Whilst releasing their 8th album, “Taival,” in October 2018, STAMINA started their Haloo Lemi -tour with twenty gigs around Finland. Musicalypse hopped on the wagon on the second-to-last gig at Klubi in Tampere on December 14th, 2018, as well as the final show at Tavastia in Helsinki on December 15th, 2018. Check out the gallery from Tampere here.
Last May we got to enjoy STAMINA on their 10th anniversary gig for “Raja,” which also offered us a chance to hear new material as the band performed their then-new release, “Elämänlanka.” The first single truly got my hopes high, and “Taival” proved itself to be a worthy addition to the band’s discography. I was pretty much gutted to miss the album release gig in Nosturi (Musicalypse was still there, check out the gallery), but luckily I found time to attend the show in Tampere. Since the album was released, “Taival” has been playing regularly on my headphones, so needless to say I could not wait to hear the new material live.
When it comes to the venue, I was quite stunned that the gig was in Klubi instead of Pakkahuone, since the latter would have felt more suitable due to its size (and because here ends my knowledge of Tampere’s gig venues). I had been in Klubi once before seeing MOKOMA and my main concern was the small space and pillars blocking the view to the stage. Then again, I knew Klubi at its best could offer that closeness and a sense of intimacy that might be lacking in a bigger venue.
After the doors were opened, Klubi was soon filled with murmuring as the lucky attendees of this sold-out gig steadily arrived. I took a seat near the stage with excitement and anticipation. I rarely check setlists from previous gigs since I want to treasure the possible element of surprise, so I had some idea what I would like to hear from “Taival” but otherwise kept an open mind.
The opener for STAMINA was UNBORN GENERATION, a grind’n’roll band from Jyväskylä, Finland. The band reminded me of ‘old times’ when I was under 20, everything in Finland was about metal (partly due to LORDI’s Eurovision success), and I was attending the weirdest gigs and small festivals, pretty much giving a thumbs up to any band that would play something even remotely heavy. Maybe it was the rawness of UNBORN GENERATION’s overall act, the fast ticking drums, or just the fact that I was in a small venue.
But what might have been true in the past had changed, and I found myself glancing at the clock several times during the set. Grind-style music just isn’t for me – and that’s that. Luckily the audience’s reaction did not share my rather dull opinion, and UNBORN GENERATION received a fairly good admittance from the crowd. I suggest you go and check them out yourself to form an opinion instead of relying on mine.
Luckily the break between the bands was relatively short, and I could ditch my seat in order to get a better view of the stage. As the lights dimmed once again, the opening song for “Taival,” “Hyvää yötä” started playing as the intro. And once the band came to the stage accompanied by loud cheering from the audience, they started their gig with – “Paha arkkitehti.” My initial thoughts at this point were, wasn’t this supposed to be a promotion tour for the new album? Where was “Solar”? I surely got my first surprise there – but not the last.
The beginning of the gig focused on older material, with songs like “Luova hulluus” and “Sananen lihasta”, which was performed with a special guest, Kaisu Kärri (who also sang on the original album version). She also stayed on stage when STAMINA performed “Sudet tulevat” from “Taival”. Kärri was definitely a good addition to the whole performance with both her clean vocals as well as growling. She was a new acquaintance, but after some research (re; checking STAMINA‘s website) I found out she’s the vocalist of, for example, SUSIVAINAA (which was also a new name to me).
One of my favorite things about STAMINA is that they always look like they are having the time of their lives. Whether it is moshing and moving on stage during songs, or discussing the other band members’ desire to marry Hyrde, you always get the feeling that the band is there for the audience and enjoying themselves. Sure, as years go by, artists gain the experience on how to deliver a solid act night after night, but with STAMINA it feels like there is always one big cherry on the top. And that is why they are worth seeing time after time.
One of the surprises, and highlights of the evening, was hearing “Gaian lapsi”, which had its live premiere in Tampere. This song (along with “Enkelinmurskain”) is definitely one of my favorites from the new album. Even though the live performance was missing Anna Eriksson, who does the original vocals, Kärri did a good job on “Gaian lapsi” as well. And it really felt like I wasn’t the only one in the audience thinking the same.
When it comes to the audience, everyone seemed to share the same euphoric feeling. It was more than once that I got startled because the people behind me suddenly started singing (or more like shouting) along with the songs. The crowd had a good grip on the newer lyrics as well.
STAMINA ended their actual set with “Eloonjäänyt” and “Kannoin sinut läpi hiljaisen huoneen.” After taking a quick break they returned to their set with “Enkelinmurskain,” “Solar,” “Muistipalapelit,” and “Kuudet raamit” – all of which were sure to get the crowd going.
And luckily, this was not the end. Once “Kuudet raamit” ended, the audience demanded more. For a moment, the band exchanged confused smiles and had a quick word with each other, after which they decided to play one more. As “Lääke” begun, I was more than satisfied, since it’s one of my all time favorites from the bands material. And apparently Hyrde and Kaikka had still some extra energy left for this second encore since, during the lengthy solo, they decided to join the moshpit. As the crowd jumped and sang along, I thought to myself that it really was worth coming to Tampere that night.
Setlist
Intro: Hyvää yötä
1. Paha Arkkitehti
2. Valtiaan uudet vaateet
3. Luova hulluus
4. Sananen lihasta (with Kaisu Kärri)
5. Sudet tulevat (with Kaisu Kärri)
6. Pala palalta
7. Kadonneet kolme sanaa
8. Gaian lapsi (with Kaisu Kärri)
9. Muuri
10. Elämänlanka
11. Eloonjäänyt
12. Kannoin sinut läpi hiljaisen huoneen
13. Enkelinmurskain (Encore)
14. Solar (Encore)
15. Muistipalapelit (Encore)
16. Kuudet raamit (Encore)
17. Lääke (Encore 2)
Outro: Kajo
Written by Essi N.
Musicalypse, 2018
OV:
Photos by Miia Colliander
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