Most Europeans know Ukrainian electro-folk act GO_A from representing the Ukraine during the Eurovision Song Contest in 2021. Ever since, the band have been mostly on tour – four times in Finland in only a short span. It was almost inevitable that we were destined to finally catch one of their shows in Finland. CoolHead Brew’s Gardenia in Viikki, Helsinki, opened its doors again for the summer with open-air concerts, of which the first one was GO_A on July 13th, 2023.
The show started off pretty well with the ESC version of “Shum,” up until the third song, “Kupala,” when somebody in the audience suddenly needed medical attention. Thankfully, the organization instantly reacted and the person was taken care of without any major drama. The band was visibly shocked a little bit, but reprised with “Sontse” after a mere 15-minute interruption. It was endearing to see how the band actually reacted and cared about their fans and how singer Kateryna Pavlenko tried to ensure that no one else was hurt. Pavlenko is not only a great singer but also a wonderful entertainer on stage, often spreading messages of love, hugging her band members, but also making humorous remarks. At some point during the show, she noticed a couple of folks enjoying the show from outside of the venue’s site and suggested they should come in since she still had 10 guest list spots. When nobody moved to let them in, she let the audience chant, “Let them in, let them in!”
Altogether, the band played a lengthy setlist, and it was clear how fans really just enjoy this band at a maximum level. They even had the sort of energy that made the shy Finnish audience jump up and down and dance, which all-in-all made it a very entertaining set with magical folk-inspired songs from the heart.
