White Flame @ Wartti 09.05.2009

White Flame is a Finnish rock band with elements of funk in their music. Some of the music sounded like AC/DC, Lenny Kravitz or even Stevie Wonder. The show was very artistic and energetic. There were some fans sitting next to the stage singing along to some of the tunes. When the band members noticed them, the guitar player walked up to these girls and played a solo personally to them. This concert was a mixture of all kinds of styles. They even did a Metallica cover, which seemed to comprehend the audience quite well. As usual, the audience really woke up only by the end of the concert so during a few tunes some of them danced in front of the stage. The band seemed to be living in their own world (as the singer stated) and the only one trying to break out of this world was the singer himself, who was literally bouncing off the walls and for a few minutes he even came to sing in the audience. He also established eye contact with many of the girls in the audience and seemed to be enjoying the concert (and the attention) at it's fullest.
http://www.whiteflamemusic.com

Scandinavian Music Group @ Rytmikorjaamo 25.04.2009

Scandinavian Music Group is a Finnish folk rock band, which grew out of a previous band called Ultra Bra. Both of these names are quite known in the bohemian circles of Estonia. One of the reasons, why I attended this concert, was the title of the band. Since they call theirselves „Scandinavian“, I assumed it would mean something like a union of the Swedish, Norwegian and Finnish cultures. The name became a bit ironic, when I heard the music they played – most of it was actually based on country music from the USA. Usually this would be a complete turn-off for me, but this was one of the rare occasions when it actually was not unpleasant at all! The voices of the singers were clear as crystal and the music might’ve been happy and country-like, but the singing sounded quite melancholic. The singers created perfect harmonies („Osan laulaa kuin enkeli“ – true that!) and the expression on their faces was something I will probably think about every time I’m in a bad mood. I haven’t seen this kind of happiness on stage ever since the last Folk Music Festival in Viljandi. The atmosphere was quite magical. Most of the audience was formed out of true fans who danced, smiled, wrapped their arms each other and sang along to every song. The lyrics were quite easy to understand, since the singers had perfect pronounciations and the sounds were also perfectly in tune. This is quite rare, because usually at concerts the singers are drowned out by the rest of the band. I could relate to everything that they sang about and this made the experience even more special. Most of the lyrics were about the difficulties of being a woman in love („Mitä tahansa minusta odotat, sitä en ole. Mitä tahansa minusta haluat, et taida saada kuitenkaan...“) or very romantic descriptions of Finland (and about many other beautiful places as well). After the concert I felt like buying their CD and listening to it 24/7! This band is walking on the line of perfection and I feel like flying with them.
http://www.scandinavianmusicgroup.com