For most people in Finland, the big pull to attend the free Louhela Jam festival in Vantaa on June 4th, 2023, was to get a chance to see the last-minute addition to the lineup, Eurovision runner-up KÄÄRIJÄ. However, being the underground anime metal and psych rock nerd that I am, we decided to go to the festival to check out two of our favorite lesser-known acts: EVERFROST, our local anime metal band, and THE MOSFETS, a multi-national psych rock band from Amsterdam. These two acts were some of the winners of the fan-votes for who would play at the event.
The festival took place in a pleasant green park on a Sunday that really couldn’t decide what kind of weather it wanted to have. I was having flashbacks of my youth in Canada as I had worn layers, specifically so I could be in and out of them as needed. Indeed, the sun went from toasty warm to hidden behind rainclouds every 15 or so minutes, which was frustrating but ultimately it didn’t rain much or for long when it did, so it was an overall pleasant day to spend out in a park.
EVERFROST were among the first up, playing at the unfortunate hour of 12:45, though this didn’t stop people from showing up to see their set, as the hillside was quite well covered as they came on stage. The main reason this was extra exciting was because it was the second-ever opportunity to see the band with their new singer, Eveliina Tuulia. Their first show with her was at last year’s Tracon, which we couldn’t make it to. Immediately, the first thing we noticed was how great the band are looking – the new stage outfits are fantastic and we liked Eveliina‘s new outfit better than the first draft, as it’s more flattering and more original – the Lolita look was perhaps a bit too on-the-nose (even if it was theme-appropriate) and this new style makes her look straight out of an anime without looking generic; it’s wonderful!
As for the set, they opened strong with “Winterider” and we were really impressed from the get-go, as there are some vocalists that are hard to replace and Mikael Salo is surely one of them. The live footage from Tracon wasn’t great quality, so it was hard to tell what sort of vocalist they were working with now, but Eveliina really stood her ground and kicked this one right out of the park. It’s not the easiest song to sing (I know from experience) and she made it sound great. They continued with “Actraiser” and then, to our surprise, they went back to some earlier material with “Silver Nights, Golden Dreams” from the first album. From the review, we all know that I didn’t think that the original singer’s voice suited the music very well, so it was really awesome to see this go much better as, once again, Eveliina‘s voice went well with the song.
They played “Brandy and Antifreeze,” which is a personal favorite from the “Winterider“ album, and then the set wrapped up with another throwback to the first album, “Three Tier Terror.” Admittedly, I was a little baffled that they chose those two songs from the first album but left out arguably one of their all-time best compositions, “The Lonesome Prince,” as well as everything from their “Frostbites” EP, though the latter is more understandable because it was a collection of covers. Nevertheless, this short set was a killer one and while there were moments that were a bit rough around the edges, with practice and more shows, these guys are going to be a true force to be reckoned with, both on and off stage. If you’re a fan of anime or metal, you should definitely check these guys out anytime you get the chance!
Then, warming up the festival for the last act of the day was THE MOSFETS, who came all the way over from the Netherlands for their set. These guys were the most-voted-for inclusion to the lineup, having made their debut in Finland back at Helsinki Psych Fest 2022. Known for an astounding degree of enthusiasm, these guys punched out on stage and relentlessly blasted us with high-energy psych rock.
This 4-piece already impressed us deeply last October, so we were even more surprised to hear that they sounded even better than they had back then. As vocalist/guitarist/songwriter Keith Mosfet put it, “well, we have new and better music now.” He is, of course, a great singer and player, but admittedly, I’m developing a large degree of fascination with keyboardist Fay Ruza, whose general enthusiasm and stage dancing have a mesmerizing quality that both intimidates and impresses me. She’s becoming one of my favorite performers to watch, sure enough!
Among the songs they played, we naturally recognized “Sign of Affection,” which only gets better live, as well as the newer single that preceded it, “Life Ain’t Easy.” Beyond that, they also included “Superficial Hypocrite,” “I’ve Got This Feeling,” and “Oh Time,” and wrapped the show up with “Therapy Song.” Perhaps the most entertaining part of their set, however, was a couple of obscenely drunk people in the very front row, who were going bananas and 100% preventing anyone else from coming up close and dancing. Keith is already getting a reputation for refusing to allow Finns to stay still and stay away from the stage, but the drunk fellows (despite also inviting the crowd up to dance with them) were so over-the-top sloppy that the crowd chose to stay and dance on the hillside rather than coming up closer.
The festival itself, overall, was a decent experience. There was a small stall that had fantastic burgers for a decent price, while muikku [fried vendance], lettu [Finnish crepe-style pancakes], and other typical summer woks and grills were also present. There was an entire area dedicated to families with children and it seemed as though they had stage decorations from Temple Creations (or at least a group that does similar work) – an unusual choice for a distinctly non-psychedelic festival but not one I’m ever going to complain about because it’s a personal favorite art style. The only thing that was glaringly wrong was related to KÄÄRIJÄ‘s last-minute addition to the lineup, which the festival runners were clearly in no way prepared for. It led to a lot of production mess, particularly with backstage access for anyone who wanted to, for example, do interviews.
Otherwise, we had a wonderful time checking out this little 1-day event and were happy to be able to see some artists that we know and love!
Written by Bear Wiseman
Setlist
- Superficial Hypocrite
- I’ve Got This Feeling
- It’s You
- Oh Time
- Threw It All Away
- Life Ain’t Easy
- Sign Of Affection
- Therapy Song
