Mesmerizing Mew charmed the festival audience

The ethereal sounds of Mew led the crowd at Ilosaarirock to other dimensions.

Fans singing with Mew. Photo: Antti Pitkäjärvi

A plentiful crowd of festival goers gathered to rock with Mew in Main Tent of Ilosaarirock on Friday evening. The surreal background videos plus the ethereal sounds of this Danish alternative rock band lead the listeners to whole other dimensions.

Mew’s musical repertoire ranges from dreamy and peaceful ambients to upbeat and catchy pieces. The band mesmerized its audience right from the get-go. Mew’s music enthralled this first-timer and made my imagination run wild.

Mew’s music can be described as a melting pot of massive soundscapes, bass and keyboard lead jams, rhythmical guitar riffs mixed with more tranquil moments. The calms before the storm are the moments that really highlight the delicate performance of the singer Jonas Bjerren. Indeed, the appeal of the band is mostly based on the cool and confident performance of Bjerren and the rest of the band. Even though Mew’s musical style is grandiose, it is clear that the band itself is humble. Bjerren even uttered a few words in Finnish, smiling self-consciously.

The gig seemed to rouse strong emotions among the audience. Three friends, Marianne, Kapa and G hugged each other warmly when the gig ended and they agreed to tell us how they felt about seeing Mew.

– Did it really already end? the trio pondered.

– This was definitely the coolest thing of this weekend, Kapa declared.

Kapa also told that she was eagerly waiting for the gig of Ultra Bra.

The trio welcomed warmly the new three-day Ilosaarirock although the change in the duration of the festival will require some getting used to.

– All in all it is wonderful, but a few of our old rituals will need some fine-tuning, the group stated unanimously.

Text: Ida Käkelä
Photo: Antti Pitkäjärvi
Translation: Tuuli Ahonen