Saw Pohjannaula on their tenth anniversary concert in Tavastia on wednesday, and came off impressed, very impressed.
Tavastia made a brave decision and the gigs begin earlier on weekdays. Thus, due to a clashing commitment, my arrival around ten meant that I missed most of the warm-up band. Kivireki‘s final song lasted for ten minutes and was odd enough a experience that there the purchase of their first self-published CD was mandatory.
I hadn’t seen Pohjannaula in a couple of years, and wasn’t too fond of their latest album. Fortunately, the evening was a retrospective through their entire career, and the song selection was wide indeed. The band played over two hours, to a good reception in the audience. Having played in the warm-up band, the original drummer and bassist returned for a couple of songs, and for one more the stage was shared between both incarnations of the band. This time there was no scythe-sharpening on stage, but traditionally both sahti (finnish prototypical beer) and a couple of vihtas (fresh birch branches used in sauna) were distributed to the front rows. Soap bubbles were a new arrival on stage. Didn’t jot down a set list, but the song selection was good indeed, and included one (thus far unnamed) new song.
An excellent start for the year, and a good reminder that Lauri Tähkä’s by no means the only folksome artist in the country.
