Kuukauden kuvat // Pictures of the Month

From now on Pictures of the Month posts will have some sort of theme we base our photo picks on since we have kinda done that by accident a few times already, ha! This time it's all about longing for some certain place in the world as we both suffer from constant travel fever. Pack your bags and join the ride to Pieksämäki and London!

Sir Mr' Taf @ Poleeni, Pieksämäki 26.5.2007

Pieksämäki. Monille vain asemakaupunki, jossa hypätään junasta toiseen, mulle paljon enemmän. Kulttuurikeskus Poleeni & paikallinen artisti Sir Mr' Taf, siinä on erittäin kova PMK-combo joka tulisi vähintäänkin lisätä yleistietouteen tästä Etelä-Savon maakunnan kaupungista. Tämä (jälleen) kovin laadukas kuva on napsaistu Riemu-Festivaaleilta, jolloin Poleenin salissa ja aulassa kuultiin kahden päivän aikana yhteensä 17 eri musiikkiesitystä - kolmetoista niistä tänä päätöspäivänä. Tämä keikka löytyy youtubesta ja hyvä niin sillä olin ihan täysin unohtanut jo keikan välissä tapahtuvat kilpailut, joista esim videota kuvannut voitti maljakon! Osa 1 / osa 2. Enemmän haluan hehkuttaa kuitenkin keikalta ostamaani HUOM SIGNEERATTUA  Nuotiolla CD:tä ja tuota aivan hemmetin nerokasta raksi ruutuun systeemiä riippuen siitä miten levy päätyi omiin hyppysiin. Ja vielä päivämääräkin mukana, so cool! Jos multa kysytään niin nämä ruudut saisi levitä kaikkien levyjen kansitaiteisiin. Tarea aina sillon tällöin bongailee Pieksämäen katukuvassa, meibi taas next time ja toivottavasti suht piakkoin! -kilu ✌

Nightwish @ O2 Brixton Academy, London UK 11.03.2009

London, one of my favorite places on Earth spiced by one of my favorite bands. The gig was a part of Dark Passion Play World Tour and the grande finale of my five-day solo trip to London. I had the worst flu ever and spent the majority of the day sleeping in my hotel room and eating unhealthy but oh so delish meal deals. When I arrived to the Academy I was greeted by the longest queue I had ever seen in my life, but somehow I managed to get a really good spot from the third row. I really can't remember any specific details about the show, but live music often makes you forget unpleasant things. I was completely unaware of my sick and snotty state for an hour and a half, because I was so immersed in the awesomess in front of me.

- juoksepoistytto

Previous Kuukauden kuvat / Pictures of the Month posts:
04/2016 Poison The Well x Thursday + Gerard Way

03/2016 Lady Gaga + Venom

02/2016 Strike Anywhere + HIM

01/2016 Katy Perry + H.E.A.T.

12/2015 Negative + Agnostic Front

YYKAAHOOVEE

Kuukauden kuvat // Pictures of the Month

Poison The Well & Thursday @ Great Hall, Cardiff, UK 22.11.2009

Cardiff was the last show on Rise Against's 2009 tour so their tourmates Thursday and Poison the Well (+crew) did a lil' dance session during Dancing For Rain's piano intro while Rise Against was off stage. Let me show you a short clip:

This has to be my one of my all time fave headliner+support band combos I've been fortunate enough to witness myself. What also made the night extra special was when PTW dedicated Prematurito El Baby "To the two ladies up front"  = me and my friend. We had been fangirling about the mentioned tune after their previous gig in London, so that was a nice surprise before going mental to the song. People next to us, who didn't really care for the supports, called us crazy. I'll always take crazy as a compliment when it comes to live music shizzle. As far as I'm aware this was actually Poison The Well's last gig before the 2010 announced hiatus. Now they are back in business and playing handful of shows in June-July after the two 2015 re-union shows. Here's hoping something happens in Europe too. -kilu ✌

Gerard Way @ The Circus, Helsinki 5.2.2015

MCR no longer exists, but you can never take that band out of my system. I wasn't really all that blown away by Gerard's first solo album Hesitant Alien, but I felt an odd sense of responsibility towards this gig and the guy. Showing up was the only option and in the end I was glad that I went.

