22,23,24-10-2009 Lost in Music

Location: Tampere (Finland)
By: Sabine van Gameren

Lost in music is held every year next to the Music and Media event in Tampere (Finland) which brings people working in the international music business together. On Lost in Music bands get an opportunity to showcase themselves.
This year there were less people from abroad as it seems, but perhaps that has a lot to do with the financial crisis that is torturing the world recently.

Day 1:
This was the opening day of the Lost in Music festival. There were three places to go to today for seeing bands. Klubi, one of Tampere’s most gorgeous venues would give stage to three rock bands tonight so the choice of location fell on this club.

The very first act to see during this festival was Eläin. The band makes alternative rock in Finnish but it easy to find out who their heroes must be. There was a little Beach Boys reference, but as quickly as it came within their set it disappeared when the band switched to a more dark sort of music. It was like Ian Curtis’ spirit flew over the stage when the band release their energy. The first songs were static but quite soon the energy brought into the room and make the performance interesting to observe.

Itkevä Tyttö is the second band on stage and this band controls their instruments in such a way that it is pleasant to watch even without understanding the lyrics, which are in Finnish. The band seem to have found an art in preaching their society critical complains towards their audience in such a way that it does not sound like moaning or complaining anymore. The band is very blessed with their drummer who stands out together with the vocalist who has a gorgeous and relaxed voice to listen to.

Tyyno Raunio is the third band in Klubi. This Helsinki based formation make pop rock music which has a dramatic twist in tone. The band tries really hard but occasionally hits notes that just doesn’t sound too well. The happiness in their music does not really radiate to audience and it does not seem to warm the people in Klubi either. On the stage they are not too active compared to the music and this band was kind of disappointing as I expected more from them.

Day 2

Far more stages were up for tonight. Actually, the first act was already on 15.00 o’clock in the cozy bar called Paapan Kapakka. The Monster Scarf is the name and actually it is just a songwriter that was maybe a bit unfortunate with the time of his performance as the place was still quite empty. For those who attended The Monster Scarf came up with a soft, sultry voice with occasionally a few notes performed harder than the rest. Right in these moments The Monster Scarf is very convincing, while the softness around them takes a bit too long in some songs. With a little bit of fire/passion this act would certainly have the potential to be monsterious.

Janne Lairilla is up next in this cozy place where some more people choose to enjoy the music with a warm cup of chocolat or a beer. He recently released his debut solo album and seem to have some people following his work. Janne has an ok voice and the songs are nice to listen to, but what really is disgusting is the attitude he brought with him. He radiates that he is the king of the world and that might be a bit overrated considering the music performance. The set was played too much on one line, a bit of variation would have been welcome.

Koria Kitten Riot was the last act for this venue today and is a bit like a troubadour. He starts quietly, almost a bit shy. Vocals sound quite young, leaving you with the question how that will develop. The songs he played were not really the most original and some of the notes sounded a bit out of place. After the first half of the set I just kept watching the clock to wonder at what time I could leave and get some dinner which says enough about how Koria Kitten Riot was unable to keep my attention.

After this little break Ravintola Artturi was the place to be. Singer/songwriter Kim Curly was playing a set and even though Artturi’s “stage” is not too big, it still felt like it was huge. Too see on his MySpace, he usually has a band with him, but this performance was a solo one. Kim Curly has an international approach and would make a good chance over the border. His voice is warm and atmospheric and this in combination with his guitar as a backup and in some songs a harmonica he played a wonderful set that totally fits in the atmosphere of this place. His status is currently unsigned but I wouldn’t be surprised to see that change soon.

Suuri Voima also played in Artturi. The band plays folk rock music in Finnish and make those tunes sound danceable. Of course, this place was not really suitable for dancing, but I can imagine that people would feel up for that, hearing the music. The songs are quite up-tempo and happy, though the vocals were not the most precious part of the music. The band pretty much played a home-gig as they are from the city of Tampere self.

On the other side of town, it was time to open up Klubi. Rödsögården was honored by opening it. The band plays alternative rock which appeared to be quite sweet. Personally I had expected a bit more raw music, but it all seemed to be quite smooth. The audience that was present seemed to appreciate it but it was not too much of a riot going on. Ok, count that they were the first band playing, the evening was still young it might have been that they were just unlucky in time here.

