Getting to know Kakka-hätä 77
Kakka-hätä was quickly dealt with, which is the way it should be. There’s no time for loitering around when the urge is overpowering. As an attitude punk is endangered, or alternatively serves as a voice of the endangered. Kakka-hätä 77 is apparently about both.
First time is always special because of no previous experience to compare with, which also applies to this band and to this gig. Apparently a lot of festival audience agrees with this, as the whole front of the small truck stage was full of curious crowd who just had to see the band everybody knows by name. After managing my way near the front row, I noticed pogoing started from the first songs. This is punk.
Straight from the beginning the steady guitar-lead playing tingles my interest. The style is generally cleaner than I expected, as my knowledge of the band is mostly limited to the hit single Elämä on huora. However, my knowledge is greatly expanded during the show, which is a positive aspect. It’s even possible to understand the lyrics, of which the members of the youth organization of the national coalition party get their share. The overall feeling is peaceful, despite of the playing being quite tight.
In some way I associate this with early Finnish punk, as the words are written in rhyme and generally everything works in a similar fashion. One memorable moment during the show was the second last song, Systeemi ei toimi where the lyrics are limited to repeating the same phrase over and over again.
These boys are so punk they dare to play only for twenty minutes, despite of the audience wanting for more.
Text: Terhi Lilja