August 2024
The sun was out when The Gems entered the stage at the Skogsröjet festival. A relaxed and happy beer-drinking festival audience was up for having a good time. The Gems is a great new band from Sweden that consists of Guernica Mancini (lead vocals), Mona Lindgren (guitar), and Emlee Johansson (drums). Following the girls’ abrupt departure from their previous band, they immediately regrouped and got on with what they do best – play rock’n’roll. While the band’s debut album, aptly named “Phoenix”, only came out in January 2024, the band has hit the ground running. The band immediately won fans through the great debut album and its terrific live shows (complete with matching outfits).
The Gems plays a bluesy kind of hard rock with plenty of energy. This is a blood-sweat-and-tears kind of band. Mona and Emlee are rock-solid musicians. Mona has a background in blues. That shines through in her guitar solos and overall musicianship. Guernica is one of the best voices in Swedish rock in recent years. The Swedish power trio has opted not to have a permanent bassist in the line-up. For the gig at Skogsröjet, former Crucified Barbara member Mia Karlsson filled in on bass.
The band’s festival set was built on the fab songs from the debut album plus a couple of nods to the trio’s past in Thundermother (“Driving in Style” and “Watch Out”). Some of the standout tracks in the show were “Like a Phoenix”, “Domino”, “Undiscovered Paths”, “Running”, “Fruits of My Labor”, “P.S.Y.C.H.O.” and “Queens”. We also got a fun cover version of AC/DC’s “Highway to Hell” (with Mia sharing lead vocals with Guernica).
I wonder where this excellent band’s live shows will be once they have a few more studio albums of material. This is just the beginning and what a great beginning it is. The phoenix has indeed risen.
https://www.facebook.com/thegemsbandswe
