ConcertsLive

Leprous, Agent Fresco, Alithia, Astrosaur @ Tavastia

October 24, 2017,  Tavastia, Helsinki, Finland

Life is full of surprises – like taking over from a colleague on very short notice, actually at such short notice I had no time to gather some information beforehand about the support bands, because Prog Rock / Metal is not quite down my alley. On the other hand, having no expectations at all is a nice way to find out whether a band is impressive or not…

Luckily there was some 30min delay so that I actually made it easily… and according to the crowd in the foyer you could guess that it was going to be full tonight – for Prog, on a Tuesday… Although I would have preferred to have a photo pit, I doubt that it would have made any difference, because the light situation remained mostly – err – atmospheric …   GALLERY HERE

Astrosaur from Norway could have been Finnish – no conversation with the audience at all  😉  Highly focused and intense performance of this instrumental trio, a tour de force through Prog, Rock / Alternative material with some Metal or even Noise-Core. Not bad indeed!  https://www.facebook.com/astrosaur/

The next act Alithia filled the stage – more keyboards and a percussion corner, and what looked like a full soccer team … Those Australians truly enjoyed their first Finland show ever, and their mix of Prog Rock / Metal with some Latino feeling obviously appealed to the crowd. I could hardly believe that the female singer was a last-minute replacement with only a few hours practise – respect! Another band from down-under you should keep an eye (and ear) on …   https://www.facebook.com/alithiaband

Agent Fresco from Iceland also featured a substitute (Nicolai Mogensen of VOLA) because bass player Vignir Rafn Hilmarsson is becoming a father … They did have more space on stage and used it for an energetic show full of action. Perhaps the act with most Pop appeal this evening – which I don’t mean in a bad way… http://www.agentfresco.is

When the headliners Leprous took the stage, it seemed the club had missed the “sold out” situation just slightly. Well, I can understand why, a great band, a charismatic performance, therefore I was hypnotized by those Norwegians in an instant. They weave a tight sound carpet, enriched with a cello and some industrial elements, and a clear distinctive voice floats over all this. The sound made me think of Muse, but the Norwegians sound more like (experimental) Rock, less symphonic. However, this Cello solo with the vocals reaching counter tenor levels sounds a bit like a Barock opera… Gooseflesh. They rip your heart out, then slam it right back inside with some brutal Metal riffs. Hell yeah! A band I volunteer to watch next time… And I can only recommend to check the dates of the ongoing European tour (until end of November) as you should not miss this package!    https://www.facebook.com/leprousband/

 

Klaudia Weber

reckless and merciless dictator, so KNEEL! In other words, editor-in-chief, translator, website and ad admin, "Jane of all trades" - - - addicted to books (everything between Lord Of The Rings & quantum physics) and music, mainly Metal made in Finland. Furthermore, there's painting, drawing, movies, theater... so you can expect some variety on this website too. MA Master of Arts, English and American studies & Media communication = completed two full studies parallel within 5 years; very proud of my achievement - a bit later in life thanks to a scholarship - as a working class girl in a highlyconservative-romancatholic nation...