Apulanta, the Old Faihtful
Apulanta’s position in the Finnish rock pantheon is unrefutable. They demonstrated the reasons on a Sunday afternoon in Ilosaarirock, their tenth visit here.
Even the nasty winds that made a mess out of the sounds didn’t bother the ecstatic festival crowd. If Toni Wirtanen’s voice was drowned out by the gales at times, it couldn’t silence the singing masses. It was easy, as Mitä kuuluu, Mato, and Käännä se pois are tattooed in each and everybody’s brains by now.
It took until the final moments of the gig until the party really got going, when the drummer Sipe Santapukki chose Anna mulle piiskaa as the encore. Thousands of people sang along, their uvulas flapping, jumping around and waving their arms.
Wirtanen told the crowds that the back in the days the band bought themselves guitars “because of what I see in front of me right now.” It’s easy to believe him.
Text: Sanna Väyrynen
Pictures: Eetu Mustonen