Hellsinki Industrial Festival is a yearly festival showcasing industrial metal, darkwave, and various other forms of electronic music from the darker end of the spectrum. The 2024 edition of the festival took place on Friday and Saturday, November 8th and 9th. For this year, the festival found a new home at the Tiivistämö quarters in the Suvilahti area. Many visitors seemed to miss the old venue at Ääniwalli, with its slightly more rustic, industrial feel and somewhat less spacious surroundings. Nevertheless, the lineup promised a lot of exciting performances and some genre-crossing surprises.
On the second day of the festival, on November 9th, 2024, the small stage opened with SORTAJA. This act came out of the blue but proved to be a perfect fit for the festival. A fabulous, aggressive industrial machine, they took the crowd by force and kicked off the night with a bang.
On the main stage, THE SILVERBLACK took over an already warmed up audience. The industrial metal group from Italy was another fine addition to the festival. Their tendency to find melodic hooks to complement their otherwise brutal approach to music made their set stand out. There seemed to be quite a few fans in the audience as well.
Back on the smaller stage, the Spanish visitors PSIDERALICA brought a somewhat softer approach to industrial rock. While no ballads were heard, the tone of the vocals was gentler, and one could even detect some pop-like elements in their music.
Next, on the main stage, the UK-based post-apocalyptic-SCOOTER-esque act V2A took charge. They hit the throttle from the start and never let up. Visually impressive with their flags and various props, their danceable music and strong crowd interaction carried their performance a long way.
Over on the smaller stage, the Greek artist TEKNOVORE performed a solo set. While he often performs with a vocalist, it was unfortunate that one wasn’t present at the festival. Nonetheless, the club-like setting of the smaller stage was ideal for dancing, and the beats from TEKNOVORE kept the crowd moving.
On the main stage, BUSINESS CITY made an impression, though they requested no photos to be taken, which we respected. Their show was intriguing, mixing humorous lyrics with acid-techno sounds.
The last show of the night on the smaller stage featured the Swedish act KUNT, blending EBM sounds and melancholic pop tones into a synthpop mix. With their original sound and innovative musical ideas, they captivated the audience. The lead singer, Paula Lé Boss, proved to be a commanding and charismatic presence, elevating the act further.
The festival came to an end with DIARY OF DREAMS, a long-awaited visitor to Finland. The German darkwave group was a fitting closer for a two-day journey into the dark realms of electronic and industrial music. They commanded the stage with the authority of a genre legend. While their live performance might not be as energetic as it once was, their charisma and strong song catalog delivered a captivating and memorable show. Check our photo gallery of the festival’s final day below…
Sortaja
The Silverblack
Psideralica
V2A
Teknovore
Kunt
Diary of Dreams
Photos by Richard Forsman & Arto Alho
