It was an interesting night at Ääniwalli, as on March 23rd, 2024, it was our first time at the venue after this winter’s renovation to check our SÖRNÄINEN and LASTEN HAUTAUSMAA. First of all, there were two separate events happening at once: one in the new, main area, and one in the smaller side of the venue (which we didn’t yet get to see). Where there used to be the stage, now are the cloakroom and what looks like some kind of storage, while a small spot reserved for the merch table completes the side of what once was the main bar. The bar, which is now taking a much prominent space, is the first thing one encounters after leaving the jacket. Everything is now made of concrete: walls, benches, even the mixer is bunkered into a block of concrete. There are wooden tables on one side, and the insulated ceiling has lights and heating lamps pretty much everywhere.
Once we got to the much larger, taller, and wider stage at the end of the hall (more or less where the entrance used to be in the latest layout of the venue), we had plenty of time to check out the stage lights setup and PA system, and marvel at the brutalist/minimalist decor before SÖRNÄINEN took the stage.
After finally releasing some material in record form a couple of years back (their “Keskity pahuuteen” EP), the band led by the rowdy vocals of Jukka Taskinen entertained the growing crowd with their Finnish country rock that threw the fans directly into the streets and bars of their namesake—and nearby—neighborhood. Involving the audience with their jokes here and there, the band, featuring also dear old Papa Wilska on bass (with Joonatan Kotila and Motherfucking Japanderi to complete the lineup on guitar and drums respectively), transformed the atmosphere and made everyone feel at home with their music, conceding an encore at the end.
Suddenly, a whole lot of people filled in the space that was until that moment left mostly empty right in front of the stage, leaving very little room to move around when LASTEN HAUTAUSMAA, celebrating their 10th anniversary with this gig, entered the scene.
The band just released a new self-titled EP last month (which can be a bit confusing given their first record also carries the same name) and was welcomed by a big cheering crowd. Needless to say, they have enjoyed quite a bit of fame locally so it’s no surprise to see the venue quite full tonight. The female singer, Kristiina Vaara, does not shy away from spending some words of thank you to the fans throughout the gig, as the six-piece enjoys performing on this brand new stage throughout their discography, while occasionally interacting with the odd Finn yelling for them to play this or that song or making some more jokes, in what was clearly a pretty cheerful atmosphere. “Karhupuisto,” “Tuulipuut,” and other classics from the band alternate with the more recent “Finnglish-titled” “Pimeys on mun boyfriend” as well as “Siddhartha ja Sahti.” When after a bit over an hour “Tove” marked the conclusion of the show, there was still room for a double encore. This ended with the acclaimed (and seemingly long-awaited from the fans’ reaction) “Salaa Tupakalle.”
Honestly, it felt weird that by half past nine, everything was over, but such is the live music business nowadays, as venues need to cram in as many events as possible in the best possible slots to keep going (clearly there was some other event afterwards). At the same time, it was nice to have so much of the evening still ahead, especially being able to face it with a good mood and high spirits from such a pleasant evening.
Check our photo gallery of the evening here…
SÖRNÄINEN
LASTEN HAUTAUSMAA
