GALLERY: 29.07.2023 Jytäkesä Go Go – Day 2 @ Suvilahti, Helsinki

August 3, 2023

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Jytäkesä Go Go premiered at Suvilahti 2022 and has quickly become the place to be for friends of retro-influenced rock. The festival’s lineups are a collection of household names in Finnish indie music, punk, and hip-hop with an emphasis on older bands. They have been able to pick up interesting comeback shows, bands with important anniversaries to celebrate, and some rising names as well. As the second edition of the festival continued its second day on Saturday, June 29th, with the main event of the evening the performance of Australian blues rock veterans WOLFMOTHER, we headed up to see what the festival that sold out last year had to offer this time.

Saturday opened with HONEY-B & THE T-BONES, the roots-music legends celebrating their 40-year-long career making blues, R’n’B, and other variations of roots familiar to Finnish audiences. As the concert started, raindrops started falling, but still, the band drew a decent crowd covered in rain gear. The heart of the band is in the duo of Esa Kuloniemi on the guitar and Aija Puurtinen on the vocals. They are both respected authorities in music. Albeit the rain, the band’s playing was warm and started the evening with heartwarming emotions.

When the main stage opened with RADIOPUHELIMET, the rain turned to a flood, as there was a heavy shower of rain lasting for most of the show. We saw the beginning of the show, and it was a shame the weather wasn’t on the band’s side, as their playing and the showmanship of vocalist J.A.Mäki would have earned a bigger crowd. RADIOPUHELIMET has a personal funk and HC-influenced way of doing things that sound unique.

However, we dived inside the small Cirko stage where we had planned on spending most of the day anyhow, as the list of up-and-coming bands performing there was not to be missed. The first one, BAD DOG, was one we hadn’t planned on checking out but the rain brought us in and the raw, fast playing of the band did the rest; definitely a band we’ll check out again.

Next up at Cirko were THE HALOPHONES. The band has been making a name for themselves with their live energy and catchy rock tunes, and they are bound for London in September. The concert was once again flowing straight out from the start. The band’s live show was once again a joy to watch and the songs are treading the true earworm danger zone. Altogether it was a very pleasant experience and the rain seemed to do many people a favor as they wandered inside and got a piece of the experience.

On the main stage, SAIMAA, one of the bigger names in Finnish popular music of the last decade, played next. The stage was crowded with four singers, two brass players, a keyboardist, a bassist, two guitar players, and two sets of drums, so this sounded big. The band is the creation of guitarist Matti Mikkola, who roamed around the center of the extravaganza. The rain still bothered the audience, but SAIMAA did their utmost best to warm up the audience, even bringing roots music oddball KNUCKLEBONE OSCAR on stage as a visitor.

Back at Cirko, it was time for the fantastic psychedelia of HOODOO YOU DO WITH THE VOODOO PEOPLE. So far, they have only released three singles, but their live shows have already raised some eyebrows – and no wonder. Their songs are clever, the looks are fantastic, and there’s an element of surprise in their music and performance as well.

Next, we took a sidestep to the smaller Jytälava where it was time for Turku-bound veteran act SWEATMASTER to perform. They had been out of action for over a decade after four albums acclaimed by music critics. Sadly, the concert started with some technical difficulties, as the guitar amp was having a hiccup, possibly due to the rain. A good ten minutes later, the show kicked up. Some old fans had clearly made their way to the audience, and one could witness a happy reunion of not only the band but the fans as well. Of course, their simple take on garage rock still works. Now, simple doesn’t mean boring, as SWEATMASTER also have some clever ideas in their music.

We headed again back to Cirko to witness US, who have recently played more in the UK than in Finland. They hit the throttle down from the start and never looked back, playing their R’n’B at punk speed. The band is a complete product starting from their retro paisley looks, super tight playing, and synchronized bows after every song. It comes as no surprise that we heard many amazed audience members after the show saying that this band knows what they are doing.

Where US is a super-synchronized machine to the last beat, the next artist, LOVERS LEFT ALIVE is a totally different kind of beast. The show started missing a guitar player and with some grunting to the audience, but once the playing started it was time for a rock ‘n’ roll celebration. There are a lot of retro vibes in the band, but it’s more in the heart and soul of how things are done than making pastiches of what used to be. They play really well, the songs work, and some unexpected things are bound to happen on stage. Like a guitar flying into the audience at the grand finale, that seemed to surprise everyone – including the thrower.

Onto the Jytälava again, we went to take a peek at SHADOWPLAY. The indie band has gained somewhat of a cult reputation of being the proto-Goths of Finland, however, they play rarely but have steadily sold out small venues in Helsinki when they decide to do so. The concert at Jytälava had a good showing as well and even though we didn’t have time to check out more than a few songs, the playing flowed nicely as well.

Back at Cirko, it was time for THE MES, who make playing surf dangerous. They combine surf vibes with much darker, heavier genres making up their own waves to surf on. The band is part of a new wave of Finnish instrumental rock music. The show was as hot, heavy, and fast as one can expect.

It was time for the biggest name of the festival: Australian stoner/blues rock giants WOLFMOTHER. Of course, the band only has one member from their most famous and successful era: vocalist/guitarist Andrew Stockdale. WOLFMOTHER opened up with some of their biggest hits like “Dimension” and took the crowd to their world of retro-heavy sounds. Stockdale even made a joke about being a Led Sabbath cover band from Australia. Whatever one might think about the originality of WOLFMOTHER, the band played well and gave the audience who had come for the hit songs what they wanted. There were a lot of happy faces in the crowd, and after all, that’s what rock concerts are about.

After the main act, we made a final excursion to the Tiivistämö stage, where the last band of the festival, MÖYHY-VEIKOT, performed. MÖYHY-VEIKOT is, in a way, a band you have to see live to understand. They’re an instrumental band of two people: a drummer and a guitar player. But there are also pre-programmed bass lines and synthesizers and, of course, the psychedelic video backgrounds with old video clips from who-knows-where that are at least half of the show. You can get into quite a meditative state during their show.

Jytäkesä‘s second day was – for us at least – a day with an emphasis on the newer forces in Finnish rock. We’re happy to say that there are some talented up-and-coming bands making their way to your city’s stages very soon!