It is not very common for the festival audience to eagerly rush into the festival area when the gates are opened and the first bands begin to play. Asa with his Jätkäjätkät-collective was to make an exception to this.

Having just released his latest album, Via Karelia, Asa performed a cavalcade of songs from the span of his lengthy career. It’s his first time on main stage, and the performance of the group is up to par: the highlight of the show were the dancers in their gypsy-like costumes, which reminded of Gogol Bordello, the virtuosos of gypsy-punk.

Asa’s music transgresses genre boundaries. Whereas rap is often blamed as being predictable and cliche-ridden, Asa has found his own niche from a combination of fluid, often cunning and sharp etno-folk-rap. The Friday’s rains were long gone, and the audience were treated with a nearly perfect festival opening, as the sun was shining from a nearly cloudless sky.

The length and high quality of his career ensured a show, which could have entertained the audience through the whole day.

Text: Aaron Kallinen

Translation: Juha Ekholm