In the middle of the nordic dream winter, there has been quite the supply of fascinating and current international musicians. At least that is the case for the capitol of Helsinki – more remote locations are often not so lucky. One Tuesday we got to scout out Fuck Buttons at the venue Kuudes Linja and the next night we were entertained at Redrum by one of the most hyped bands of the fall, Neon Indian.
It’s actually not the first time Fuck Buttons has been to Finland. The previous visit was in the same place, the summer of 2008 just as their debut Street Horrrsing was still fresh paint on the walls. After wooing the crowd in 2008 the duo attracted a nice amount of interest again. The playlist that Tuesday night was mainly from the new album Tarot Sport. The show didn’t really pull any surprises – it looked and sounded like Fuck Buttons. Had the show been lined up for the weekend, it would have surely got more attention from dancers, as now the audience settled for bobbing along with the rhythms. Any grand gestures like applause were limited, partly as the band didn’t allow any room for them until the end of the show. And after these, it was off the stage and don’t look back.
The next night at Redrum, there was some instrument issues. Neon Indians touring drummer Jason Faries base pedal broke in the middle of the show, which didn’t resume until the missing component was replaced. Not even the Texans surprised me. Front man for Neon Indian and Vega, Alan Palomo was just as charismatic as could be expected, he might have even overshadowed the rest of the band. The hype crew seemed to be enjoying the limelight, but that feeling got lost somewhere in transmission between the stage and the audience. During the hit Deadbeat Summer the mood picked up and was raised momentarily to the roof, but it didn’t last too long. Personally, I would probably have enjoyed the same crew playing a Vega performance, but it’s understandable to want to pick the lock that’s already half broken.
Even as the experiences are not always earth shattering, one must acknowledge those who orchestrate these performances and enable artists to perform in Finland. At the very corner of Europe, we now see crowd (even if it’s rather a small one..) pleasers several nights a week. This weekend you can admire performances by Ellen Allien, Jack Beats, as well as Justin Miller and Jacques Renault (DFA) in the chilling city of Helsinki. Maybe one of these days Helsinki can be compared to other European capitols, when talking about performing arts.. even as that is still a distant dream.
Fuck Buttons
Neon Indian