Them Bird Things in the bigger side of Klubi, called Pakkahuone was disappointing from the very first minute I saw them. I heard a lot of rumors about this band and that caught my interest but all I saw was a couple of statues bringing typical Americana music. The vocals disturbed me a lot, as they were low, raw and did not fit the image. I felt a bit uncomfortable with the depressive act and when I saw about 75% of their set I felt like committing suicide. As I remembered that if I would do it for real, I did not have an opportunity to spread the word, I decided to leave to the next band.

Monday Box was playing in Doris, a restaurant/bar. What a difference with the act I saw before! The band is unsigned, but their happy pop music made the whole audience dance! As the place in front of the stage is even smaller than the stage itself it was quite hard to get a goof look on them, but when I found my spot the band was able to change my depressive mood towards the happy me again. Keyboards are driving this music to some higher level and although the band members did not have much space to move, they found a way to it anyway. Vocal wise they reminded me a little bit to The Editors in the lower parts but in the higher parts they stand more on their own. Unfortunately I could see only half of their set as I had to go on to the next band already. I hope to hear more of this band soon though. They would sound perfect on international radio.

I scheduled myself to see Ancara which played in a place called Sputnik. The rumors about this band brought me here, but yet again there was a prove to not listen to rumors anyway. What a disappointment. Hard rock was promised and what we got, but quality was lacking. If that had to do with the incredible bad sound that was on here only is not sure. The band seemed to try to have an active stage performance but maybe felt a bit caged by the fench in front of them. I found the riffs often fighting with each other and the two guitarists could not really beat up to each other. Also depressing to see was that pretty much everyone stayed seated in the back. Not even one person found it worth to stand up. Was the band just having an offday perhaps?

Pitbull Terrorist had more people interested in them. The grind core act seeks quite some international promotion and are the talk of the day in metal word. The band was backed up with red lights that must bring over the aggression that is in their music. Vocalist Ursula (yes, female) did a great job with the vocals. Performance wise there was not too much going on. This is a bit of a bad point as you consider the fact that it was dark, the bandmembers had their faces covered and therefore it was hard to feel the aggression and emotion in your body by just the music. You do want to believe that the band feels it and lives it and that was what was lacking today. Nevertheless, Pitbull Terrorist is made to be big.

What turned out to be my last venue change for the night, was when I left sputnik to walk to Ilves bar, which is located in the Ilves Hotel. Imagine a fancy hotelbar, disco songs and colorful dancefloor where on a stage a rockband will perform. Felt a bit in the wrong place for seeing an act as Deep Insight. The band is not unfamiliar to Tempelores as they often got their entrance to our website before and so they were not unknown in Ilves. Quite a couple of fans had gathered in front of the stage for seeing the band which played a bit later than planned. The band is nominated for a MTV award at this moment and in their show it is visible that they deserve this nomination well. Energy is floating from all members and vocalist Jukka takes his chances in climbing up the monitors to look over the crowd. The band played a very nice set and the fans enjoyed it a lot. Also the people who stayed a bit further from the stage seem to appreciate this show very well. A nice end for this festival day!

Day 3:

On the last day of Lost in Music there is plenty good music scheduled. After the nice set of yesterday I decided to see Kim Curly again, who started this day in Paapan Kapakka.
This time he also played a couple of songs with a piano. Unfortunately it was not too crowded yet, but still there were people that came to see him playing. Perhaps they had seen him the night before as well, or maybe they just walked in but yet again Kim Curly played a set that got people interested.

Lotta was suppose to play next, but apparently she got lost in Tampere instead of music as she did not show up, which left us with one hour waiting for Sansa to enter the stage. This waiting seems all worth it when an overwhelming performance starts. What a voice! Forget about these goats like Maria Mena, Sansa is in the house! Female vocals how you all love it. Her set was powerful and breathtaking. She had backup from her band which made the performance only stronger. That is what I call a nice surprise as this performance on Lost in Music got announced quite late compared to other acts. Goosebumps all over and knowing for sure: Sansa stays!

