There are just those some bands that stand out among the rest, for whatever reason. Korpiklaani are one of those bands for me. Being my first ever folk metal band that I listened to, I've always been fond of the Finnish six-piece ever since I heard the always epic and famous track, 'Vodka'. Little did I know that I would get to see that track performed live this soon.
When Korpiklaani announced their first ever Australian tour, I was nothing short of friggin excited. Like I said, their music just cannot be missed and you can't help but like the band that dedicates it's music to the goodness of alcohol. The most ironic thing that night was definitely the fact that I don't drink but I love a band whose lyrical themes are primarily about drinking. I made my way to the Manning Bar, eagerly awaiting the doors to open and once they did, my excitement knew no bounds. There were still a few minutes for it all to start while Trollgasm were doing their sound-check, so I hung around the merch stands with a friend, until I spot that HAT. It was none other than the awesome Kalle 'Cane' Savijarvi, guitarist of Korpiklaani. He was just floating around and actually came in the direction I was standing, when I seized the opportunity to take a fan-girl picture.
It's always nice to meet the bands, especially before a gig, psychs me out even more and so far I've been really lucky meeting a few! Dubbo-based band Trollgasm kicked off the night and did a pretty good job at getting the crowd all set for the magic of Korpiklaani. I had never heard them before, but I liked what I heard. Fast-paced, folkey, little bits of symphony incorporated by a violinist.
Troldhaugen were up next and WOW. If it were possible, my eyes almost popped out of their sockets. The stage presence of this band is like nothing I have ever seen. One by one each member of this crazy, progressive, folk metal band entered the stage on a rather silent, very sophisticated note, the sophistication rather significant with their classy outfits, blazers, vests, the whole enchilada. Two minutes later, without any prior warning, Troldhaugen blasted into what was definitely one of the most energetic performances I've seen. I LOVE their music, which has some fine elements of swing and jazz fused with the awesomeness of good ol' folk metal. They reminded me a lot of Diablo Swing Orchestra and Weird Al. But my, did it certainly get the crowd going! The vocalist was definitely my favourite, with his insane eyes lighting up and looking rather demonic but in a hilarious way. He danced, jumped, did some really fancy stints on stage and kept the crowd really entertained. If this madness wasn't enough to handle, from heavy folk swing metal, the music transcended into the ever famous 'Call Me Maybe'. I burst out laughing as did everyone else present, it was just too much! It didn't stop with that, because a few minutes later,Troldhaugen introduced to the world a new concept of dubstep and metal. Absolutely brilliant, humorous, this band is definitely one you cannot miss if they head your way.
After what seemed like an eternity to me, it was the moment I had been waiting for since August. Members of the six piece Finnish group made their way on to the stage with awesome folk music playing away in the background, while drummer Matti 'Matson' started clapping, getting the now packed crowd at the Manning even more psyched. On they came one by one, with Cane declaring with a huge grin " We are Korpiklaani! Now it's time to partaaaay!" And party we did! It was such a happy atmosphere and I knew that I was in for an amazing, fun night! I wasn't wrong =)
Jonne, the vocalist, made a grand entrance and burst into song, beginning the set on a heavy, fun note with 'Tuonelan Tuvilla'. It only got crazier from that point with some of the best Korpiklaani tracks being played such as 'Juodaan Viilna', 'Wooden pints', 'Rauta', 'Ievan Polka', and of course 'Vodka' which was FINALLY played after much yelling and screaming from the crowd. Jonne was AMAZING. Powerful, gruff vocals that was enough to make you want to break something and run around the place like a crazy, drunk person! Which is exactly what it was. People headbanging, dancing their versions of Finnish folk, not to mention a special appearance made by the Pope, a guy who clearly made quite an impact on the audience, crowd surfing.
Sami, the accordion player was tops, not to mention the sheer awesomeness of the Violin-Guitar fusions. Cane and Jonne were an absolute riot and you couldn't help but laugh when seeing the two Finnishmen running up and down the stage, arms flailing, hair flying and generally having the time of their lives.The energy was outstanding throughout the set, fans going crazier with every song that played, throwing themselves at each other, beer and spit showers being the thing of the night. And by crazy I mean a woman in the crowd flinging her bra on to the stage with the amused members of Korpiklaani watching their vocalist respectfully and enthusiastically hang it on the mic stand.
It was an amazing set by Korpiklaani at The Manning Bar, ending it with a three song encore, the last track of the night being 'Beer Beer', another favourite of mine. Jonne took the oppurtunity to prance around with a beer bottle on his head, before he downed it all. You'd think after three and a half hours that it was the end of a great show, but the energy levels in the room that night, especially at the end seemed to prove otherwise.
It's hard to put down in words the atmosphere that night. It was a fun metal party of sorts and at the end of it all, I can only remember that I was one happy metalhead. You had to be there to know what it was, but it was definitely one of the best times I've ever had, one of the best gigs I've been to. Korpiklaani signed off saying this was their first time Down Under but definitely not their last.
