Twin Jesters at SOMA San Diego
San Diego, California - March 27, 2026
From an outsider's perspective, it could seem like a cult. Perhaps a gothic convention or renaissance fair of a sort upon the sight of people lined up around the building of SOMA the night The Garden came to San Diego. Fish-net tights, pleated mini skirts, a palette of blacks and reds mixed within jester hats, leather jackets and graphic tees was the consensus of costume. The warehouse space SOMA offers complimented the performers for the night, a crowd of clown makeup’d faces and a kaleidoscope of lights at the end of the black room. The opener, Ghost Mountain, brought the dark yet frenetic energy the audience was craving. A type of gothic rap, Ghost Mountain was a pleasant surprise with the crowd’s jumping and cheering as evidence.
Photo: @jaxonleft
The Garden, signaturing themselves with the jester motif, is anchored in performance and entertainment to gain approval, pass time, and jest for those in order to stay alive — something the Shears brothers are born for.
During about a fifteen minute lull after Ghost Mountain, the black stage, dimmed lights, and mellow chatter hovered amongst the crowd while dramatic classical tracks sounded throughout the room. It was a perfectly unsettling feeling, as if something eery was awaiting after every classical song until yells and cheers filled the atmosphere as The Garden stepped onto stage. Though the blank and hollow room, the second The Garden’s presence was made known, every inch held movement up to the roof. Opening their set with, “Horseshit on Route 66”, from their newest album HORSESHIT ON ROUTE 66, released in September 2022. There was more entertainment than the two on stage as every person was jumping, hands flailing and head banging instantly. Wyatt Shears on Bass and Vocals and Fletcher Shears on drums continued their set with one of their newer singles from 2024, “Filthy Rabbit Hole”. The boys dominated the venue with their harmonious yet thrilling dynamic as Fletcher destroyed on the drums with both technique and experimental sounds. Wyatt had this core, hard-punk and infectious style of singing that almost reminded me of Julian Casablancas from the Strokes in 90s New York City.
Photo: @__thegarden__
Between each song, Fletcher transitioned with a drum solo that created tension and captivating, tangible energy. It felt as if they didn’t stop the entire hour long set, and if they did, they used silence as a statement. This happened at the fourth song, when they played an unreleased track of pure curated chaos. The lights strobed in a rainbow of colors as the brothers put their instruments down and fully raged around the stage. As Wyatt nearly yelled into the microphone while a track of jester laughs echoed in the background amongst driving drums and intruding synth, and Fletcher did handstands and flips around the stage. The entire crowd was party rocking, and for a moment, it felt like a trap concert for punk kids. They then resumed back to white lights and their instruments playing, “The Nightmare” and “Ballet” from their EP Six Desperate Ballads from 2024, as well as “Haunted House on Zillow” and “Freight Yard” from their 2022 album. This sequence instilled their performance as nonstop stimulation and rage. It allowed the crowd to completely let loose, wreak havoc, and ultimately: mosh. By the eleventh song, Wyatt asked for a “smoke factory…if y’all got something to smoke, smoke it” and continued with a 2017 single, “Clay”.
Climbing up to the side stage to gain a better view, two large, spiraling mosh pits overtook the crowd. Like pinball balls, people pinged back and forth from shoves and collided around as The Garden kept the energy high. A few individuals body surfed across the room and the community among the crowd was strong, amping each other up and all on the same wavelength.
The Garden flawlessly performed a thrilling set with not only their chaotic and reckless stage presence, but their talent and skilled musicality. Wyatt has perfected his talking-singing, cartoonish and theatrical vocals within his catchy, dominating melodies. Fletcher floored with his skills on drums, bringing personality and sneering punk inflections to the confident beats he keeps for each song. Together, these twins are a heavenly duo that are exactly who they think they are.
