Bombargo - Disco Surf Rodeo Eurotour: Touring, Audience Culture and the Social Life of Live Music
- Editorial Staff
- 2 days ago
- 8 min read
Interview Feature
Following their Berlin performance at FluxBau, previously documented in our live review, we spoke with Bombargo after the conclusion of their Disco Surf Rodeo Eurotour about touring realities, audience cultures and the enduring role of live music in a platform-driven era. What emerged from the conversation was not a recap of shows, but a reflection on how live performance functions as a social practice: a space where communities form, identities are negotiated and cultural exchange takes place night after night. For this conversation we spoke with Nathan Thoen (NT), Anthony Thoen (AT) and Spencer Chilliak (SC) about their European tour and the experiences that shaped it. Here's our Bombargo Disco Surf Rodeo Eurotour Interview Feature:
Touring as Narrative, Not Just Movement
The European leg of the tour traced a route through a dense network of independent venues and local scenes. Rather than a sequence of isolated appearances, touring became a narrative shaped by encounters, environments and shared experiences. Reflecting on the moments that captured the spirit of the tour, Anthony Thoen recalls an unexpected start in Hamburg:
AT: When we came to Europe we had no idea what to expect! I think maybe two of the shows had sold out before we landed. On our very first show (in Hamburg) we sold out the smaller room and we were moved up to the venue’s larger room as it happened to be vacant that night. It was well over twice the size and we had no idea how many tickets we had sold. We were in the greenroom before the show and the promoter pops in the door and says, “we only have 10 tickets left!”... We were like “WHAT!?” haha! We were all so pumped! … About 10 minutes later he burst into the room again, “THE SHOW IS OFFICIALLY SOLD OUT!!!”. It was such an incredible moment and we were celebrating with the band and staff instantly – high fives, people hugging each other… it was just incredible vibes and it was electric in Nochtwache that night! I remember the crowd cheering so loud as we walked onto stage! That first night really set the tone of the rest of the tour as basically every other show ended up selling out! WE LOVE EUROPE!
“That first night really defined the spirit of the tour, because almost every other show ended up selling out as well. We love Europe.”
Music in Local Contexts
Performing across Europe confronted the band with distinct live music cultures shaped by venue traditions, audience expectations and social norms. For Anthony Thoen, one of the most striking discoveries was the enthusiasm surrounding live performance:
AT: I think the main take away was seeing how excited people were to see a new live band who came from Canada to play some shows. It felt like everyone went out of their way to find a new thing to experience or buy an advance ticket to see a band they just heard of. The live music scene felt very much alive and very supportive everywhere we stopped. Not only from the people who came out to the shows, but the lengths that many small independent venues went to in order to support the artist. Providing free accommodation and preparing a home-cooked meal for touring bands… that’s not the norm in North America, but it happened a lot here. It makes a huge impact on a band's ability to make ends meet, or even tour at all. It directly supports the music and therefore, the local culture, as it allows people to see emerging bands that may otherwise not be able to tour at all. It’s like, one hand washes the other, you know? The venues, the fans, the culture… it’s awesome!
Each performance thus becomes a site of translation, where a band’s sonic identity is refracted through local cultural frameworks.
Audience Cultures and Participation
Bombargo’s performances are widely recognized for their celebratory energy. Rather than positioning audiences as passive listeners, the band actively invites participation and shared experience. For Nathan Thoen, this dynamic begins with vulnerability on stage:
NT: I feel like all of us are walking through life with our guard up most of the time, myself included. My favourite moments are when everyone opens up and we get back to those childlike moments of carefree joy. As our world becomes more digital I feel like gathering together in person is becoming more scarce, and thus feels more sacred than ever. We work to create moments throughout the show where we can all celebrate together, through movement, breath, dancing, singing (even if we don’t know the words!) and collectively tapping back into the gratitude that we all so often forget. If I can authentically crack open my own shell into my weird, joyful, carefree spirit then I think it gives the audience permission to do the same!
The band intentionally designs moments during the show that encourage collective participation.
The Invisible Infrastructure of Touring
Behind the visible energy of live performance lies a complex infrastructure of logistics, coordination and collaboration. Touring exposes the systems that sustain independent music - from transport routes to venue networks and technical crews. During the European tour, Anthony Thoen experienced these realities firsthand:
AT: We definitely overcame some logistical challenges on this tour haha… We flew into London. We rented a van and backline gear and headed to the EU. When we got out of the tunnel we realized that everyone drove on the other side of the road! So we drove a right hand drive, manual transmission (which was supposed to be automatic) van on the other side of the road all through Germany, Denmark, Austria, Switzerland, Italy, Netherlands… and everywhere in between! Only three of us could drive standard! It was a jerky ride, haha! One of our merch boxes from Canada never showed up. We found a company that printed us shirts in Germany super last minute – Timeless Prints – and they came just in time! There’s so much that went down behind the scenes, I could go on… but yeah, I’ll speak for the whole band when I say I am grateful for the saunas along the way! That’s some unseen infrastructure that really kept the music (and us) alive!