When Korpiklaani announced their first ever Australian tour, I was nothing short of friggin excited. Like I said, their music just cannot be missed and you can't help but like the band that dedicates it's music to the goodness of alcohol. The most ironic thing that night was definitely the fact that I don't drink but I love a band whose lyrical themes are primarily about drinking. I made my way to the Manning Bar, eagerly awaiting the doors to open and once they did, my excitement knew no bounds. There were still a few minutes for it all to start while Trollgasm were doing their sound-check, so I hung around the merch stands with a friend, until I spot that HAT. It was none other than the awesome Kalle 'Cane' Savijarvi, guitarist of Korpiklaani. He was just floating around and actually came in the direction I was standing, when I seized the opportunity to take a fan-girl picture.
It's always nice to meet the bands, especially before a gig, psychs me out even more and so far I've been really lucky meeting a few! Dubbo-based band Trollgasm kicked off the night and did a pretty good job at getting the crowd all set for the magic of Korpiklaani. I had never heard them before, but I liked what I heard. Fast-paced, folkey, little bits of symphony incorporated by a violinist.
Troldhaugen were up next and WOW. If it were possible, my eyes almost popped out of their sockets. The stage presence of this band is like nothing I have ever seen. One by one each member of this crazy, progressive, folk metal band entered the stage on a rather silent, very sophisticated note, the sophistication rather significant with their classy outfits, blazers, vests, the whole enchilada. Two minutes later, without any prior warning, Troldhaugen blasted into what was definitely one of the most energetic performances I've seen. I LOVE their music, which has some fine elements of swing and jazz fused with the awesomeness of good ol' folk metal. They reminded me a lot of Diablo Swing Orchestra and Weird Al. But my, did it certainly get the crowd going! The vocalist was definitely my favourite, with his insane eyes lighting up and looking rather demonic but in a hilarious way. He danced, jumped, did some really fancy stints on stage and kept the crowd really entertained. If this madness wasn't enough to handle, from heavy folk swing metal, the music transcended into the ever famous 'Call Me Maybe'. I burst out laughing as did everyone else present, it was just too much! It didn't stop with that, because a few minutes later,Troldhaugen introduced to the world a new concept of dubstep and metal. Absolutely brilliant, humorous, this band is definitely one you cannot miss if they head your way.
After what seemed like an eternity to me, it was the moment I had been waiting for since August. Members of the six piece Finnish group made their way on to the stage with awesome folk music playing away in the background, while drummer Matti 'Matson' started clapping, getting the now packed crowd at the Manning even more psyched. On they came one by one, with Cane declaring with a huge grin " We are Korpiklaani! Now it's time to partaaaay!" And party we did! It was such a happy atmosphere and I knew that I was in for an amazing, fun night! I wasn't wrong =)
Jonne, the vocalist, made a grand entrance and burst into song, beginning the set on a heavy, fun note with 'Tuonelan Tuvilla'. It only got crazier from that point with some of the best Korpiklaani tracks being played such as 'Juodaan Viilna', 'Wooden pints', 'Rauta', 'Ievan Polka', and of course 'Vodka' which was FINALLY played after much yelling and screaming from the crowd. Jonne was AMAZING. Powerful, gruff vocals that was enough to make you want to break something and run around the place like a crazy, drunk person! Which is exactly what it was. People headbanging, dancing their versions of Finnish folk, not to mention a special appearance made by the Pope, a guy who clearly made quite an impact on the audience, crowd surfing.
Sami, the accordion player was tops, not to mention the sheer awesomeness of the Violin-Guitar fusions. Cane and Jonne were an absolute riot and you couldn't help but laugh when seeing the two Finnishmen running up and down the stage, arms flailing, hair flying and generally having the time of their lives.The energy was outstanding throughout the set, fans going crazier with every song that played, throwing themselves at each other, beer and spit showers being the thing of the night. And by crazy I mean a woman in the crowd flinging her bra on to the stage with the amused members of Korpiklaani watching their vocalist respectfully and enthusiastically hang it on the mic stand.
It was an amazing set by Korpiklaani at The Manning Bar, ending it with a three song encore, the last track of the night being 'Beer Beer', another favourite of mine. Jonne took the oppurtunity to prance around with a beer bottle on his head, before he downed it all. You'd think after three and a half hours that it was the end of a great show, but the energy levels in the room that night, especially at the end seemed to prove otherwise.
It's hard to put down in words the atmosphere that night. It was a fun metal party of sorts and at the end of it all, I can only remember that I was one happy metalhead. You had to be there to know what it was, but it was definitely one of the best times I've ever had, one of the best gigs I've been to. Korpiklaani signed off saying this was their first time Down Under but definitely not their last.
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