What do you get when you combine a rancid electronic rock band and a 9-piece punk band? A very interesting and unpredictable evening, which led us to take place in one of the last Katto Auki events of this summer. Both HENRIK! and DALLAS KALEVALA are bands that are highly spoken of concerning their music and live performances, raising our expectations even higher.
The stage of Nosturi was thoughtfully decorated with flowers, as the huge lineup of HENRIK! was starting their show. “We brought these flowers here, just for you,” stated Versace Henrik before announcing the first song of the night “Ydintuho” (translation: Nuclear Holocaust).
And oh my god. Having seen videos and hearing stories about HENRIK!’s performance is one thing, but to witness it in person was something different. The band waved and went crazy on the stage like there was no tomorrow. Each one from the 9-piece lineup did their share to add to the madness and controlled chaos.
HENRIK! is supposedly a punk band, but one couldn’t be 100% sure. At one time one of the guitarists was playing his guitar with a violin bow, while Versace Henrik could have been found crouching on the stage playing mental electronic sounds. The band even played break time jazz while they were thinking about how they should continue the show after breaking up two microphones.
A tough spot for the former LAPKO members to begin their show. Ville Malja himself compared them to look like a bunch of biology teachers after the previous performance. The ability to laugh at themselves is one of the reasons why I like DALLAS KALEVALA so much, the music is high quality but they never take themselves too seriously.
The gig itself wasn’t bad at all. The opening song “Ass of Icon” had so much energy in it, that it almost forces you to come along and join the musical rollercoaster. Ville’s singing was clean and spot-on, and the unique voice of his really manages to capture one’s attention. The light effects supported the transmissions of energy perfectly.
The band didn’t rely on any extreme tricks for their show, but they somehow managed to transform the stage into their second living room. I don’t know if that has something to do with the fact that they rehearse in the same building as Nosturi, but they were anyway very comfortable to play for us. Ville smoothly flowed along the stage while making his overly erotic moves.
The further the show continued, the higher energy levels DALLAS KALEVALA seemed to reach. During the last song “Life Is Beautiful” Ville jumped in the audience to finish the song and Jussi fearlessly danced on the stage with the flowers that were spared from the previous show. Soon, Ville had disappeared somewhere in Nosturi and the gig was over. What an entertaining evening.