Firstly, I got to catch a glimpse of one of the coolest roadies in the business and experience some hardcore nostalgia. Secondly, the songs sounded a million times better live. There's a strange buzzing noise going on when you listen to the album and it kinda rubs me the wrong way, so it was nice to listen to the songs with "pure" melodies and without distractions. Thirdly, I have never seen Gerard so confident and I was so happy to see that he seemed to have a really good fucking time. He was very relaxed and chatted with the crowd a lot, something you hardly ever saw with MCR. Even though many people were wearing MCR shirts and whatnot, no one made any stupid remarks about it or demanded to hear their songs. Everyone seemed to be genuinely excited about G's solo stuff which warmed my little black heart.

- juoksepoistytto

Previous Kuukauden kuvat / Pictures of the Month posts:

03/2016 Lady Gaga + Venom

02/2016 Strike Anywhere + HIM

01/2016 Katy Perry + H.E.A.T.

12/2015 Negative + Agnostic Front

YYKAAHOOVEE

Support band business vol. 7: Friends of Converge

Converge likes to keep their supports interesting and that can work wonders for the open minded music listener. Without further ado..

11.4. Postbahnhof, Berlin, DE
German crowd <3

GRIME

This Italian group came to the rescue when 40 Watt Sun pulled out from the originally planned line up. I wasn't familiar with either of these groups so to me it was all the same. On the topic of Italy, first thing that pops into my mind is The Secret who toured with Converge in 2012 on the All We Love We Leave Behind Tour. Seeing Grime proved that it's just not the pizza sauce that Italians master but also the heavy doomy sounds that make the sun want to stay low. Unfortunately from where I was standing, I could barely hear any of the singing making the set more of a instrumental soundtrack to some very dark and twisted movie. When walk in a forest goes wrong and one first gets strangled by tree branches and then further mutilated by an unknown deformed creature. No remains left what so ever.

CRIPPLED BLACK PHOENIX

Another new acquaintance. First song Rise up & Fight reminded me of my back home favorite Teksti-TV 666 so that was all that it took for Crippled Black Phoenix to get my undivided attention for their given playing time. Similarities ended when CPB's musical journey took more easily approachable and less instrumental route. To me it was absolutely refreshing to hear a band you could easily even dance to in a groovy, not hxc way, at a Converge show. 

It sometimes only takes just couple of devoted fans to make a gig a bit more special to both crowd and the band. This happened with one of the last - if not the very last song when Oo-oo-OO parts in the song started to live a life on their own. First the o-vowel sung back by just the CPB fans in the house but didn't take too long for rest to join making this very welcoming first show on the Blood Moon tour for Crippled Black Phoenix. They definitely built up the crowd's interest level song by song during the set leaving people intrigued what just went on, me and my friend included.

13.4. Electric Brixton, London, UK

Sigh. People in UK have the talent of coming up with the most ridiculous things to whine about when any, emphasis on any, UK tour is announced. Usually it's the why won't you come to my door-crying but this one brought up a whole new level of you have got to be kidding me. The Dinner Guy gave me and my friend laughs for days with his inquiry on the event's Facebook page if a re-entry was possible so that he can get his after work dinner during the less interesting bands. Literally speechless. How about making that extra sandwich and eat while walking / in the queue or quick stop at any of the several stores providing food in the Brixton area? Sadly enough the already quite negative nancy tone didn't just end to the Facebook comments.

FULL OF HELL
First up was maybe the support people most looked forward to. If you didn't get in among the first ones, you missed out! It was like watching a rabid terrier dog barking frantically inside a car and if let loose it would charge right at you and would not let go until it's lower and upper jaw would be united. Good thing I'm a dog person. While another group took the crown of the (support) band of the night, Full of Hell got my boiling under trophy meaning I'm left well interested and the appreciation towards them started to bloom around now, days post show. There is more to this this band than met the eye and reached the ear the first time around. Intense set that started and ended way too fast.

