The celebration of Porispere’s 10th anniversary took place this year after the postponement occurred in 2020. The last weekend of July the festival was held in Kirjurinluoto, recording a sold out on Saturday. Like every edition, the festival has hosted artists of genres ranging from pop to metal; Ensiferum, Beast in Black, The 69 eyes, Stam1na and Apulanta are few of the most noted names.
We were there to capture the moments of this edition with our cameras.
Photos by Cristina Gregori & Miika Riikonen.
After a successful 2019, Beast In Black was ready for new opportunities but the pandemic changed their plans. We had the opportunity to have a chat with the mind of the band Anton Kabanen and talk about their music and what is coming in the near future.
Hey Anton, how are you doing?
I’m fine thank you.
“From Hell with love” was released in 2019, what can you tell about the composing process?
I work always like this first of all I go through my old songs and ideas, I select 20 or 30 and do some new ones, so it’s kind of a bridge between old and new stuff. When I have chosen 20 songs, I play them to the band members and they give me feedback and say which their favorites are, then we finally get the last 10 or 11 for the album. My way of song-writing is different from most rock bands as I write all the songs, it’s really personal to me, that’s why I take care of everything but I want everyone to feel part of it working together as a band.
Are you working on a new album?
Yes, I’m always working on new albums, it’s an endless process.
What can we expect from the next album?
It will be good (En. laughs). At least I hope so, we just do our best. It will definitely have the Beast In Black sound so when you will listen to the songs you will immediately recognize that it is our songs, I have a strong feeling that our trademark is really present there.
2019 was a successful year for you, if you had to sum it up with one word what would it be?
Success.
Due the Covid19 pandemic almost all tours have been cancelled, but many bands have opted for live stream gigs, what do you think about it? Is it something you would do too?
I don’t think Beast In Black would ever do this kind of isolated live stream, I mean no audience, it’s not something we’re excited about. There is so much work to be done in the artistic field, I prefer to spend that time working on something that we can create and that remains after the hard work, for example the new album. I spend my time thinking about the songs and visual stuff for the next album and stage production instead of just playing for the empty hall and sending over the internet. If anyone wants to do it, there’s nothing wrong with that, but I just think we wouldn’t have as much fun as when we play real shows.
In short time you have achieved success and won the hearts of many people with your sound, how is your relationship with your fans?
I think the word that describe it is warm. Every time we meet fans there is dedication, enthusiasm and kindness, they are really honest with all their heart they support us. We always try to meet them whenever possible, take pictures and sign autographs.
What’s on plan for the future?
Beside the new album, we are always working to improve ourselves, making things bigger and more professional. It’s like growing up, as children grow up, they get bigger and more flesh on their bones, the beast must be stronger and bigger. We hope to do much more gigs and bigger tours, but no one knows when this is going to happen.
We have done with this interview, thank you for your time! Would you like to say something to your fans?
Thank you to all the fans that are reading this, we hope to see you as soon as possible whenever we get on tour until then stay tuned for Beast In Black news, check out our Facebook, we always update when there is something worth updating. Take care everybody, stay healthy.
Over time, Battle Beast have been able to grow musically album after album and make themselves known around the world for their powerful sound and engaging performances.
After the release of “No more Hollywood Endings” in 2019, the band is working on a new album which is expected to be released later in 2021.
We had the opportunity to meet Noora Louhimo after their show at Rock In The City Pori and talk about their albums, her solo project and much more.
New guitarist, new producer and upcoming album for Brother Firetribe. The Finnish band is ready to shaken up the rock scene with “Feel the Burn” that will be released on September 18th. We had the opportunity to meet the frontman Pekka Heino before their show at Rock In The City and talk about the new album, the gigs and much more.
Rock legend Andy McCoy was ready for a world tour in support of his latest work “21st Century Rocks”, unfortunately the COVID-19 pandemic has changed everything causing most of the scheduled events to be canceled or postponed. One of the few Finnish festivals to be organized was Rock In The City in Pori, where Andy and his band were able to perform. We had the opportunity to meet Andy before his show and talk about his music, concerts and more.
Four talented musicians combined with the powerful voice of charismatic singer Suvi Salmimies gave life to ICEID in 2019. The Finnish rock band has released some singles and one step at a time is preparing for the release of their debut album. We had the chance to chat with the band after their performance at the Poristriimi fesival and find out more about them and their music.
Finnish band Rust N’ Rage is about to release new music with a more mature and professional sound, more news are in store in the near future. We had the opportunity to interview with the band after their performance at the Poristriimi Festival and talk about their music, future plans and more.
It was 1991 when four young Finns shared similar visions and musical influences, from that moment Jackrabbit was born. The rock band is ready to celebrate their 30th anniversary next year with some surprises. We had the opportunity to meet the band after their show at Poristriimi Festival and talk about their music, live shows and much more.
Uniklubi is considered as one of the biggest bands in Finnish rock scene. The band recently started working with producer Rauli Eskolin (Apocalyptica, CMX, Haloo Helsinki!) and together they’ve managed to create a new perspective to their songwriting. Their new album “Ajan piirtämät kasvot” will be released on September 25th via Playground Music. We had the opportunity to meet Jussi Selo, Teemu Mäntykorpi and Tuomas Lepistö before their show at Poristriimi Festival and talk about their music, the new album and much more.
