Mannhai, Blake, Spiha - Gloria, Helsinki 4/18/03 Guest List
From Aural Innovations #24 (July 2003)
Well, here I am back in Finland again! I get off the plane and take the bus to meet Mikko from Dark Sun. He meets me at the bus stop and we go to the rehearsal room. I only get to hear two songs of the Dark Sun rehearsal before they have to turn over the one of the other bands that they share the rehearsal space with. They are a young punk band called Brass Knuckles (in Finnish). Crazy kids trying to get me to drink their Finnish moonshine with orange juice. They are already getting drunk and haven’t even started to play! That is punk rock for you! The singer gives me some Samiakki Kosenkorva (Licorice flavored vodka). I take some, it is great stuff! I drink a beer and we are off to Mikko’s place, the old drummer from Spiha who now plays in Dark Sun. We hear some recent rehearsals, old Spiha Stuff, Dead Allison (Jurtsu’s old band). Jurtsu is the lead guitar player in Dark Sun. After a joint, we head off to Gloria to catch the show. Spiha is already playing when we get there. They sound great and there are lots of girls into it and it is about half full. The balcony is closed off. They play the complete new CD from start to finish. I met a lot of people: Jukka, the DJ, a guy from Hidria Spacefolk, Aki, etc. Cool set but not as psychedelic as they used to be. The Gas Giant band arrives during the last two songs of Spiha and is feeling good!
Set List: Egoreactor, Bloodrain, Altamont, If I ever let you go, Samurai of the Sound, Monster, Scratch, Freedom Fuel, I ain’t the One, If I fall
Blake is a four piece dark metal band. Heavy riffs, Danzig like vocals. The singer looks so mean. Bald with tattoos. Some of the stuff they played was really good. About half the people leave after Spiha. Jesper and I seem to be the only ones into it.
Set List: I’ll take, Cosmic, Fireroot, Not the 1, Beggars, Ground, Man Is, Healer
Mannhai are next and the bass player is a friend of Santtu’s and used to play in Amorphis. They play a kind of Nebula like Stoner rock but they have a singer who sings like Bruce Dickenson but not as well. They had some very cool songs and grooves and one spacey tune at the beginning of their set but then I lost interest. The Soundman was really crap as you could hardly hear the guitar and the bass was loud as hell. Incredible bass playing. Really cool. We end the night with a 29km taxi ride (33€!) to get to Janne’s place to crash out.
Reviewed by Scott Heller