Live | Steve ‘N’ Seagulls – Rockfabrik – Übach-Palenberg [Ger]

5 December 2025

Just under 11 years ago, there was a minor hype on social media about a band that covered AC/DC’s ,,Thunderstruck” in a hillbilly/polka/bluegrass/country style. That band was Steve ‘n’ Seagulls from Finland.

Now, quite a few years later, the clip of that song has been viewed no less than 1.13 million times. The band has released no less than five albums to date, the most recent of which is ‘The Dark Side Of The Moo’. Albums on which they covered countless hits such as ,,The Number Of The Beast”, ,,Carry On Wayward Son”, ,,Panama” and ,,Sad But True”, to name but a few, in their own unique way.
However, the guys have also recorded some of their own work in that same recognizable style.

CONTRAST

On Friday, December 5, the band performed at the Rockfabrik Ubach Palenberg as part of their ‘Dark Side Of The Moo’ tour. I went to their show with a somewhat blank slate, because apart from the ,,Thunderstruck’’ cover, I had never heard anything by these guys. That was in contrast to the people in the packed Rockfabrik, because there were definitely some die-hard fans in the crowd. And all of them were dressed in their metal outfits.

At 8 p.m. sharp, the lights went out and the set opened with ,,The Number Of The Beast”, followed by ,,Paradise City”, amongst others. The audience clearly appreciated these versions. And it was fun to see the Metal Carnival break out in the Rockfabrik.

BANJO, ACCORDION AND MANDOLIN

Banjo, accordion and mandolin are not normally the most common instruments in the average metal band. And it should be clear that Steve ‘n’ Seagulls is not a metal band, but they do have a love for this music, judging by their setlist.

Singer Remmel, who also plays the mandolin and acoustic guitar, is a fine vocalist, and the whole band clearly enjoys playing together. Musically, they really know what they are doing and have mastered their instruments superbly.
I found their strongest musical asset to be their vocal harmonies. That’s what earned them the most respect from me, at least.

However, I wasn’t particularly impressed by the next song, ,,Freestyler” originally by the Bombfunk MCs. Their live performance of ,,Carry On Wayward Son” on the other hand was very good, though, especially thanks to the aforementioned harmonies.

HILLBILLY STYLE

The song ,,Danger Zone” known from the 80’s movie Top Gun, also received a lot of applause and was a surprising song for me. But where they really missed the mark me was with their version of Scorpions’ classic ,,Still Loving You”. Damn, what a letdown, which I want to forget as quickly as possible. No, guys, not every song is suitable for this hillbilly style. However, the audience seemed to enjoy it, so who am I to judge!

As far as I’m concerned, I could have been satisfied with a support slot and 10 songs, but today Steve ‘n’ Seagulls are the main attraction and they play for no less than an hour and a half. And for me personally, that was 45 minutes too long, and even okay versions of ,,The Trooper” or ‘their’ hit ,,Thunderstruck” couldn’t change that.

STEVE ‘N’ SEAGULLS – THE CONCLUSION

It was fun and entertaining to see once, but clearly not my cup of tea. And I do not see myself going for another round of this band.
The audience however that filled the Rockfabrik to capacity thoroughly enjoyed Steve ‘n’ Seagulls, and that’s what it’s all about in the end.

SETLIST

The Number Of The Beast [Iron Maiden cover]
People Just Need To Love You
Paradise City [Guns ‘n Roses cover]
Freestyler [Bombfunk MC’s cover]
Carry On Wayward Son [Kansas cover]
Danger Zone [Kenny Loggins cover]
Seagulls And Moonshine
Still Loving You [Scorpions cover]
More Than A Feeling [Boston cover]
Sweet Maria
Over The Hills And Far Away [Gary Moore cover]
Self Esteem [The Offspring cover]
Too Much Love Will Kill You [Brian May cover]
Silvera [Gojira cover]
You Shook Me All Night Long [AC/DC cover]
The Signals From The Past
(Don’t Fear) The Reaper [Blue Oyster Cult cover]
The Trooper [Iron Maiden cover]

ENCORE

Thunderstruck [AC/DC cover]
Born To Be Wild [Mars Bonfire/Steppenwolf cover]

All photos by Raymond Helebrand