Danko Jones at Skogsröjet
Is Canadian power trio Danko Jones the perfect rock festival act? Quite possibly so.
Danko Jones at the Skogsröjet festival in Rejmyre, Sweden on 2nd August 2024
Some great bands aren’t good festival acts. They find it hard to deliver as artists when they have to fit into a busy festival schedule, perhaps in broad daylight and quite possibly without a proper soundcheck. Danko Jones isn’t one of those acts. Fronted by Danko Jones himself, the explosive trio has loyal fans who know the songs and show up for the gigs. Equally important, Danko’s songs and high-energy performances will win over any audience, even those who have never heard the songs. That makes this trio a festival hit.
The last time I saw Danko Jones perform was at a club in a Sydney suburb in Australia. It was terrific. This time, it was on the main stage at an outdoor rock festival in rural Sweden. It worked equally well. Why? Because Danko Jones always delivers.
Fact: Danko Jones will always deliver, no matter what. Fact: The trio is a fabulous festival act. Fact: Danko Jones ruled at Skogsröjet.
They opened this festival set with a knockout in the form of “Guess Who’s Back?” and “Get High?”, both songs from the band’s latest album, 2023’s fabulous “Electric Sounds”. The show was filled with anthems (yes, they are anthems and not mere songs) such as “I’m in a Band”, “I Gotta Rock”, “Lipstick City”, “First Date”, “The Twisting Knife” and “Good Time”. Before they kicked off the song “Code of the Road”, Danko said: “It’s great to be back. I don’t really know what time it is, completely fucking jetlagged. But that only makes for a better fucking show ‘cause our bodies are desperate!”
Danko Jones won new fans and properly entertained a beer-fuelled festival audience at Skogsröjet. Frontman Danko Jones is, of course, at the centre of it all. It is his name on the backdrop after all. But this trio is more than the man Danko Jones. Bassist JC Calabrese has been there since the start in 1996, always with a smile and overflowing with energy. Drummer Rich Knox stepped onto the tour bus in 2013. After over a decade of gigging together, this trio is tighter than an airlock on the International Space Station.
Here’s the video of our backstage interview with Danko before the gig.
