The crowd in Sulo Club is waiting anxiously for the penultimate performer, Stam1na. Finally the all-male crew arrives. The bass player and guitarist are wearing blue overalls, the singer/guitarist is wearing a kilt and the keyboard player has a bra. The bald drummer is sporting a cowboy hat.
The audience’s waiting is rewarded when Stam1na begins their act: energetic noise, clamor and racket, sweat and lots of hair. The level of energy seems to rise song by song both in the crowd and in the band, both feeding each other. The crowd is quite literally emphatic: during the song Viisi laukausta päähän (Five shots to the head) your intrepid reporter gets at least five blows to her head from various bodyparts flying in the air. Not that this lowers the mood: said reporter possibly suffering from concussion, jumps all over her notepad and loses her pencil somewhere in the mud. (Ed. note: this explains why the rest of the review is somewhat hazy in specifics…)
There’s no reprieve for the crowd from tender ballads: the only breathers come from the lead-ins to songs, which give thanks to Ilosaarirock and Joensuu, remind the audience of the importance of contraceptives and suggest – nay, demand – the audience to form mosh pits. A surprise guest apperance is made by a cow that offers the band some milk and various other drinks. (Ed. note: no actual live cows were harmed during the act.)
Although the songs grind, they are not grinding. If you have time from all of the jumping and moshing, a careful listener can detect excellent guitar solos, theatrical intros and some somber moments. One could possibly find the whole spectrum of sound and fury. For instance, the song Tavastia palamaan! has an exuberant, anarchistic type of rage, whereas Vihaan sinua ihminen shows dynamic gloomy wrath. The band’s encore includes Puolikas ihminen, which is like a mantra that stays ringing in the cranium. (Ed. note: or it could be the concussion from before). The show concludes with a song of dystopian, end-of-the-world scene.
Although the act was over all too soon, it’s not the end of the world, for Ilosaarirock has just begun. Thank you Stam1na, hope to see you soon!
Text: Sini Heinoja
Photos: Mika Lehtola
Translation: Jaakko Suvanto
