Our March starts concert-wise with a welcome visit from Italian “mafia-folk, nihilistic suicide pop” ensemble SPIRITUAL FRONT, back again here at On The Rocks on March 5th, 2026, following their last appearance in the Finnish capital a couple of years back. The occasion is the 20th anniversary of “Armageddon Gigolo,” played tonight almost in its entirety. Furthermore, the Italians came in very good company with T. JARVA & THE DARK PLACE and their alternative country and noir folk, preceded by the Swedish meister of horror country, Mr. ROB COFFINSHAKER.
The latter set the tone for the evening with his acoustic one-man show, featuring originals like “Dark Rollin’ Skies” and “Whispers Through the Black Veil” and a repertoire of covers spanning from “Silver Stalion” and the ever-present “Gloomy Sunday” to “Born Free.” Rob sure knows how to set the atmosphere, and his short opening performance worked perfectly to get the audience into the right mood. As quietly as he came on stage, he then left to give space for Taneli Jarva of SENTENCED fame (and many other bands to be fair) and his most recent project, T. JARVA & THE DARK PLACE.
Not having seen the band before, despite the many, many shows in town and across the country over the last couple of years, there were certain expectations, which were eventually met almost immediately. The band continued the dark tone of the night, but in a more nuanced, more folk-y kind of way, with a certain solemn tone dictated by the singer’s voice, surrounded by the tunes of the acoustic guitars, double bass, keyboards, drums, and eventually also backed by a trio of female vocalists, you get the gist. While appropriately nodding to Nick Cave with the cover of “Henry Lee,” the band shines on its own with the material from their critically acclaimed “Post Festum”; a very positive first time for us, and we’ll see to catch them again live in the future!
Finally, it’s time for the Italians to conclude the first of three Finnish shows (continuing towards Jyväskylä and Kuopio). After some brief incomprehension with starting the movie and the intro, the band settles in with “The Shining Circle,” as mentioned, due to the celebration of their 2006 album “Armageddon Gigolo.” The stage is adorned with Christmas lights on the mic stands, and in front of the drums, there is plenty of space in the center for Simone Salvatori to move about while entertaining the fans with their eyes glued on the stage. Someone sings along, someone dances about, the night takes more of a party vibe, and the frontman himself sometimes jokes (or maybe not) with the audience, for instance, when inciting them to “passionately kiss the person next to them, especially if they don’t know them”, while introducing “No Kisses on the Mouth.” A couple songs later, the guy who kept yelling “Bastard Angel” gets what he’s been waiting for, but of course the climax of the show is “Children of the Black Light” and its contagious rhythm dictated by the sound of the drums, concluding another very entertaining gig in the sign of love, sexuality, passion and nihilistic decadence, all with that distinctive Italian charm. In one word: SPIRITUAL FRONT.
ROB COFFINSHAKER
T. JARVA & THE DARK PLACE
SPIRITUAL FRONT