Headache with fever listener test: surprisingly Full of Hell turned out to be really relaxing and pleasant listening. I would love to see them again and this actually miiiight happen later this year..depends depends.

THE  BODY

I tried to listen to The Body before the tour and I don't think I even got through a single full song without skipping to next and then the next etc after just few seconds. I thought there would be a female vocalist so I was a bit confused when it was just two men who took the stage. Before they started I had noticed quite a few people sporting The Body merch so they definitely were one of the more "interesting" bands of the night, according to The Dinner Guy too. For me they turned out to be the least impressive band of the bill. Didn't mind listening to the gig since they had a lot of energy going on and you know when a band looks very likable, yeah that's The Body to you but we just didn't hit it off. If they for some twisted reason would tour over here some fine day I think I would go see them but until that day, which most likely will never come, this was likely our short story together.

The headache with fever listener test: no, this makes it worse, just no. Simply can't bring myself to listen to The Body on record at all (?!) on the other hand, that's quite a rare accomplishment in my books so well done The Body.

GRIME

That glimpse of hope when during the last minute touches before the set vocals were requested to put louder. Maybe this time Grime live like it's supposed to...but no. Aggressive music instrumental fest continued. Tad bit frustrating to now watch 3rd band in a row not holding anything back yet the outcome being a flat version of what you are looking at. Not much of a difference to the gig in Berlin, still filthy metal, still doomy. They ignored the time's up signal coming from side stage and blasted one more song. Knowing how strict UK is with curfews, moment of worry if timetables would now get screwy. Thankfully not, otherwise I'd be wording things in quite different tone.

CRIPPLED BLACK PHOENIX
Clearly the oddball of this group of supports as all of the previous bands would not bring up the question why with Converge. Must have been the combination of built up anticipation for the main act and empty stomachs that caused quite a big chunk of the audience act so disrespectfully during CBP's set. I didn't woke up to this until member of the band said between songs "..and hey thanks for talking." Afterwards my friend also mentioned about the on going chatter. I hate it when people talk while band plays. Gigs are the best place to discover new music so it's sad if not willing to give something different a chance. Even if not your cup of tea, to many it is and I'd say all the bands were requested by Converge so acting this way towards their support is also a fuck you to their way as well. To my luck the music had already carried me into a bubble where I didn't notice much what happened around me. Swaying eyes shut, enjoying the sounds and vocals you could this time hear.

CBP provided great transition from the louder groups to what the idea of Blood Moon set was about, a point many missed. I'd think the people whose main reason to attend was Chelsea Wolfe, were likely to find CBP quite enjoyable too. Highlight of the set was once again when Belinda Kordic lent her voice to a song and also the trumpet! Suddenly the big stage didn't seem so big anymore. Yet another gig proved that this group masters the art of putting together a balanced setlist ending on a high note.

I'll be back to these venues at some point with some Connnvverrrgggggeee material too! -kilu ✌

YYKAAHOOVEE

Thank you:

Grime

Crippled Black Phoenix

Full of Hell

The Body

Kuukauden kuvat

Nyt on mitä täydellisin päivä pistää alulle ihan uusi juttusarja nimeltään Kuukauden kuvat. Jipii! Molemmat hooveelaiset postaavat siis kerran kuukaudessa yhden kuvan, joka herättää muistoja tai on muuten vain onnistunut otos.

Negative @ 8-sali, Lahti 11.11.2011

Näin joulukuun kunniaksi valitsin kuvan sellaisen bändin keikalta, jonka jäsenet muistuttivat pukeutumistyylinsä puolesta erehdyttävästi joulukuusia varsinkin uransa alkuvaiheessa. Negative hallitsi meikäläisen kiertue-elämää vuosina 2009-2013 kuin mikäkin dominatrix, bändin perässä tuli kierrettyä sekä isot kaupungit että syrjäisimmät peräkylät.

