Day One
Wed & Thurs: Arrived
in Joensuu on Wednesday. Spent the night taking it easy as the
next couple of days are going to be hectic. Thursday morning went
down to the Pop Office, the nerve centre where the whole festival
is organized from. The day before D-day (Part One) it's just a
whirling mass of people running around with tons of paperwork and
other paraphanelia related to the festival. Loads of
introductions, forgot everybody's names instantly! Went up to the
Laulurinne-hill where the festival is, to have a look at the backstage
area and the rest of the site to get my bearings.It's still an
empty shell of building materials, portaloos and staging stuff.
It needs people! And bands and sounds and visions and smells...
Weather isn't exactly great, very muggy, but hopefully it will pick up.
Everybody working at the site are really friendly and making an effort to speak English to my other half Stef who's been hired to work as a stage-hand at ther main stage. He's trying to learn Finnish but it's difficult, he can't roll his r's. I'm just as bewildered by everything as he is, went wondering round Joensuu centre and felt silly asking shop staff for things that should be self- explanetory like where can I buy some shoelaces from! Hightlight (NOT!) of Thursday must be seeing a guy having a piss right in the middle of town. I mean it's broad daylight and he is on the main street not trying to hide it in any way. People walking past not saying anything...I don't know what to make of it. I'm told later it's quite common...
Fri: Arrived on site about 11 am. It's still quiet, vans coming and going, security guards setting up their operation, people milling about not doing much, waiting to be given tasks. Everybody's saying enjoy the peace and quiet while it lasts, the poopoos are going to hit the fan any minute. Finally got to do bits and pieces about three o'clock. Just want to be doing things now, can't sit still. The camping site on the horseracing track next door is filling up steadily. Tents are going up and portable stereos form a curtain of mish mash sounds. Occasional drunken screams pierce the air. Went down to the service entrance gate and chatted with security stewards. They told me the thing they get asked for most are lighters... Watched the festival public stumbling towards the camp site, some of them so drunk they can barely make five meters without falling over. That's the one thing that still really gets me about the Finns: they get so shitfaced they've got no recollection of anything. Well, I'm sure they've got their reasons, I just wish somebody would explain it to me, teehee. But that's the way the "youngsters" behave these days, I'm told by head of Back Stage Security Erja Gunn. Suddenly I feel old...
There's this weird anticipation in the air, loads of people in charge of the main areas, like security and staging, are all saying it's going too well and something is bound to go tits up any minute. Knock on wood. This years festival has already had a few setbacks when 3 bands cancelled at the last minute. Luckily replacements were found almost immediately. Going to see Finnish Rap-star Mariska play in one of the pre-festival clubs over the road. Also going to see her backstage as she is an old acquaintance of Stef's from her punk-days in London.
Later: Met Mariska, she's come to Joensuu to the to the play the gig and stay for the weekend at the festival. She said she's not touring this summer as such, just playing gigs as they come along. Next up is the Koneisto-festival in Helsinki at the end of July. I also asked her if she's considered writing songs in english and breaking into the European and UK market. She thought for a minute and said "Why would I write in English when I can say the same things in Finnish?" Good answer.
Her gig was good and audience was loving it. The group has a great rapport on stage, Mariska and the backing singer were laughing and joking together and the whole band played seamlessly. Also the drummer was phenomenal. He has like a hundred arms and legs, a right little packet of energy. Mariska's sound is much better live, the bass thumps right through to your very soul. Not only is she a great artist, she is really nice person as well. Down to earth and super friendly. Nothing is too much for the fans, she happily stays behind the gig to pose for photos and sign autograhps.
Now it's Saturday morning. The sun is shining, Sonic Youth are being interviewed by a TV-crew on the field behind the web-tent. Humour makes the life in the sauna-like web-tent bearable. Life is good.
Lärwi xxx
Here is my diary of the three days of Rokki. Enjoy.
Day One, 11th July 2003
