German punk/rock band Donots rocked Tempe Beach Park in the ninth annual Green 17 tour in honor of St. Patrick’s Day on March 17.
Donots played along with Flogging Molly, Pepper, Anti-Flag, The Wiley One and Jared and the Mill, among many others on the sunny afternoon.
Among a sea of green bodies, Donots managed to make crowds go wild as its hypnotic tunes reverberated in the ears of listeners. Despite the overbearing heat, Donots did not fail to deliver a solid and engaging show. Thousands of fans dressed down in green danced around, threw beach balls and sang as the band chanted its most famous tunes, mostly from its newest album, “Wake the Dogs.”
“Lyrically, anything: hurtful feelings … love, politics and vegetarianism; it can be very inspiring," said lead singer Ingo Knollmann on Donots's lyrics. "It’s got to be authentic at the end of the day.”
The German band has previously performed with notable groups such as blink-182, Jimmy Eat World, Bad Religion and Green Day. This tour stop in Tempe was pretty special, as Donots hardly ever tour in the U.S. Although, according to Knollmann, Donots will be touring in America for about a month before returning to Europe in order to take part in the plethora of European music festivals.
According to Knollman, he is the one with the most musical background as he took piano lessons for 20 years.
After ending its tour in the U.S. and Germany, the band will take on the task of working on a brand new album in commemoration of its 20-year anniversary, taking place next year.
The genre is a bit different, but nonetheless innovative and fun on the ears if you are a fan of bands like Green Day and blink-182. Those who had the pleasure of watching Donots perform should take the sight they witnessed to heart, as a Donots performance in the U.S. is a rarity.
Reach the reporter at rlopez20@asu.edu or follow on Twitter @RosieLopez14.
