May 2004
- Features: Finns Frolicking Summer Fests
- Business + Musical Chairs
- Live news
- Behind the Scenes / Behind the Numbers
Finns Frolicking Summer Fests
This spring/summer Finland’s talented artists, both established and upcoming, will be delivering one hot summer of festivals!
Finland’s greatest current export The Rasmus, whose Dead Letters album has just exceeded the magical million mark in sales, will be performing in almost all the major festivals in Europe this summer: a.o. Rock Am Ring, Sziget Festival, Pinkpop as well as Reading and Leeds; nothing can hold them back!
And indeed, Scandinavia is the place to be for summer festival fun: Denmark´s tenth ultra cool SPOT Festival June 4th5th will feature two young rhythm bandits, hip hop fusionists Don Johnson Big Band and the hard-rhyming Redrama who will also perform at the Roskilde Festival July 2nd. Sweden´s Hultsfred Festival will be the stage for love metallers HIM (June 18th) and retro stylists The Crash (June 19th).
Last but by no means least, you can catch Nightwish in full augmented glory in Finland´s summer festival bliss - and in The Netherlands, Greece, Germany as well. Full festival date info>>>. Their latest offspring Nemo with copius amounts of choral and orchestral overtones is more magnificent and classically blended than ever.
********
BUSINESS
The groovalicious Tigerbombs (JOHANNA KUSTANNUS) are doing two hot UK dates: at Notting Hill Arts Club June 17th and at the compact yet effective and genuine trade festival Go North in Aberdeen June 9th-10th. Their long-waited debut album Loves You was just released in Finland through PYRAMID.
Naked is one of MEGAMANIAs latest signings. Their debut album This One Goes To Eleven was just released in Finland. The forthcoming video will be directed by famous Finnish jack of all trades, artist Stefan Lindfors who previously directed the memorable Funeral Of Hearts video by HIM.
GAGA GOODIES’ riot rock act Bitch Alert indeed seems to be taking over the UK. The band has been getting extensive press coverage in some of the UK’s leading music magazines such as Metal Hammer, Kerrang! and Rocksound and the single Loveson has been received well on radio stations XFM, Totalrock, SBM/Kerrang and Music Choice. Furthermore, the single will also feature on the HMV Recommends compilation. July 6th-30th the band will be supporting 3 Colours Red on their UK tour. Tour dates >>>. ...rriot (Propaganda/EMI Music) is released in the UK May 17th.
EXOGENIC RECORDS is releasing two revolutionary albums in May. The first is remix compilation Violently Hippy rmxs, of tracks by prog rock band Hidria Spacefolk featuring Accu, Texas Faggott & Reuna among others. The second is Texas Faggott‘s third album release, Pilluminati Cunt Roll, which will be out in the end of the month.
Vocal Ensemble Rajaton (PLASTINKA) deal with Konzertagentur Esslinger, an agency which also represents the world famous Kings Singers, has instigated a tour in Germany May 27th - June 1st. Tour info>>>
MUSICAL CHAIRS
LOVE MUSIC PUBLISHING’s CEO Sini Perho has been named as the new chairwoman of The Finnish Music Publishers’ Association. She will lead the 27 years strong assiociation for the rest of year with Tom Frisk from WARNER/CHAPPELL MUSIC FINLAND as her vice chair. The rest of the funky bunch includes Reijo Kokkonen (Sulasol) Kari Helenius (Poplandia Music & Jee Jee Music), Ari Nieminen (Fennica Gehrman) and Tommi Tuomainen (BMG Publishing).
********
LIVE
Master of beats and tunes Darude is back tormenting the United States and Canada with his irresistible beats April 30th May 23rd. After the release of his blockbuster track Sandstorm in 2000 this talented DJ has been spinning his way through the North American continent. Tour info>>>
70s, 80s, and 90s music style gurus The Crash will be performing their hits on tour in Germany May 20th June 3rd. The foursome’s main ingredients for the retrospection are disco and stadium rock, and the venues include Berlin’s Columbiahalle and Munich’s Olympiahalle. Tour info>>>
The unique figure of jazz, funk and soul experimentalism, Jimi Tenor tours in the Benelux countries and Germany on May 14th23rd. The clubs and concert halls along Tenor’s tour route include a.o. Amsterdam’s Paradiso and Stadtgarten in Cologne. Tour info>>>
STUPIDO´s cartoon rock trio Boomhauer will be touring England in August, followed by a tour in Germany in October. Their extremely prolific phase will also be enforced by a new release in the autumn.
Retro rockers Laika and the Cosmonauts will be touring the US on May 27th June 7th. They will play their carefully handcrafted instrumental music in B.B. King Blues Club of New York supporting surf legend Dick Dale.
********
Behind the Scenes: After a few quiet years in the indie scene, things are looking lively again. Several young, innovative new bands are coming up from the grassroots level - and finding an audience! Ultramariini and postrockers Magyar Posse made an instant impression with the latter entering the Finnish album charts with Kings of Time (VERDURA). Most of the indies making noise now have worked hard for several years, and the hard work is coming to fruition.
Behind the Numbers: In the first week of May two Finnish bands were in the UK singles charts top 10 simultaneously for the first time ever, and the same two singles took the top two places of the UK rock singles chart ahead of The Darkness. HIM entered the chart with Solitary Man at No. 9, and The Rasmus with In The Shadows came down two places to No. 5. The boyz dun good!