-Hey guys, how are you doing? Jussi: We’re doing great! Today we play at the Poristriimi Festival, this is our first festival of 2020. Teemu: First and last for this summer. Jussi:We are thrilled to be back on stage at a festival.
-In Finland you are one of the biggest bands in the rock scene, but for those outside Finland who don’t know Uniklubi, would you like to briefly introduce the band and give us some biographical hints? Jussi: We play melodic rock, our songs are sung in Finnish and we are ready to release our eighth album. About 10 years ago we played in different European countries such as Germany, Austria and Czech Republic. When 2000 started, bands like HIM and The Rasmus became famous all over the world and people, mainly from central Europe, started traveling in Finland and they found us. I think Finland has a good rock scene.
-Your upcoming album “Ajan piirtämät kasvot” will be released on September 25th, what can you tell about it? Tuomas: It’s excellent! (En. laughs) Teemu: It’s a bit different from 2004 album “Rakkautta ja piikkilankaa”. Tuomas: We have a new producer and the album sounds different from the previous ones, and I think it sounds better. We are satisfied with it. Jussi: “Tulennielijä” came out 2 years ago and “Kultakalat” 10 years ago, over time you grow as a human, as an artist and as a band everything is different, your mind is different. So, we have grown as a band in a good way and you can hear that in our music. In the future I hope that we will do many albums and each album will be different from the previous one. Change is part of the artist’s growth process. Tuomas: It is like for painters, they do not always paint the same canvas. Jussi: The funny thing is that even though our album isn’t out yet, my mind is ready to move on and start working on new songs.
-From the upcoming album 3 singles have been released “Huojuva siltä”, “Bailaten koko elämä” and “Siipirikko”, they have all different moods, what can you tell about the lyrics? Jussi: The lyrics are about a human being and his mind, about yesterday and tomorrow, and about being alone and with someone.
-The music video of “Siipirikko” is really intense, what can you tell about the making-off? Jussi: Our good friends Timo Lepistö and Petri Kyttälä produced and filmed it. I told the producer I didn’t want to shoot it in Tampere, I wanted something different, so we went to Tenerife and found the right atmosphere.
-If you should choose one song to represent Uniklubi, which one would be? Or the one you enjoy most to play live? Teemu: It’s a tough question because we’ve been making music for so long and a lot has changed. Tuomas: Some songs are more fun to play than others, but when you listen to them it’s different. I cannot say. Jussi: If I think about live shows, the ones that create the most synergy are “Rakkautta ja piikkilankaa”, “Huomenna” and “Kaikki mitä mä annoin”, people know the lyrics and sing along and it is cool. Teemu: That’s old stuff, but I think from the newer stuff “Bailaten koko elämä” and “Huojuva siltä” are important for us in term of live shows. Jussi:Yes, those songs from the upcoming album are working very well in live.
-What are your main influences? Teemu: This is maybe the most interesting part because we are 6 guys and we all have different taste in music. Tuomas: I would say Guns ‘n’ Roses, Depeche Mode, Pet Shop Boys. I don’t have any specific music style, I like music from synth-pop artists to Rammstein. Teemu: In my list I have Judas Priest and Iron maiden. Jussi: I like all kinds of music, but I think I was mainly influenced by my older brother Janne (En. guitarist of Uniklubi). Music has always been present in our family but when, as little boy, I saw Janne and his friends playing at a small party in Hämeenkyrö, I saw how much fun they had and I wanted to do the same. Teemu: But what about Michael Jackson? Jussi: Yes, that’s right, but my brother introduced me to his music. As kids, we shared the room and he had some Michael Jackson posters and albums, so I started listening too.
-What’s on plan for the future? Tuomas: We hope to play a lot of show but because COVID 19 we can’t be sure. I think we are gonna play for the coming year and after it we will release some music, not an album but maybe some singles. Jussi: If you want to support us, buy the CD, LP or cassette, making an album is a lot of work and it’s a difficult time if nobody listens to it. For the future we will continue to make music.
We have done with this interview, thank you so much for your time! Would you like to say something to your fans? Jussi: To our fans who continue to support us I want to send hugs and all the best, music is an amazing thing let’s go on! Teemu: Hopefully we will see you at the gigs as the situation allowed. Jussi: Peace & love!
Rock In The City tour was supposed to take place to several Finnish cities during the summer of 2020 but due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it was possible to organize the festival in only two cities; Joensuu and Pori.
We were present with our cameras in Pori on August 21st and 22nd.
The event was held at Kirjurinluoto, a park on an island in the center of the city already known for important music events such as Pori Jazz and Porispere, the age limit was 18, allowing alcohol to be consumed throughout the area. The organization did a great job of maintaining state-imposed restrictions, hand sanitizers were everywhere, there was enough room to keep distance, and security men were always on when needed.
Talking about music, the festival features only Finnish rock and metal bands, this year in Pori performed Amorphis, Battle Beast, Beast in Black, Andy McCoy, Michael Monroe, Sami Yaffa & Costello, Brother Firetribe, Stam1na, Mokoma, Turmion Kätilöt, Viikate, Kotiteollisuus and Klamydia.
