26-09-2010 For Selena And Sin

Supports: Vanity Ink, Kowai, Manzana; Venue: Baroeg, Rotterdam (Netherlands)
By: Sabine van Gameren

Sunday shows start early in Baroeg, Rotterdam. Five bands on stage and still be able to get home in time to catch some sleep before the working week strikes again.

Helsinki’s Vanity Ink was the first one for today. Tempelores’ have seen Vanity Ink for the first time in 2007 (small review of that night). These Finns certainly shook everyone awake with their active performance. In the setting of today, a female fronted tour, they were the ones who got the most punk in them. Think of Beki Bondage, Vice Squad and you feel what they are about. It is obvious that this band knows each other very well, as they guitarists make a very interesting show as if they were twins, where one finishes there is the other to fill it up. Apparently too early to get a real party of madness going on, but certainly a show to be remembered.

The Dutch band Kowai plays next. The band seems to be the youngest of the evening, the others playing together for longer time and that might be the trap of the evening. Not too much is actually going on at the stage which makes the performance easy to follow while seated. Musically, it sticks together which makes it difficult to bear that the stage performance is quite boring. Yet, other oddities were eternally unthinking during the show which brings the impression it is all just a matter of time. See what the future will bring for Kowai.

Representing Tampere, the rockers of the band Manzana were on this tour. The band strongly believes in what they write and seem to love making statements with their lyrics. Most known example of that, must be the song “Panda Girl” which they played as well. The band is all about having rocking songs, that might cross borders with metal but above all have that typical accessibility for a teenage rebel wanting to live some statements of their heroes, which is exactly what Manzana is giving them. The band have performed songs of all three albums they made, the last one “Industrial Hippies” will be released on November third. An interesting show, not the best show we ever attended of this band probably due the fact they had to take some stand in musicians with them, but still a good one.

For Selena And Sin have been on the road with Manzana some times before. The rockers are tending to be more on the gothic side, and have been around since 2004. Their latest album “Primrose Path” dates back to 2009. As strongest element in the show the tendency is there to point to the guitarists who have set a strong backing for Annika’s vocals but there is also Teme on keys which brings quite a substantial part of their sound. In the setting of tonight keys might have been a bit hidden on the small stage as well as in the sound, but even in the little corners there seems to be enough space for bringing an active show. At the end of the show, a lot of the guys of the other Finnish band joined them onstage to give a grand finale.

Overall it was an interesting Sunday evening with bands that at first sight does not seem so close in music, bringing all something different, but seem to be more alike when you get to know them.

More photo’s of this event can be found at Sabinevangameren.com

Links:
Vanity Ink MySpace
Kowai MySpace
Manzana MySpace
For Selena and Sin MySpace