Viagra Boys bring chaos and control to Gröna Lund

It felt like the perfect setting for a chaotic summer night at Gröna Lund. The sun was still hanging over Stockholm, the venue was packed with more than 10,000 people, and the atmosphere was already through the roof before Viagra Boys had even stepped on stage.

Then it took about three seconds before Sebastian Murphy ripped his shirt off.

Early in the set, he also proudly announced that he had ridden Monster earlier that day, which somehow felt incredibly fitting. That mix of complete self-awareness and total chaos is exactly what makes Viagra Boys, well, Viagra Boys.

From there, it was basically full speed ahead. The band delivered a performance that felt equal parts unhinged punk show and finely tuned machine. Songs like Slow Learner, Waterboy, and Punk Rock Loser instantly sent the crowd into overdrive, and the energy never really dropped for the rest of the night.

The best thing about seeing Viagra Boys live is that it always feels like absolutely anything could happen. The synth player went crowdsurfing over the audience, people in the crowd surfed back across raised hands near the stage, and Murphy suddenly decided it was a good moment to start doing push-ups mid-show. Completely ridiculous — but also perfectly in line with the band’s energy.

At the same time, there’s something impressively tight underneath all the madness. The bass and drums kept driving the songs forward while the saxophone cut perfectly through the mix. It may look like total chaos on stage, but the band is in complete control the entire time.

The setlist was strong from start to finish. Ain’t No Thief, Troglodyte, and Down in the Basement had the crowd boiling, while Sports became the obvious climax of the night with all of Gröna Lund bouncing along.

The audience loved every second of it. And the band looked like they loved every second right back.

This was one of those concerts where everything just clicked — the weather, the crowd, and the band. Viagra Boys at Gröna Lund was sweaty, loud, weird, and absolutely fantastic.