Mary Ann Hawkins

Mary Ann Hawkins isn’t the kind of band you ease into. This Helsinki-based surf rock group takes listeners on a ride where speed, longing and guitar distortion are always along for the trip. Their second album Helsinki Surf City, released in February, hits like a tidal wave: saxophones wail, drums thunder and guest vocalists Stepa, Marko Haavisto, Maria Stereo and M pull you straight into the depths.

The dive into Mary Ann Hawkins’s sound is even deeper live. The band plays together with an almost impossibly relaxed precision – and the result is something cut and polished like a diamond. Sharp, gleaming and rare. The perfect kind of music for anywhere, but especially for a festival Sunday at Ilosaarirock.