Festival Life

One of Ilosaarirock’s most intriguing performers on Sunday was the long-awaited and fervently wished for Portishead, Bristol’s gift to the eccentric trip-hop scene, and a mysterious one at that. This reporter’s fervous background work was almost all for nought, as nothing sensible seemed to come up. If the excited buzz that surrounded Main Tent was to be trusted, I was ready to witness greatness. Read more→

The variety of music on display at Ilosaarirock never seizes to amaze me. OJJ’s performance on the Rekka Stage added eclectic chiptune to Sunday’s motley medley of styles ranging from Ellie Goulding’s pop to Opeth’s metal to Death Hawks’ shamanistic stoner groove. Read more→

What is grunge? I ponder as I’m waiting for Alice in Chains, the jolly grunge giants, to appear on the Main Stage, ending both their European tour and this year’s Ilosaarirock. Read more→

Love at first sight. Read more→

It’s game time. My best chance, the Kissing Booth, stands before me. Read more→

How to find a festival sweetheart – Part five; in which I take advantage of my position and do a shameless plug. Read more→

“You are all alone, there are no friends here. Never have, never will be. Trust me!” Read more→

I had the idea that a security guy would be the perfect person to ask for help in my quest for romance. A person responsible for security must surely have some useful tips. I had set my sights on a rather dashing young fellow standing guard by the maintenance gate. Here goes, I thought! As a cunning woman I knew that one must first test the waters, of course. Read more→

Studio Killers has filled the Main Tent to the brim and beyond, and this reporter, who only got to the scene as the show was scheduled to begin, is coldly left to fight for space on the outskirts. Other, more optimistic latecomers plough straight past me and blaze a trail deeper into crowd, deeper into the dark tent. Read more→

Opeth starts their gig on the Main Stage exactly at 20:15. This Swedish metal band has gathered a surprisingly small crowd, which has been spread out. Quite a few people are sitting on the grass and enjoying the weather, cooled off by the evening. Read more→

Charming. Sexy. Bold. Eager. Fascinating. Wild. Unchained. All those and a lot more. Read more→

Haim’s magical and diverse rythms took the audience in the Main Tent for a sweet indiepop journey. At times it felt like all the best parts of 80′s and 90′s music had entered the Main Tent. Read more→

Dalindèo, a band originated in Helsinki, performed on Rento Stage by the beach as the sun was shining bright. Their relaxed good-mood music fit the stage perfectly. Read more→

You’re not you when you’re hungry. A well-fed rock star is less diva than a hungry one. This is the guiding principle of the department head of the artist catering Eveliina Romppanen Read more→

There could have not been a better way to start sunday at the Sue Stage. Wasted went straight to business with their straight-forward punk sound. There’s nothing like the fresh smell of hang-over sweat as Wasted woke everybody up for a new festival day. Read more→

“Breathe in deep, love is in the air!”, howls Olavi Uusivirta. People gather closer to the Main Stage. As soon as the second song, On niin helppoo olla onnellinen, hits the listeners ears, everyone is singing along with their arms in the air. Read more→

Katja Suvanto, the backstage host for the Main Stage, greets us happily after an hour of being late. Read more→

After my king had disappointed me, all I had left were extreme measures if I were to bag myself a festival honey. Read more→

Now, raise your hand if you’ve starred in a major motion picture, won a Finlandia prize, reaped success in a music competition, repeatedly shot your way to Finnish single and download charts and grabbed an Emma music award while you’re at it, and all this by the age of 21. Read more→

People move slowly closer to the stage and the moment is seized by Tuomo’s electronic soul-music. Read more→