Jytäkesä Go-Go is a festival held at Suvilahti, Helsinki, annually at the end of July. The festival features a nostalgia-driven list of artists ranging from interesting comebacks to foreign favourites riding just below the brightest lights, as well as a list of well-known artists with a national interest in Finland. For the 2026 festival, Jytäkesä Go-Go managed to bring back powerpop favourites LEMONATOR and fished out Irish punk/grunge old-timers THERAPY? and headlined both evenings with Finnish favourites: URSUS FACTORY and ISMO ALANKO. The more interesting up-and-coming names were Finnish bands RAMI HELIN PRESENTS, US, and PLASTIC TONES. We were at the festival in Suvilahti on Friday, July 31st, and Saturday, August 1st, to check out where the festival is going.
We opened Friday with LOVE PROGE, a project driven by bassist Lauri Porra performing old progressive rock classics released by the classic record label Love Records. It turned into a unique meditation rite as a shower of rain left only the most enthusiastic prog lovers standing in their raincoats, listening to the beautiful classic tones.
We escaped the rain to the inside facilities of Tiivistämö to check out PLASTIC TONES, a rising rock band who have famously already made it to a tour in Asia. They have great energy, a steady rhythm department, and a worthy lead figure in Tytti Roto, also known from MODEM and several other lineups as well as her solo music.
When the rain then eased, we headed for a quick peak of GOOD BOYS, who brought their hip-hop party to the smaller Go-Go Stage. They had their own enthusiasts in the crowd, and the narrow alley was quickly filled with partying people.
Back at Tiivistämö, it was time for ROCK SILTANEN GROUP to take the stage. The trio of Mikko Siltanen, Joni Ekman, and Sebastian Krühn have been touring steadily for a few years now, and every time our roads cross, they seem to have taken another step. There was a delightful retro-scent of old BLACK SABBATH in the way their newer songs sound. One of the positive surprises of the night!
Back to the Go-Go Stage, where it was time for RISTO to play. The electro-rock band released their highly anticipated new album this year after a break of 13 years, so it was somewhat surprising that they had been crammed into the smallest stage of the festival. The band is in good form, but the narrow alley at the stage seemed to bring some trouble with echoes, making it, from time to time, a bit hard to hear everything clearly in the audience.
On the main stage, it was time for the RAVEONETTES to play. The Danish indie rock trio seemed a bit out of place on the main stage, as their music would maybe suit a closed club environment better. However, the vocal harmonies, driving beats, and a dose of noise approach sound interesting, and it would be good to see them again in a different kind of setting.
THE FLAMING SIDEBURNS are already Jytäkesä veterans, having played the festival before. Their straightforward retro-rock approach, a top-notch live show, and a crowd half full of friends of the band are, of course, a combo that’s hard to beat. And they do deliver a live show to suit a crowd looking for a party!
The evening ended with URSUS FACTORY, a duo of guitarist/vocalist Jussi Pelkonen and drummer Aleksi Ripatti, who also does backing vocals, has risen to a position of one of the bigger modern bands in Finnish rock during their 10-year career. They have an eye for visual aesthetics on the stage, and this year’s performance was driven by a video crew working on the stage and in the surroundings of the stage, all viewed on a large video screen behind the band. Make no mistake, URSUS FACTORY is a band whose success is very much based on their music, though. Their garage rock is infused with all sorts of interesting things: poppy singalong choruses, ritual chanting, and bursts of energy closing to nu metal. The band has always divided people into lovers and haters, but it seems the lovers are winning the game, and the ride goes on. Check our photo gallery from Friday here…
Love Proge
Plastic Tones
Good Boys
Rock Siltanen Group
Risto
Raveonettes
The Flaming Sideburns
Ursus Factory
Photos by Arto Alho
