Finally summer! Which in Finland typically means warm days, but also pretty unstable and rainy weather. So what better way to spend the evening than going to a club show? Especially if YOUTH CODE is finally back in town after eight years from their explosive performance when they were supporting CARPENTER BRUT at the former-venue-now-turned-gym Circus. With that show still in mind, we couldn’t miss the occasion, and at least a few other fans still had a vivid memory of that one show. But summer also comes with people starting to be away, or wanting to be outdoors. With overlapping events and festivals, and I guess for a combination of these reasons, On The Rocks was far from being full tonight on June 11th, 2026. Maybe it’s not really the most well-known name unless you really are into their music, but it felt a bit strange, while the upside is that it left more room for the people present to dance on the floor.
The atmosphere was very chill when the night began with Estonian industrial/alternative staple PEDIGREE – 30+ years of career under their belt – who set up the mood with good energy despite the shy reception from the locals (with a few exceptions). Their show was heavily based on the latest material, with five tracks from “The Recidivist” played tonight. They played with attitude and gave a solid, entertaining performance, with the vocalist and guitarist being the most active in the bunch. The latter eventually jumped off the stage to play among the audience towards the end of the gig, which the band appeared to finish on a tight schedule, considering they mentioned they had to leave immediately to catch the boat back to Tallinn.
After a short while, and seemingly even a few minutes early, it was time for YOUTH CODE, and what a show that was! The dynamic EBM duo delivered a gig of rare intensity. Sara’s contagious energy and her hardcore-like approach to this extremely danceable music, paired with Ryan’s work on synths and backing vocals, is such an explosive combination that your body just starts moving on its own. Having left a mark already in their first Finnish appearance, of course, the expectations were over the roof, but still, this was exactly what we would have wanted to see of them, and it’s been a long time coming. Now, at their first headlining show here in the country (the following day, the next one in Tampere), the crowd really got to see the full extent of how great this duo is in a live setting. The very minimal, empty stage with just the band’s logo on screen (and a clip playing in the background) gave plenty of space for them and Sara in particular to jump and run around in a sweaty and raw display comprised of some new material from the latest EPs, as well as some highlights from their earlier records. And we, for one, can’t wait to see what their next full-length will bring, especially if it comes with more live performances here on Finnish soil.
We left the venue with still lots of adrenaline and blood pumping fast, looking forward to more YOUTH CODE in the future, and even contemplating if we could make it to their gig in Tampere the following night.
PEDIGREE
YOUTH CODE
