Josh Kiszka

On the heels of Sommo Festival making its first of many 2025 announcements this week, the promoters announced that Hozier, an incomparable Irish singer-songwriter, would be heading the Sunday night of the festival. It was that news which had us reminiscing about the final set of the 2024 weekend. A set that featured internationally renowned Greta Van Fleet, one of the weekend’s biggest surprises for this attendee.

It was Friday night’s headliner Noah Kahan that was the major draw for members of our party. Greta Van Fleet was undeniably a massive get for the promoters, but the band followed a stacked line-up that piqued my interest far more. The misgivings I had stemmed from having a passing knowledge of the Nashville-based band, and the fact that they sounded like a Led Zeppelin tribute act early on in their career, more than one of the hottest rock acts on the planet. That’s not to say the Saturday night set dissuaded that completely. The twin brothers Josh Kiszka (Vocals) and Jake Kiszka (Guitar) bear the same dynamic as Plant and Page when they fronted the legendary Led Zeppelin.

Josh and Jake

Now, setting aside that comparison for a moment, you realize what a special talent Josh Kiszka is. His vocal range is massive, nearly eclipsing Plant at times, and takes on some definite shades of Rush’s Geddy Lee. The tremendous set that the band performed spanned the entirety of Greta Van Fleet’s career, with Starcatcher offering 4 songs, From the Fires adding 3, and The Battle at Garden’s Gate another 3. Normally a set comprised of 10 songs would leave an audience feeling shortchanged, as the set would not hit a full hour. The thing is, Greta Van Fleet’s catalogue is loaded with these sweeping tales that feel like a chapter out of a Tolkien-esque fantasy novel (an author that also inspired Led Zeppelin). It was these epic song lengths that let the band members each show off their immense talents, with Danny Wagner handling the percussive backbone, Sam Kiszka (younger brother to Josh and Jake) providing thick bass lines, while Jake worked the stage like a pro that has been there for 2 decades longer than his age belies.

It was an incredible set, that managed to take this detractor from a passive listener to an active fan. They won over the hearts of many in Cavendish that evening, and you can only think that the band provided the soundtrack for many folks heading back to their home destinations in the days following the show. With Sommo 2024 in the books, we look ahead to Hozier and the Saturday night headliner, who do you think it might be?

Greta Van Fleet