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Some say that one day in Finland can feel like a month. Perhaps that explains why Helsinki’s Poets of the Fall sound like they are stuck in 1993 (the band may remind you of oft-maligned post-grunge act Live, except with less-grating vocals and better lyrics, despite the fact that English is lead singer Marko Saaresto’s second language).
But POTF, as their fans call them, don’t seem to care that their earnest rock sound is out of favor. The band doesn’t need America’s stamp of approval anyway; in Finland, their first two records are platinum-sellers, and their just-released offering, “Revolution Roulette,” is likely to follow suit.
Now, thanks to Myspace and YouTube, the Finnish foursome threesome* (the band is touring with an additional member) are gaining a small cult following in the U.S.
But this is no Finnish metal act, mind you.
Last night, POTF played a mini acoustic set a la Nirvana’s “Unplugged” at the posh Bel-Air home of the consulate general of Finland in advance of the band’s official U.S. debut at the House of Blues tonight.
The audience seemed to be heavy on businessmen and women (many not even tangentially in the music industry), although a few had fancy titles like “head of program management” at Nokia Music.
Saaresto says the purpose of the group’s first foray to the U.S. is simply to see if there might be a bit of record label interest, and to “come here and sort of introduce ourselves.”
HOB might want to order an extra case of Finlandia. Anyone who has seen Jim Jarmusch’s 1991 film “Night on Earth” knows Helsinkians are a tough bunch, who know how to hold their vodka (Poets of the Fall’s nervous-looking guitarist asked for a shot after the band’s first song last night).
“We are very welcoming,” Saaresto says of his countrymen in general. “People [from Finland] are not, you know, the most talkative people in the world, but once you get to know them or if you need help or anything, they’re always there to help you.”
Welcome to L.A., Marko, where vapid blonds will talk your ear off and the men will “help you” — if traffic isn’t too bad on the 10, that is.
Tonight’s show is technically part of an annual A&R showcase called Muse Expo, but it shouldn’t be too difficult to get into HOB. To be on the safe side, more information and the ability to register for the Muse Expo (happening over the next few days at the club), is here.
– Photo and post by Charlie Amter
*See comment for further clarification on the band’s line-up.
Dear Mr. Amter,
Maybe if you spent a little less time being snobby about all the businessmen, considering Finnish drinking habits, and asking for basic evaluations about an entire nation’s populace and passive-agressively failing to notice anything meaningful in the “90s Ernest Rock” and the quiet but friendly attitudes all around you, I might be tempted to almost take your opinion seriously.
They’re “no finnish metal act.” I hope the LA Times paid you good money for that cunning insight. Also, Marko speaks and writes perfect English, so please don’t try to imply that the clever lyrics are an accident.
I’m sorry you had to live through the 90s. But I’m ready to move forward.
Thank you.
M
Please get the simple facts straight before writing: the band has three members, and an additional three (equalling six) when on the road. The foursome you saw and heard was just a half-improvised acoustic setup that has little to do with what the band sounds on albums and real gigs.
Welcome to L.A., Marko, where vapid blonds will talk your ear off ..aren’t Finns blonds??y would it be strange the blonds in LA?…
foursome band with an additional member??that doesn’t sound right…they r 3 members with 3 additional members for concerts & who knows the band will know that pretty well…
Poets of the Fall’s nervous-looking guitarist asked for a shot after the band’s first song last night
r u seriously talkin about Ollie??
so he gets drunk to forget he’s nervous & play good??that’s funny!!
all the members dun give a damn about being nervous cuz they create gud music & that take them 2 another world ..it’s so dum that a very good guitarist like Ollie would drink cuz he’s nervous !
Did you bother to learn anything about the band at ALL?
Why does no one get the line up right? Why why why? Are reporters really that stupid?
The Band = The Singer, the Lead Guitarist, and the Keyboardist. The Keyboardist didn’t perform that night. Those three write, produce and record all the albums. The keyboardist didn’t perform at the Consolate because of the improvised nature of the show: all the instruments were ones the Consol already had.
Three additional members: the Second Guitarist, the Bassist, and the Drummer, are added to the line-up for live performances. They also appear in the music videos and tour with the group.
Maybe if you’d actually bothered to ask the singer for some basic information about the band instead of for generalizations about “Finns in general” you would have gotten it right. Way to show these out-of-towners how through and professional American reporters are.
I was actually paying Marko a compliment regarding his lyrics. And yes, I am aware that he speaks perfect English (as you can see, I quoted him in the post). I’m sorry if that didn’t come across in my piece.
Regarding the line-up, that is indeed an error on my part. The band consists of singer Marko, guitarist Olli and Captain on keyboards. For the gig I saw, they had another musician on stage but those three are the core members of the band.
I honestly think that Poets of the Fall are extremely talented from what little I’ve heard. Hopefully the band will be back and I’ll have the opportunity to hear more.
Mr. Atmer,
I appreciate you comming by here to clarify things.
Please understand, in the post you freeze their sound at more then a decade ago and say they remind you of some post-grunge monstrosity, as well as not caring that they’re “out of favor.” This is why I’m genuinely surprised to learn you thought they were “extremely talented.” It’s an opinion you didn’t even hint at beforehand.
I hope they return as well: I was lucky enough to see them live at the House of Blues and I thought they were outstanding, amazing, and other words to that effect.
Regards,
M.
You STILL got the line-up wrong:
Mark: vocals
Ollie: lead guitar
Captain: keyboards & production
+ live setup:
Jake: second guitar
Jani: bass
Jari: drums
Mark, Ollie, Jake, and Jani performed that night. Jari and Captain did not.
You are correct. But the proper line-up of the band, when they are NOT doing special acoustic sets, IS Marko, Olli and Captain.
http://www.poetsofthefall.com/aboutpoets/
Now can we please move on with our lives? Thanks.
Thanks for your review. I attended both performances and there really was quite a difference. Having never heard them before, I was so impressed by their first show (and friendly personalities) that I had to see the full band. Video samples of both nights are available at www.multimediajones.com