ALL EY E S O N F INL A ND
E U RO S O N I C N O O R D E RS L AG 9 ––12 JA N UA RY 2 0 13
All ey Finla
yes on and
This year’s edition of Eurosonic Noorderslag has the focus on Finland. The festival will feature 17 Finnish artists including LCMDF, Sin Cos Tan, Lau Nau, Phantom, Rubik, Disco Ensemble and many other interesting up and coming bands. Playing around 30 gigs in Groningen during the festival, these 17 acts are a sample of the exciting diversity that is Finnish music. At Oosterpoort, you can come and meet the Finns at our “All Eyes on Finland” -lounge, located in the very heart of the conference center. “We are so excited to have this many Finnish acts performing at Eurosonic. They have great international potential and we have done
a lot of work with our partners to make sure it doesn’t go unnoticed. This is a great opportunity for Finland and we’re sure that Eurosonic will be a significant stepping stone for the artists’ careers”, says Tuomo Tähtinen, the Executive Director of Music Finland. Music Finland would like to wish you all a fabulous time in Groningen, and we hope to see you at the gigs of Finnish artists. Don’t forget to keep your eyes open when walking around Groningen during this year’s Eurosonic – you may come across a Finnish band or two playing a popup gig where you least expect it!
22.15 –23.00 De Spieghel (Peperstraat 11) THURSDAY
Eva & Manu
WEDNESDAY
21.00 –21.45 USVA (Munnekeholm 10)
Eva and Manu play soft, slightly jazzy folk music that should appeal to audiences on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean. Their values are solidly in the aware middle class: earthy and politically green. Eva and Manu met in 2009 while studying at the Berklee College of Music in Boston. A year later they moved to France. The call of the road proved irresistible and soon they were ensconced in a van and driving around Europe – and playing music.
www.travelinmusic.net
CO N TAC T
Jouni Perämaa / Warner Music Finland jouni.peramaa@warnermusic.com
2 2. 30 –23 . 15 Huize Maas (Vismarkt 52)
Thursday
Death Hawks
Wednesday
2 3 . 4 5 – 00 . 3 0 De Spieghel (Peperstraat 11)
Death Hawks is a timeless band. Its references, or at least the most obvious ones, come from a variety of sources from the blues to psychedelia, early heavy metal to krautrock, but there is no way you can call the sound pure retro. Death Hawks was put together in the spring of 2010 to arrange and record songs by singer Teemu Markkula, but it soon metamorphosed into a real band. The band’s intense live shows, with their psychedelic meanderings and in-your-face boogie soon created an organic hype around the band.
www.deathhawks.com
CO N TAC T
Esa Tontti / Gaea esa.tontti@gaea.fi
French Films
Wednesday
2 3 . 3 0 –0 0 . 0 0 Vera (Oosterstraat 44) Thursday
2 2 . 5 0 –2 3 . 3 5 Muziekschool (Sint Jansstraat 7)
First off, don’t spend time wondering about the name. This band has nothing to do with France or cinema. It does have a lot to do with surf music, garage rock and the poppier side of Joy Division and New Order. And hooks catchy enough to land a shark. Working with simple, honest tools – jangly guitars and vocal harmonies – French Films are enjoying a meteoric rise. They notched up 100 live shows around Europe and Japan within six months of releasing their debut album, an unprecedented feat for a Finnish band.
soundcloud.com/french-films
CO N TAC T
Esa Tontti / Gaea esa.tontti@gaea.fi
French Films is one of the European Border Breakers Awards 2013 winners
Wednesday
Friday
2 3 . 4 5 – 00 . 3 0 Simplon (Boterdiep 69)
Phantom
0 0 . 3 0 – 01 . 1 5 De Spieghel (Peperstraat 11)
The story behind Phantom is exciting. Two music lovers, Tommi Koskinen and Hanna Toivonen, meet, start writing together and garner international attention, even though they’ve written a mere four songs. The duo’s melancholy sound comes partially from the same place as someone like the Swedish band Niki & The Dove. Phantom was actually born when Toivonen went to Austin for the SXSW 2012 event as a mobile industry representative. Phantom ended up performing five times at the event, even though they were supposed to play just one show. At this point even The xx has namechecked the band on their Tumblr.
www.wearephantom.com
CO N TAC T
Tommi Koskinen tommi@audiodraft.com
thursday
Don Johnson Big Band
2 0 . 0 0 – 20 . 4 5 Grand Theatre (Grote Markt 35)
The Helsinki-based quartet released their debut album, Support de Microphones, on their own in 2000. The hip hop boom on the early-2000s propelled the world’s smallest big band to the top of the charts and platinum sales with Breaking Daylight (2003). The sound of the band has continually expanded to harvest hues from pop, funk, jazz, progressive rock, dance music, easy listening – and everything else under the sun. Tommy Lindgren’s hyperkinetic rapping has become the band’s most recognizable element and visiting vocalists as well as instrumentalist have given the audience more points of entry into to DJBB universe. DJBB has established its position as one of the most loved names in Finnish music.
