Wow.
As the web press representative makes her way to the Rekka Stage slightly late (yet again) she is met with quite a surprise. Rekka Stage, a venue normally reserved for smaller bands and their audiences, doesn’t look itself. The Band had pulled such a huge mass of people that I could hardly see the stage. But they are there, no doubt, the much talked and raved about Pertti Kurikan Nimipäivät.
You can see old school punks. You can see people dressed in spike and leather vests, you can see heavily intoxicated people, hordes of youngsters and some normal looking adults even. In short, people from pretty much every sub-category of the festival crowd. Why is everybody here? There is an interesting monologue taking place right next to me: ’everybody can get this, no-one takes them for clowns’, ’basic punk, normally lacking in playing skills’ and ’people come to see out of sympathy’. That might be the case, PKN is not your average rock band after all. A gritty sound and a perfect punk voice. And four talented mentally handicapped guys. But no, people don’t come to see these guys just out of sympathy. This primitive brutality is the shit! There aren’t many bands out there still doing this kind of classical punk. The sharp lyrics violently lash out at society, the Church and politicians.
The singer Kari Aalto handles the jovial chatter between songs and the eponymous Pertti Kurikka, rocking the guitar, blares out his opinions to the rock crowd. The songs are simple, and simply true. The subject matter ranges from authorities (’always betraying people!’) to the Church (’where you get a cup of coffee and take a shit!’) and the owners of the planet (’who do nothing but be shitheads!’), and the audience claps in raptures.
The last song is full of hate and rage towards the whole world and the Finnish Parliament. The set is topped off with Kurikka’s guitar solo (described as impossible for a punk rocker by the monologist standing next to me). The mayhem is over in half an hour, but that half was pure awesomeness!
Text: Veera Konsti
Translation: Juha Peuhkuri
