Going to Wroclaw to see Stoned Jesus, Sunnata & Dopelord

A while ago I told you I was eager to take a 4 hour bus drive to Poland to see one of my favorite contemporary bands - Stoned Jesus. Which I did, with the accompany of a good friend who was as motivated as I me.

We were also excited to see the other 2 bands in the event - Dopelord, which I knew of before and Sunnata (who I wasn't aware of, and glad I do now). It looked like a killer lineup.

As often happens with very awaited events carefully planned ahead - I began to get sick the night before, and the day of the trip didn't get better. My throat was hurting all the time and I was weak. My friend had a cold as well. Yet nothing stopped us from getting on that bus, riding through the white fog and the snow.

You know you're crossed the border to Poland when the road gets bumpy

 We had a few hours to walk around the city before the gig. We have both been to Wroclaw before to Return To The Batcave Festival. I realized I missed the city so much! I love the old town, the squares with the churches, the little passages between them... You don't have that kind of historical architecture in Berlin.

In one word, the gigs were dope! I was happy to see all 3 bands, starting with Dopelord, which I think are a better representative of the contemporary stoner/doom genre. Now, I am not the biggest stoner rock fan, and most stoner bands are not my thing, yet I really loved that Dopelord had 2 vocalists, creating harmonies on top of heavy, tuned down riffs. I loved the single components of their songs, and they painted their live performance with deep dark colors, yet always leaving some room for beautiful light singing. I though that was a very cool combination for this type of music you don't hear often.

I also think there is more of psychedelic elements in their new album. Loved the songs Skulls & Candles and Reptile Sun especially:

Next up were Sunnata, and after someone posted a song of theirs on the event, I was really excited to see them, since it promised a more proggy experience. Oh boy, did I need one.

Indeed, it seems like it was a blend of nu metal, doom, stoner, prog and whatever else. I don't think I have ever heard such long songs live before, and realized how I craved some. I loved every single thing they played, I think each song was very well constructed and proved for a heavy experience with not a single boring moment. There were aggresive & loud parts for some good headbanging, but also quiet eerie moments where you didn't know what will happen next. The world needs more bands like this! I have to see them again!

Beasts of Pery and New Horizon were my eprsonal favoite:

Speaking of headbanging, by the time Sunnata were on stage I finally got my way through the long waiting line to the bar. My throat was hurting badly and I had to get some tea! Beer was out of the question. And that's how I managed to headbang with a cup of tea! And I have the picture to prove it:

with lemon and everything!

Excitement was even higher when Stoned Jesus were finally on stage. I couldn't wait to hear all the songs from Seven Thunders Roar. It's so cool when bands play and entire album you really love, it happens so rarely!

One of the best parts of their gig was how the frontman communicated with the audience. He got us laughing and generally made for a very homey atmosphere. I felt happy seeing them on stage and hearing the songs by them that I love. Every moment was simply awesome (the bassist is so cute! There, I said it...). They all looked so happy all the time!

Funny enough, in comparison to the other 2 bands, Stoned Jesus were not as heavy. You could hear a lot more 70s influences in their music than anything else. The sound was pretty minimalistic, which makes sense considering influences like Black Sabbath. A nice change from all the drop tunnings that were going on before ;) 

They even played the beginning of Starless as memory to John Wetton of King Crimson, who recently died. I was so happy to even hear the first moment of that song live. Chills!

Despite being sick, we had lots of fun. It's nice to go to a gig and mingle with the people of a different city/country. You kind of feel belonged, in a way. People were super nice, and I even got compliments from a lovely girl on the way I looked. Makes me want to visit gigs in Poland more often. 

Can't wait for the next musical field trip!

Now to lie in bed and get better.

Maria