2012.donjohnsonbigband.com
CO N TAC T
Juha Ruusunen / Live Nation juha.ruusunen@livenation.fi
LCMDF Thursday
2 2 . 1 5 – 23 .0 0 Huize Maas (Vismarkt 52)
Where most of the indie-electro groups fronted by women that were all the rage in 2006, from CSS to New Young Pony Club, have disappeared into the mists of history, LCMDF has managed the tricky task of renewal and retained its vitality. After the triumph of their debut album Love & Nature, the band has immersed itself even deeper into the 1990s – the influence of the recently resurgent seapunk esthetic is clearly apparent in the band’s new style. The Guardian described LCMDF as ”a delirious mix of electro, punk and pure pop.” www.lcmdf.com
C ontact
Kalle Lundgren Smith kalle@pitchandsmith.com
LCMDF is the EBU choice for Eurosonic 2013
Thursday
Michael Monroe
23.00 –23.45 Grand Theatre (Grote Markt 35)
Michael Monroe´s 80’s glam rock band Hanoi Rocks had a huge influence on Axl Rose and the rest of the original Guns ‘n Roses. Michael Monroe is a bona fide rock legend. Michael Monroe started a new band, in the mid2000s, carrying his own name and to the surprise of some, it has become the most popular project he’s been involved in for a quarter of a century. As a live performer Monroe is better than ever, Classic Rock Magazine chose his latest album Sensory Overdrive, released in early-2011, as Album of the Year
www.michaelmonroe.com
C ontact
Virpi Immonen / Backstage Alliance virpi.immonen@backstagealliance.com
Mesak ft. Claws Costeau
Thursday
23. 45 – 0 0. 30 Platform Theatre, Patio
Skweee’s origins lie in Sweden and Finland. The word comes from ‘to squeeze out’, referring to squeezing out the best sounds of vintage synthesizers and other machines. In combination with funk, R&B and soul, the sound has been incorporated into dubstep by cutting edge artists like Hudson Mohawke who uses skweee in his sets. Label-owner Mesak is a musician and DJ, one of the best known skweee’ers in the world. Mesak will be accompanied by the main man in the Turku Skweee business, Claws Costeau.
www.facebook.com/hugebass
C ontact
Tatu Metsätähti hugebass@gmail.com
Thursday
Siinai
0 1 . 1 5 –02 . 0 0 Vera (Oosterstraat 44)
Siinai’s instrumental music rewards the patient listener. It’s easy to see it as marginal, but its beating heart could mesmerize an arena full of people into an epic trance. The band makes a big, unified sound where no one steps on anyone’s toes. The band’s debut was a critical success and a tour (and album) with Moonface throughout much of Europe and North America cemented their reputation as a first-rank live act that, at its best, offers audiences something resembling an out-of-body experience.
siinai.tumblr.com
C ontact
Jonas Verwijnen / Kaiku Studios jonas@kaikustudios.com
Acid Symphony Orchestra
Friday
2 0 . 0 0 – 20 . 4 5 Stadsschouwburg (Turfsingel 86)
Right after the All Eyes on Finland party at Stadsschouwburg, the stage will be occupied by one of the world’s most interesting orchestras, Acid Symphony Orchestra conducted by Jori Hulkkonen. There won’t be cellos or bassoons on stage, because this orchestra is ten serious blokes, all with a Roland TB 303 on their lap.
acidsymphonyorchestra.com
C ontact
Jori Hulkkonen jori@jorihulkkonen.com
Friday
Lau Nau
2 0 . 4 5 – 21 . 3 0 Grand Theatre (Grote Markt 35)
Lau Nau’s music brings to mind dusty attics, rainy fishing villages and fir forests. It’s not tied to the 21st century or any geographic location. Naukkarinen is a unique musician and finding points of comparison for her is pretty much impossible. Lau Nau is an ensemble personified by musician Laura Naukkarinen. The fragile music released under the Lau Nau moniker is a balancing act between folk and avant-garde. Due to its unique nature, Naukkarinen releases her music through the internationally respected Finnish independent label Fonal Records.
www.launau.com
C ontact
Sami Sänpäkkilä / Fonal Records sami@fonal.com
Friday
Rubik
2 1 . 3 0 –22 . 1 5 Grand Theatre (Grote Markt 35)
This is the second time for heart-on-their-sleeve art rockers Rubik at Eurosonic and there are good reasons for it. Rubik has been called the Finnish Radiohead because of their emotional lyrics and sounds, but the differences are probably greater than the similarities. Their indie rock is full of catchy choruses and energetic, dynamic beats. Artturi Taira’s voice is completely unique and after ten years and three albums Rubik is a very experienced band with highly emotional live shows.
