When one looks at AURI’s timeline, one could get the impression that it is a relatively new band on the Finnish music scene, especially considering the timeframe of their albums. However, the concept of AURI was born as far back as 2011 when the three musicians, Troy, Johanna, and Tuomas sat down and wrote “Aphrodite Rising,” the first-ever AURI song. By 2025, they released three studio albums, the first in 2018, the second three years later, and the third one only one day before their concert in Tampere Talo, which happened on August 16th, 2025.
AURI’s music is very different from what NIGHTWISH plays, despite both bands sharing some creative members. AURI’s music is similar to NIGHTWISH’s last three albums in that it revolves around the wonders of life, and at the same time connects to NIGHTWISH‘s early albums by sprinkling on a little pinch of the dreamy vibe. In one of the interviews, the band members mentioned that they just wanted to stop with the overall sadness dominating their musical expression and dive more into the hopeful fairytale dreaminess.
That day in Tampere Talo, the three original members of AURI, Tuomas, Johanna, and Troy, were joined on stage by Kai, whom we know very well from NIGHTWISH, as well as Johanna and Mikko Iivanainen, the band’s long-time friends. The entire stage was candlelit, just like the title of their third album suggests. The atmosphere in the concert hall was very somber, and you could sense the tingling of anticipation. All of the instruments were covered with green fabric, giving the viewer an impression that we’re all in a forest meadow, experiencing a concert by wood fairies. Johanna Kurkela walked onto the stage in the most stunning gray sparkly dress, looking like an ethereal cloud. As she performed “Those we don’t speak of”, the lights on the stage dimmed, her voice putting the audience in some sort of a trance. Soon she was joined by the rest of the band and all together they performed “The Space Between,” one of the more known songs by AURI.
You could tell the setlist was carefully curated and put together, highlighting famous hits, personal favorites, and new achievements. It consisted of about an equal amount of songs from the first and second albums and four from the newest one, including the single, “Shieldmaiden.” The main set finished with the outro from the first album, “Them Thar Chanterelles,” a song the band members composed once while picking chanterelles. The entire audience stood up and started clapping and dancing along to the very catchy tune. The applause didn’t die down for a few minutes, which brought the band back onto the stage, where they performed “Pearl Diving” and “Fireside Bard” as an encore.
Written by Jack Cordova
Photos by Magdalena Niemczura
