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The first ever North American tour for Thundermother, a rambunctious group of heavy rockers from Sweden, has not been an easy one.
The generator in the band’s tour bus is constantly on the fritz, and they lost valuable travel time when the vehicle’s other mechanical problems kept them off the road for the better part of a day. Not only that, but the four women are spending most of their nights facing audiences entirely unfamiliar with their music in their role as opening act for metal legends Scorpions at Moda Center on Sunday, Oct. 9.
If they are feeling any amount of pressure, the three members of Thundermother who joined me for a Zoom call last month aren’t showing it. In fact, singer Guernica Mancini, drummer Emlee Johansson, and bassist Mona Lindgren spend the bulk of our interview floating in a swimming pool at a hotel outside Houston.
“We’re really stressed right now!” Johansson says, sarcastically. “As soon as we get some kind of moment to relax, we take it.”
These moments of respite have been hard to come by since the release of Black & Gold, the group’s fifth full-length of rip-roaring melodic rock that pairs well with fingerless leather gloves, denim jackets, and mirrored shades. Thundermother has been on the road seemingly nonstop, tearing through the summer festival circuit in Europe before hopping a plane to the U.S. Though they’re seasoned performers, those dates on the other side of the Atlantic helped prime the women to win over a sea of Scorpions fans.
“I think we face every audience the same way,” says Mancini. “We always go in and try to have as much fun as possible ourselves, and that usually spreads to the audience. It doesn’t really make a difference what kind of audience or how many people. Every audience deserves the amount of energy and good vibes.”
The consistency in Thundermother’s recorded work and their live show is especially impressive considering the number of lineup changes the group has gone through. The band’s lone mainstay is guitarist Filippa Nässil. She started Thundermother nearly 15 years ago and is still responsible for writing the bulk of the group’s music and lyrics. With the exception of Lindgren, who joined up a little over a year ago, the rest of Thundermother has been playing together since 2017 and seems to be the strongest iteration of the band.
“This is the lineup that’s been making the biggest waves right now,” says Lindgren. “I’m excited that we all found each other so we could do this together.”
What seems to bond the members of Thundermother together more than anything is a shared understanding that, although they take their music very seriously, they don’t take much else seriously. The group’s music videos tend to be over-the-top affairs with plenty of pyrotechnics and Marshall stacks, but they’re also cut through with an infectious goofiness. It’s a finely tuned balance that they take great pride in.
“I think it’s really healthy to joke a lot and make these silly videos,” Johansson says. “It’s exactly how we like it. This is a tough industry because you get judged for how you look, especially as females. It’s a relief to not care about it that much and just be ourselves and have fun. If we can inspire other people to let go a little more, that is great.”
“Or,” she adds, with a laugh, “at least we’re just hoping that people enjoy watching the videos.”
SEE IT: Thundermother opens for Scorpions at Moda Center, 1 N Center Court St., 503-235-8771, rosequarter.com. 6:45 pm Sunday, Oct. 9. $45-$121.