www.rubikband.net
C ontact
Ville Kilpeläinen / Fullsteam ville@fullsteam.fi
Friday
Pertti Kurikan nimipäivät
2 2 . 1 5 – 23 . 0 0 Vindicat (Grote Markt 27)
Pertti Kurikan nimipäivät invests their music with criticism, hate, hopes, coming from their own starting point and perspective, but they’re all familiar to all people regardless of how many chromosomes they have and what their health is like. Pertti Kurikan nimipäivät is a punk band consisting of four mentally handicapped musicians who met each other at a cultural workshop by Lyhty association in 2009. The band is named after the guitarist Pertti Kurikka, who writes the band’s music and works on the lyrics together with vocalist Kari Aalto. A documentary film about the band, The Punk Syndrome (www.kovasikajuttu.fi) was released in 2012, to a rapturous reception. Punk Syndrome will be screened at Forumimages (Hereplein 73) on Friday at 18.00.
www.kovasikajuttu.fi
C ontact
Teuvo Merkkiniemi / Lyhty ry teuvo.merkkiniemi@lyhty.net
2 2. 15 – 2 3 . 00 News Café (Waagplein 5)
Sin Cos Tan
Friday
Remember all those sci-fi books and movies about cyborgs with hearts, spaceships with implanted human brains and all that? For the aural version of that, check out the new Finnish duo Sin Cos Tan. Interfacing here are emotions and electronics, melodies and beats, chilliness and warmth, dance and thought, among other tantalising dualities. Sin Cos Tan is the new band from legendary producer and DJ Jori Hulkkonen and Villa Nah’s Juho Paalosmaa. Having worked together previously on Villa Nah’s superb debut album Origin and on the track ‘Re: Last Year’ from Hulkkonen’s own Man From Earth solo record, a further artistic union was almost inevitable.
www.facebook.com/homeofsincostant
C ontact
Jori Hulkkonen jori@jorihulkkonen.com
Disco Ensemble
Friday
2 3 . 0 0 – 23 . 4 5 Machinefabriek
Disco Ensemble is all about the energy. Their wild, rough and sweaty gigs are naturally the best environment to truly experience that feeling, but they do manage to capture it on their recordings, too. Disco Ensemble was formed in a little town called Ulvila in western Finland in 1996. It can be loosely characterized as a rock band that plays post-hardcore. Their breakthrough album was First Aid Kit in 2005. Since then the band has toured central Europe extensively and regularly. In Finland, it has been a part of the Fullsteam Records roster from the very beginning. Internationally the band has worked with Sony and Universal.
discoensemble.com
C ontact
Juha Kyyrรถ / Fullsteam juha@fullsteam.fi
Friday
Satellite Stories
0 0 .1 5 – 01 . 0 0 Muziekschool (Sint Jansstraat 7)
Satellite Stories had been mentioned a few times as the great promise of 2012. That was not just because of the young age of these four blond Finns. They grew up in a small town near the Arctic Circle and now they play as if the sunny season had just begun and the darker colder days were almost forgotten.
satellitestories.com
C ontact
Michael MacDonald / Michael Mac Management info@michael-mac.com
Huoratron Friday
0 1 . 1 5 – 02 . 0 0 Huize Maas (Vismarkt 52)
Huoratron is in his own world, composing deep, hard, bashing techno beats that aim straight for the listener’s soul. His live shows are all about interaction with the audience. There is a great energy flowing from the audience to the stage and vice versa. There’s a good reason why bpm:tv gave a consumer warning for Huoratron’s latest album: “The bass on this album has been clinically proven to cause a full and debilitating mind-and-body addiction to electro.” This is something you really have to see and feel for yourself: don’t miss it, it’s an experience.
www.huoratron.com
C ontact
Dougie A. Bohay / Last Gang Entertainment doug@lastgangentertainment.com
8 4
9
5 12 1
6
2
1
11 3
10
2
1
De Spieghel (Peperstraat 11)
2
Grand Theatre (Grote Markt 35)
3
Huize Maas (Vismarkt 52)
4
Machinefabriek
5
Muziekschool (Sint Jansstraat 7)
6
News CafĂŠ (Waagplein 5)
7
Platform Theatre (Patio)
8
Simplon (Boterdiep 69)
9
Stadsschouwburg (Turfsingel 86)
10
USVA (Munnekeholm 10)
11
Vera (Oosterstraat 44)
12
Vindicat (Grote Markt 27)
All ey Finla
yes on and
Contact M U S I C F I N L A N D S TA F F
Sami Häikiö Head of International +358 (0)40 7690 717 sami.haikio@musicfinland.fi Andy Prinkkilä Project Manager (artists, lounge, production) +358 (0)50 480 4764 andy-prinkkila@musicfinland.fi Jani Sipilä Communications manager (press and PR) +358 (0)50 5430 388 jani.sipila@musicfinland.fi
I N CO - O P E RAT I O N W I T H
Tina Jukarainen Communications Assistant (All eyes on Finland Pop-Up Tour) +358 (0)40 7537 556 tina.jukarainen@musicfinland.fi Jan-Henrik Stecker Financial Assistant (friend in need) jan-henrik.stecker@musicfinland.fi Tuomo Tähtinen Executive Director +358 (0)44 069 8000 tuomo.tahtinen@musicfinland.fi P R CO - O P E R AT I O N W I T H T H E R O C K I N G FAC TO R Y
Christian Hald Buhl The Rocking Factory +49 15 15 25 8 34 34 buhl@therockingfactory.eu