Sulo Club had a very clear agenda: mellow in the beginning, slowly picking up speed to a true rock and roll ending. The audience was also in on the plan, although a few professional party people had taken it to the max right from the beginning. The club featured Finnish performers, as usual (sorry, no English here).
Representing the frontline of Finnish guitar pop, Ultramariini returned to Ilosaari after a six-year hiatus. Their somber but nevertheless uplifting music had the festivalgoers joining hands. The reunion of the band, after Matti Johannes Koivu‘s solo projects, is a definitely welcomed addition to the Finnish music front. Drummer Juri Kaskela had nothing but good things to say about the 40-year old birthday hero:
- Ilosaarirock always has a great atmosphere, for performers as well as for audiences. People are taking it easy and the bands are always very high quality.
And so it was that the lovely Anna Puu took to the stage in front of an already captivated audience, that ate up the delightfully flaky pop tunes and asked for more. Anna Puu’s music goes together with the summer and Sulo Club very well. Luckily the sun also seemed to be a fan of this bright rising star. Let it be known that I have it on good authority that the sun is also going to make an appearance on Saturday and Sunday, despite the rumors you may have heard. The sun knows that it never rains in Ilosaari!
The cash registers were ringing even more furiously, when Jaakko Laitinen & Väärä raha started their merry music machine. Self-described as “Lapland-Balkan”, mixing Finnish and Balkan folk music with a twist of pop, delivered with an eccentric stage act, the melodies fired up the festival crowd. Next it was time to dust off the earplugs in front of YleX Stage, with a smooth transition to the ethnic sounds of Jätkäjätkät. Balkan impressions can be found, but these guys have taken their material many trombone-lengths to the other direction. Mix in a little rap, reggae, funk and who knows what else, and you end up with some incredibly fine music. Music that’s definitely meant to be heard live!
After Jätkäjätkät the crowd was treated with some tender loving summer pop. Hailing from Helsinki, Rosa offered a welcomed interim of sorts to the birthday pre-party. Lead singer Maija‘s bright but strong voice invites you to dance, even if you’d never heard of the band before. An album-full of pop-rock was just what the doctor ordered. Almost invariably, song after song, the audience at Truck Stage was dancing, throwing hands in the air. With the sun descending behind the horizon, the birthday pre-party was at its finest.
After the sweet voice and pop-rock had died down, the crowd is milling at YleX Stage to see Sir Elwoodin Hiljaiset Värit as close as possible. The average age of the crowd creeps way above the norm for Ilosaari, as the festival monsters of yesteryear flock to see the band. His hands on her hips, the lady safe in the gentleman’s backhug. There are more middle-aged couples than grooving youngsters. At the start of Marssiaskeleet, there are still people running to the YleX tent. You can’t miss this. Song after song takes the audience down Memory Lane.
The song list was largely slices of life from the singer and songwriter Juha. Even if you hadn’t heard the songs when they were first topping the charts, you could still hear familiar tunes, such as 10 tikkua laudalla, Tuulen poika ja Älä mee. Even yours truly was touched.
That was the end of the sentimentality of the pre-party, with Tumppi Varonen & Problems changing the tune swiftly and firmly to all-out crazy partying. The punk icon was in full swing and the per-party people heard songs from all categories. If the youngsters were baffled at the beginning, they needn’t be long. The set included songs from the time Tumppi was working actively with Pelle Miljoona and Tahdon rakastella sinua at the latest brought the late bloomers up to speed.
While the punk legend was wrapping up their gig, the crowd started to pack into the YleX tent. Kotiteollisuus breaks the bank with the familiar hits Arkunnaula and Helvetistä itään. Lead singer Jouni Hynynen, the rock star from Lappeenranta, is feeling surprisingly magnanimous: no matter how much the festival crowd is goading, he doesn’t lash out at the crowd. The surprise feature of the night was the Joensuun Mieslaulajat choir marching to the stage at halway, and Tuonelan koivut sounded pretty good with some extra male vocals. At this point yours truly thinks that the moment is so avesome, the night can only go down from here, so it’s time to pack up and head back to camping. The pre-party was excellent and set the right vibe for tomorrow!
Text: Veli-Matti Varis ja Kaisa Kauppinen
Photos: Antti Laitila, Tero Savolainen ja Tuukka Pakarinen
Translation: Jaakko Suvanto
