Travelling with the caravan
It’s hard to come up with enough praise for Astro Can Caravan, Saturday’s last artist at the truck stage. This act consists of nine very personal musicians who produce spacefaring sounds with an oriental influence. The start of the gig was postponed a bit, as Ozric Tentacles playing at the nearby stage played slightly over their allocated time. Eventually the stage was crowded by gentlemen dressed in colourful robes, something very uncommon in Finnish gigs. However this group isn’t any “let’s dress in funny clothes”-band, as the exotic clothing underlines the surreal mood surrounding the gig.
From the very first song, the mood is intensive and steady, is it possible for music like this to groove or swing? All those words are suitable for describing the dynamics of the songs. On a closer look, one can spot familiar members from such bands as Aavikko, Cosmo Jones Beat Machine and Circle, and local colour was provided by Tapani Varis, who provided some extra horns.
The instruments of choice were very diverse as rhythm was mostly produced by different clings and clangs, and the melodies were provided by a personally designed guitar or a horn section. The impressions ranged from a snake charmer’s world all the way to extrasolar adventures. Jazzesque, psychedelic, surprising and very danceable, the music leads, the performers follow.
Astro Can Caravan put the audience into a good motion, the already tired festival audience were lifted to a new level and joined the rhythm. The evening ended in happy and spacious mood, this an experience well worth repeating.
Text: Terhi Lilja
Translation: Juha Ekholm
Pic: Markus Korpi-Hallila