Lahden 8-salin keikka oli niin sanottu "lasten keikka", eli ikärajaton sellainen. Olimme päättäneet jättää jonotuksen sillä kertaa väliin ja saavuimme paikalle kun ovet olivat olleet jo hetken avoinna. Iltamien ideanahan oli nollien puhaltaminen ja liian tunnollinen järkkäri riisti ovella tyhjän vesipullonkin pois vaikka kovasti yritin vakuutella olevani jo sen verran vanha, että mulla ei ole mitään tarvetta tulla vetämään armottomia kapinakännejä tällaiseen tapahtumaan. Negativen settilistaan tehtiin muutoksia hyvällä säkällä kerran vuodessa, joten oletimme, että tänään kuullaan taas ne samat tutut rallit. Leuat loksahtivat lattiaan kun ensimmäinen biisi olikin jotain aivan muuta kuin mihin oltiin totuttu ja illan aikana kuultiin vielä muutama muukin biisi, jotka harvemmin settilistaan eksyivät.

Meininki oli läpi keikan poikkeuksellisen kova ja porukka bailasi sydämensä kyllyydestä. Oli ihana huomata, että myös läpeensä tuttu ja kymmeniä kertoja nähty bändi pystyy vetämään maton jalkojen alta silloin kun sitä vähiten osaa odottaa.

- juoksepoistytto


Agnostic Front @  The Garage, Lontoo 17.8.2014

Keikkareissatessa ulkomailla pyrin siihen, että joka päivä olisi jotain ohjelmaa jos vain suinkin itsellä virtaa riittää. Agnostic Frontin Lontoon keikka osui passelisti viimeiselle lomapäivälle toimien loppuhuipennuksena 2014-kesän kolmetoista keikkaa neljässätoista päivässä rupeamalle, jolla se reissun ainoa keikaton päivä kului kokonaisuudessaan perse penkissä Belgia-Unkari välin junamatkalla.

The Garage on 600-henkeä vetävä paikka ja pari loppuun myytyä keikkaa oli tullut siellä tätä ennen koettua. Sen sijaan Agnostic Front oli entuudestaan vain nimeltä tuttu, joten tämä ilta toimi mukavasti "yleissivistävänä" kokemuksena. Onnistuin valitsemaan oman paikkani juurikin sopivasta kohtaa eturiviä, sillä vierustoverini sai monosta päähän porukan villiintyessä, kun taas itse selvisin ehjin nahoin ja kykenin keskittymään hyvin vain itse keikkaan. Bändin tietäville ei tule varmastikaan yllätyksenä miten Vinnie Stigma ihastutti huikealla persoonallaan! Tuolla oli erittäin hyvä meininki, vaikka varmasti joillekin AF-konkareille tämä keikka oli bändiltä väsynyttä, laulu ei kulkenut ym shaibaa, mua ei häirinnyt yhtikäs mikään! Paitsi ehkä inasen se jäbä joka sinnikkäästi oli sitä mieltä, että mun pitäisi pitää hänestä huolta jos herra Suomeen saapuisi. Drunks </3.

Keikan jälkeen stalkkaan yleensä niitä, jotka onnistuvat nappaamaan settlistan. Tämä ilta ei ollut poikkeus. Agnostic Frontille on tämän keikan perusteella sijaa omassakin hyllyssä. Vaikeaksi tekee vain se, että minkä levyn hommaisi kun omat stand out kappaleet jakautuivat keikalla paljon vanhan ja uuden tuotannon molemmin puolin, enkä mä nyt iiihan niitä kaikkia levyjä kuitenkaan tarvitse. Jos sitä 2016 koittais löytää sen oikean, heh heh.

Lontoo pieni paikka on kun kaikista undergroundeista päädyin myöhemmin samaan vaunuun juurikin settilistan saaneen tyypin ja hänen kavereidensa kanssa. Jotain juteltiin ja lopuksi sain vielä muutaman Agnostic Front tarran muistoksi. Kerrassaan onnistunut ilta! -kilu ✌