Resilience and Presence on the Road
Maintaining emotional presence and physical stamina across consecutive shows requires practices that support both individual well-being and collective care. For Nathan Thoen, these routines play an essential role in sustaining performance energy:
NT: I’m a big fan of breathwork, movement, sauna, and cold plunges. I try to give as much energy as I possibly can at every single show and in order to do that consistently I gotta make sure my cup is full. Hydration is a big one for me (and my vocal chords), my friend Devon Levesque has an epic company Promix that makes the best products on earth, with no crap, so I take a ton of that on tour including electrolytes, creatine, and vitamins. Good sleep is the best one, but unfortunately not always plentiful on tour, so I find myself leaning on other practices a bit more during tour! I also love my friend Mike Holland’s MIND BODY ENERGY MOVEMENTS, great for the lymph and always a great way to start the day.
Touring, in this sense, becomes a relational endeavor shaped by shared routines and mutual support.
Family, Friendship and Collective Identity
Bombargo’s formation grew out of long-standing friendships and family connections. That relational foundation continues to shape the band’s internal dynamics. For Spencer Chilliak, the shared experience of touring Europe strengthened these bonds:
SC: Well I think that going on a new adventure together will always bring people closer together. Going to Europe was a big ‘unknown’ for us, we really didn't know how it would go. The fact is, touring is not always smooth sailing (I rented a standard van with the steering wheel on the wrong side of the car) but everyone just steps up where they are needed.This will be something that we can share for a lifetime. We can say “Remember that time we sold out our first tour across Europe?” and that's pretty damn cool.
Songs as Living Forms
Touring allows songs to evolve through audience interaction and reinterpretation.
During the tour, Bombargo’s recently released single "Travelling Man" became a flexible performance element.
Nathan Thoen explains:
NT: In every new country I tried to learn some of their language and local sayings! We just released our new song Travelling Man which worked perfectly to add in the country and city we were in! One of the funnier moments was when we were in Amsterdam I asked my friend Bas Smit for a local saying and he told me “Neuken in de keuken” which turned out to be a pretty funny thing to sing on stage hahaha!
These playful adaptations illustrate how songs transform into living forms through live interaction.
Between Structure and Spontaneity
Bombargo’s shows balance choreography with improvisation, maintaining tension between planned structure and real-time response. For Spencer Chilliak, both elements are essential:
SC: Both are so important. First the choreography, it’s something that is the same in every show… you know when it's coming, you know the crowd will love it, it's really a grounding force. On the contrary, the spontaneity keeps our show new and exciting for us. Playing the same thing every night can be quite monotonous, so this keeps us fresh as a daisy.
This balance sustains engagement while preserving the possibility of surprise.
Live Music in the Streaming Era
In an era dominated by digital music consumption, live performance continues to offer a unique form of connection. As Spencer Chilliak explains:
SC: The truth is you can listen to an artist anytime, but true fans will always want to experience them live. People are drifting away from connectivity more and more each day with technology, but people will always crave being part of something special with people. Speaking as a fan of so many artists, nothing beats getting to the front row and just being present watching someone share their art. That's life to me!
After the Final Show
The end of a tour marks both closure and transition. For Nathan Thoen, the lasting feeling after the tour was gratitude:
NT: Honestly just pure gratitude... to sell out our first ever European tour and go to Italy to perform for Team Canada at the Olympics – it was a truly magical trip, one we will never forget. You only tour Europe for your first time once, and we already can’t wait to go back. We’re home for a while now, in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan Canada. We’re in the studio and we’re pouring all the good energy we gained across Europe into our next record. We can’t wait for you to hear it!
Live Music as a Practice of Belonging
The Disco Surf Rodeo Eurotour illustrates how live music functions as more than performance - it becomes a temporary commons where strangers negotiate presence through rhythm, movement and shared attention. Across cities and venues, Bombargo’s shows demonstrate that even within a fragmented digital music landscape, the impulse to gather, listen and participate remains a defining force of contemporary independent music culture.
To see how Bombargo’s live energy translated on stage in Berlin, read our live review of their FluxBau performance, and explore more artist stories and concert coverage in our Artist Features.