Uzva & Alamaailman Vasarat - Helsinki, June 13
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Category: Progressive Music Lounges
Forum Name: Live Performance Reviews
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URL: http://www.progarchives.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=25878
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Topic: Uzva & Alamaailman Vasarat - Helsinki, June 13
Posted By: Jimbo
Subject: Uzva & Alamaailman Vasarat - Helsinki, June 13
Date Posted: July 08 2006 at 07:35
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I'm writing this almost a month after the gig, so if my description
sounds a little vague, it is because of that. I had been waiting for
this day a long time, as both are among my favorite modern prog bands. UZVA Uzva started the gig, and what a treat it was! Their sound was considerably heavier live; they almost sound like a chamber rock group on their albums, but live it was like a different group altogether. I don't remember what songs they played, but it's not important at all, as their music is meant to be listened as a whole. Their live performance reminded me of Tasavallan Presidentti in many ways - Lauri Kajander (rhythm guitar) actually looks exactly like young Jukka Tolonen. Antti Lauronen (sax, flute) stole the show on many occasions, he certainly added his own jazzy touch to the music. They played some tracks from their upcoming album (should be released this year), and it sounded quite interesting, although it's always difficult to get a grip of the music, when hearing it for the first time. I won't go into detail describing their music, read the reviews, if you're interested in the band. The only thing that slightly ruined the atmosphere was the technical problems they had. Kajander's guitar amplifier wasn't functioning the way it should, and they couldn't get it to work during the gig, so his guitar sounded a bit strange. Other than that, it was a fine gig. The leader of the group, Heikki Puska, is a very shy man, so it was certainly one of the highlights of the night, when he had to talk to the audience, while the rest of the group were trying to fix the problems. Alamaailman Vasarat When Alamaailman Vasarat entered the stage, it was quite a sight! Jarno Sarkula looked like a missing ZZ-Top member, with his huge beard and weird hat! Without underrestimating Uzva's performance at all, Alamaailman Vasarat did stole the show. While Uzva were fairly calm on stage, AV's amazing, theatrical performance is definitely something you don't manage to see too often. I bet Trouserpress would've loved to see this  .At one point, during a calm, more sinister moment, Sarkula (saxes, clarinet etc.) and Erno Haukkala (trombone, tuba etc.) were sitting on the ground, looking fairly gloomy, while the rest of the group were playing. Then, suddenly they jumped up, picked up their instruments, and started to attack your ears with all the possible cellos, saxes, trombones etc. It was a great moment. Their humorous, theatrical show would have given Genesis a run for their money, for sure! It goes without saying, that they're all brilliant musicians, but I was still amazed by the two cellists. If possible, they sounded even heavier live, which is quite an accomplishment! Most of the audience were jumping and dancing everywhere ... It looked very strange, to say the least, but just goes to show what an impact the band can have on you! I don't remember the setlist very well, but I'm sure they played at least Asuntovelka, Vasaraasialainen and Lentävä Mato. Well, anyway, it was brilliant gig from start to finish, and I sure as hell enjoyed it. I'm still feeling a bit dizzy when thinking about it! If you ever get a chance to see either of the bands live, it's well worth it. ------------- 
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Replies:
Posted By: Apsalar
Date Posted: July 09 2006 at 23:17
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Wow.. thanks for that review, it would have been an amazing, lucky for you living in Finland. Do may of your prog with the likes of Circle and Hoyry-Kone play regularly?
A while back I saw some video footage of Alamaailman Vasarat playing live and it looked crazy. It is always nice when a band comes out to shock their audience, sometimes times things like this can just make the show so much better.
I'm yet to check out Uzva, but from you description the band certain does sound promising. Where abouts do you think is a good place to start?
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Posted By: avestin
Date Posted: July 10 2006 at 08:08
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I am not particularly fond of live shows but by your description, I think seeing Alamaailman Vasarat would be something unforgettable and worthy. Thanks for the review. ------------- http://hangingsounds.blogspot.com/" rel="nofollow - Hanging Sounds http://www.progarchives.com/ProgRockShopping.asp" rel="nofollow - PA Index of prog music vendors |
Posted By: Jimbo
Date Posted: July 10 2006 at 17:36
Höyry-Kone was unfortunately disbanded some years ago, so I never managed to see them live. I've yet to hear Circle live too, but hopefully that can be fixed during the next few years. We do have a fairly vivid prog scene here, so it's possible to see bands like Hidria Spacefolk, Uzva, Kuusumun Profeetta, Wigwam, Magyar Posse, Alamaailman Vasarat etc. for a reasonably cheap price. That Uzva & AV gig was 8€, if my memory serves me well. Regarding Uzva, their debut is a hard one to find, but you could check out the samples here, and then if you like what you hear, try to find their second album Niittoaika, which is the better one of the two IMO. They also have a new album coming out this year, but obviously I've yet to hear it, so can't say anything about it. -------------
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Black Velvet wrote:Posted By: VanderGraafKommandöh
Date Posted: July 10 2006 at 17:43
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Wow, sounds like you had a lot of fun! Belated birthday wishes by the way, I hope you had a good day. -------------   
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Posted By: Jimbo
Date Posted: July 11 2006 at 16:10
Thanks, I did.  -------------
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Posted By: Eetu Pellonpaa
Date Posted: July 21 2006 at 01:41
I curse myself as I missed this gig.  I'm not very fond of AV but I have seen one UZVA gig before and they were amazing, combining structured themes with free improvisation in a very neat manner. Nice that you got to see them Jimbo! 
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