Just as yesterday Ravintola Artturi was having bands. The Grammars were playing first and they were a surprise as well. They make classic rock and today they were playing acoustic. It was catchy and yet a bit raw. The best thing was that the band clearly had a lot of fun playing here. Actually, many people who saw my photo pass walked up to me to find out the name of the band, so that shows that they made an impression to a lot of people. I would love to see this band again sometime and wonder how they play when they play normally.

Up next was Daisy. The band makes ordinary pop rock music. And when I say ordinary, take that quite literally. Not much different from a whole load of other bands, nothing they stand out with. Quite a contrast with the band before them. This does not really make them a worse band, just not special. Pleasant to hear, oh yes, but I would not go to their concert when they are headlining. Also they did not show to be very energetic, which kind of brought the impression that they don’t care.

I walked my way to Pakkahuone where the only Swedish act from the whole festival would play: Sparzanza. Unfortunately, this band was a major disappointment. The vocals were really bad, the band had an ego that is larger than sky and a pitiful sense of humor in between the songs did not really do the trick. Let’s not start about the guitars, because we are not up for making people cry. Pakkahuone was not that filled so a major reputation damaging disgrace stayed out, but it did not seem to impress a lot of people as after a couple of songs the people started moving back to the Klubi side already.

Blake was getting ready in between and their performance might be called legendary. The band makes metal, a slight bit of doom can be sensed in their music and a little more in the performance. The band had luck by a matching lightshow that made them look mysterious in the moments of music that the riffs are challenging you to give your ears some earcandy by focusing on those specifically. The dark vocals are having something sensual, daring and hot. Metal that impressed many, Klubi was filled from front to the back. Those who were there, know they have seen a killer band in a small club before it is too late to see them in clubs like this.

A band that would certainly be qualified to be on the road with Blake is Poisonblack who played right after them in Pakkahuone. Poisonblack is known for their sexy, sensual hot metal tunes that attract not only the girls but men as well. The band is recording their new album which will be released in 2010 and so it has been quiet around them for a while. This band was one of the reasons that fans have been haunting in from of the doors earlier this day to gain a front row spot. A whole lot of Poisonblack merchandise could be seen there and so the party was on from the first moment they entered the stage. Poisonblack played quite loud and hard. Harder than I was used from them. Especially the songs that came from the first album (when they still had Juha-Pekka Leppäluoto of Charon as vocalist) were performed harder than I heard before. This mostly on the vocalside and then I compare it with how nowadays vocalist Ville Laihiala had done them before. Overall is important, the set sounded nice and daring as usual, with even more metal than before. That sets big expectations for the upcoming album.

Last band I saw live completely was Matthau Mikojan. Although my Tempelores colleagues have seen Matthau live quite some times already, it was for me personally the first time after he left Bloodpit that I got to see them, so I made absolutely nothing hold me back from going there this time. For those who don’t know about Matthau, he is a songwriter and before he started with his solo career he was the vocalist of the band Bloodpit. One of the first songs Matthau performed was “Gypsy Eye” which is his latest single. Matthau has a whole lot of rock and roll in his heart and his raw vocals are perfectly decorated by his backing band. I enjoyed seeing the set, because you can see Matthau really lives the music instead of just performing it. This makes it real and makes me believe each word. His loyal fans were enjoying themselves in the front row. When I visited Artturi earlier this evening which is on the other side of the road they were already waiting for the doors to open. Matthau himself seemed to be in hisself today. I hardly saw a smile and his mind seem to be focused on what he was doing, not giving much attention to what happens around the stage. Nevertheless, this performance really pleased me. “Gypsy Eye” is now part of my single collection, which I decided to buy based on this performance.

After Matthau, there was a short burlesque show and then Peer Günt entered the stage. I decided not to give them any attention as I never liked any of their performances before and nothing happened that got my attention, so after this the festival was over and was there only space left for an afterparty that lasted long. One hour longer than thought as the wintertime arrived. Lost in Music brought us some new names to watch and makes us a little less lost in music.

For all of you a short summarize of the biggest surprises of Lost in Music:
Kim Curly, Monday Box, Sansa, The Grammars, Blake, Poisonblack, Matthau Mikojan