Sombr at Way Out West: A Dazzling Step Toward Alternative Pop Stardom

Sombr, the stage name of American singer and songwriter Shane Boose, has quickly gone from a promising newcomer to one of the major new profiles in alternative pop. With songs like “Back to Friends” and “Undressed”, the New York artist has achieved a substantial international breakthrough – and at Way Out West, he quickly shows that his ambitions go far beyond just delivering the songs.

In fact, Sombr hasn't even set foot on stage when the show is already underway.

The band comes out first and starts playing on a stage designed to look like a road construction site, complete with traffic lights, road signs, and several levels. But Sombr himself? He’s still somewhere backstage.

Suddenly, we follow a backstage worker on the large screens beside the stage. The camera turns – and there’s Sombr, riding in on a forklift, a cocktail with an umbrella in hand.

Yes, a forklift.

When he finally gets off, he sets the drink aside and does a few push-ups before heading toward the stage. Everything is filmed and shown on the big screens, making the whole journey from backstage part of the performance.

It’s excessive, confident, and a bit absurd. But above all, it works.

When the 21-year-old New York artist finally steps out in front of the Way Out West crowd, he continues in the same vein. Sombr is theatrical, bold, and confidently plays the full rock star repertoire, even as the songs themselves often deal with much more fragile themes of love, relationships, and romantic insecurity.

Early in the set, he climbs up to the stage’s second level, where the guitarist is playing. Sombr drops to his knees in front of him, stands up, and then simply squeezes between the guitarist and the guitar to give him a hug. A slightly comedic moment that at the same time shows the warmth and interaction within the band.

It’s not long before Sombr wants to involve the whole sea of audience members.

Everyone should jump.

Not just those at the front, but all the way to the very back.

And boy, do they jump.

I myself am standing about ten meters from the crowd and can feel the ground start to shake under my feet. It feels like a minor earthquake rolling through Slottsskogen when thousands of people jump at once. A pretty powerful testament to how quickly Sombr has managed to win over the crowd.

Musically, it’s easy to see why he’s grown so fast. Sombr writes big, direct pop choruses dressed in an alternative and occasionally rockier outfit. “Homewrecker”, “Back to Friends”, and “12 to 12” demonstrate just how well that combination works in front of a large festival audience.

And of course, there’s “Undressed”, one of his biggest songs and a chorus that feels tailor-made for sing-alongs in Slottsskogen.

There’s also a Swedish connection amid it all. The guitarist stands on stage in a shirt that says “I Love Zara Larsson”, and Sombr also takes the opportunity to salute the Swedish pop star from the stage. A small detail that hardly goes unnoticed at a Swedish festival.

The festival format suits Sombr. Here, grand gestures, humor, and spontaneity can really take center stage. The set design amplifies the expression and gives him plenty of room to move between levels and make the concert about much more than just standing at the microphone and delivering songs.

Sombr may be a relatively new star, but at Way Out West he performs with a confidence that tells a very different story.

And when the ground in Slottsskogen actually starts to shake beneath your feet, it’s hard to imagine a better sign of that.