Vavamuffin’s energetic soundwaves
The Polish band Vavamuffin waste no time in taking charge of the situation with their energetic playing. The audience applaudes the four-year old band, whose bass is going lower than ever before. The nine-man band do their best to help the crowd loosen up and let go.
The three Polish-blasting vocalists alternate in taking the lead. One has a voice so deep I can’t help smiling. The people are loving it: hips are swinging and hands are clapping. After some technical problems with the keyboards are solved, the band keeps on chilling down.
Never mind the language barrier between the performers and the crowd, for the easy rhythms wash away all such trivialities. And what a nice twang their Polish has! The music can be described as consisting mostly of ragga and dancehall, with a snappy beat. Their setlist also includes some swing-ier reggae tracks, a couple of them with Eastern influences that could encourage belly dancing.
Interspersed amongst the more frantic bits are some easier, sleepier songs. Faced with the band’s inexhaustible energy it is simply impossible to not get dancing. Even the most inhibited ones are tapping their toes, at the least.
Vavamuffin’s DJ Pablopavo has got his Finnish knowledge sorted out. He amuses the crowd by namechecking the footballers Jari Litmanen and Sami Hyypiä, the ex-skijumper Matti Nykänen, the skiers Jussi & Matti Hautamäki, and the Finnish reggae star Jukka Poika.
The band doesn’t hold their love back and deliver greetings from Paprika Korps and other Polish reggae artists. The penultimate track is devoted to Natasha, who visited Warsaw, and the last one goes out to the audience, which has been growing in size as the gig has progressed. “We love you, thank you so much!” they bid farewell in Finnish.
Words: Katri Simola
Translation: Olli Sulopuisto
Photo: Jarkko Liutu