It is nearly impossible to believe one’s eyes when wandering around the camping site and observing the partygoers: what in the world can make a committed black metal man to dance around to Aqua’s 1990’s hit Barbie Girl with an euphoric smile on his face?

Also many others seem to have abandoned their everyday selves somewhere far away from the site and re-discovered their own mythical festival song classics.

Naturally, every festival summer goes together with its own summer hits, which can be heard on the capming sitesto the point of exhaustion. This year such a song is Lordi’s Eurovision winning chant, Hard Rock Hallelujah. The more lasting festival songs include, for instance, Pitkä kuuma kesä by Popeda, Pelimies by Martti Vainaa & Sallitut aineet, and practically any song by Kikka. In addition to these, hundreds of other original festival cult classics can be heard at the trotting-track camping site of Ilosaarirock.

A more exotic representative can be found in the form of the Japanese heavy metal band Metalucifer whose song Samurai has gained cult reputation at the far end of the trotting-track camping site. Also the mention of Andy Tom-Fox, known mainly for his rather peculiar voice, was met with excessive cheers. The fans of more marginal music happily equip their stereos with songs by Timo Turunen, 1990s child singers of Tenavatähti fame (the former “Kid Star” song competition), Janos Valmunen and the Popstars flop IndX - and know all the lyrics by heart, of course!

Then why do people listen to music so radically different from their usual taste of music in festivals? Despite the stubborn snooping and long conversations the secret of the popularity of festival cult songs was not revealed, but remained a mystery.

Text: Hanna-Riikka Roine
Translation: Hanna Laaksonen

16.07 2006 klo 14:10 - In English.