Held annually since 2009, Tallinn Music Week has a focal point for the most productive emerging music teams from the region and beyond; An opportunity for creatives, industry professionals and listeners to become aware of “the music, arts and concepts of tomorrow” in Estonia’s capital.
Presented alongside exhibitions, lectures, panels and galleries, this year’s concert program, which ran from April 4 to 6, featured a total of 17 artists from 35 countries, 70 of whom were only from Estonia and the rest were Canadian artists. Poland, Germany, Latvia, Ukraine and the United Kingdom.
Located largely in the city’s artistic hotspot of Tellinski, the occasion showcased a collection of genres, from Lithuanian pop to Taiwanese folk pop to Finnish heavy metal, the latter of which was featured in the Heavy Music Estonia show at Tallinn’s avant-garde Paavli Kultuurivabrik. Place. April 4.
The evening featured a number of headliners showcasing what their country has to offer to a foreign audience, and many industry leaders joined in. Talking about Estonia’s heavy music and why occasions like this are so important, founder Ott Evestus says, “We wanted to create an organization that stands by your side when no one else is. Provide opportunities for other people who love to play heavy music and those who love to listen to heavy music through events that give everyone a chance to connect and be a component. of something bigger.
“Tallinn Music Week is a very vital platform and we saw it as an opportunity to make it more applicable to other people focused on the heavy music industry, helping local bands gain more visibility and opportunities. We think that Europe wants a spectacular festival, that’s more focused on heavy music, that’s why we’re going to do it with Tallinn Music Week.
After Thursday’s HME party, enthusiasts returned to the venue for the Blowup show with the promise of being “condemned, confused and punked by bands from Finland, Estonia and the UK”; A night of select music that is less heavy but no less impressive. Elsewhere, enthusiasts enjoyed performances by what were billed as “adventurous and eclectic artists from colorful European scenes” at Tellinkski’s Vikendica show, which featured psych rock and punk bands alongside weird and whimsical styles. pop acts.
Now that we’re back home and warmed up after spending days wandering in the snow, here’s our advisor on the best options artists saw in Tallinn.
If Korn, Slipknot, and Linkin Park had a baby, he’d probably look a lot like the Estonian steelworker Evestus. Between their commercial corkscrew-like riffs, vocoder-distorted vocals, and terrifying melodies, this band makes us laugh back in time, to the days when nu steel ruled the airwaves and the fashion of choice was the most questionable. Best of all, the band is up to the task, sporting a hodgepodge of familiar nu steel looks with sportswear and gothic jumpsuits, paired with their own makeup and grizzly bear painted welding. helmets.
Estonian band Horror Dance Squad sends riffs galore with their compelling electronic metalcore chimney. With exciting choruses reminiscent of the new Bring Me The Horizon and Architects, the Tallinn-based metalheads deliver clear, softly melodic vocals interspersed with crisp screams between walls of noise. So strong that it feels like a Baltic snowfall has hit the place. Your next new metalcore favorite!
A swirl of doom, post-metal, and mud, Dome Runner is wickedly dark, deploying screeching song riffs opposed to a dark background of commercial fuzz, flanked by smoky growls that echo the combination like a distant, ghostly call. In response, the Finnish metallurgists are greeted with a slow and appreciative gesture by the crowd. To close out his performance, singer and guitarist Simo Perkiömäki crouched over his guitar on the floor like a goblin, scratching the strings to create a pause of dark response. . If a cross between Godflesh and Sleep sounds intriguing, then Dome Runner is for you.
Dressed casually, baseball caps and white T-shirts, first impressions recommend that Finland’s Moshimoshi (the casual Japanese “Hello” when talking on the phone) will be something like the logo of his gang of indie post-rockers; Vibrant riffs, hardcore-inspired vocals, you know the drill. However, it doesn’t take long to realize that this band is something else entirely, as they launch into hyperactive and mathematical progressive riffs, punctuated between tight passages, grunge and post-punk. , the technical parts provide a dazzling burst of meaning, keeping you on your feet throughout.
Dressed in denim vests and jackets, this young gang of Berlin anti-punks turns out to have been summoned to be part of the cast of Skins. Perhaps the coolest band on the bill at Paavli’s Blowup showcase, they deliver booming basslines, hard-hitting beats, and booming monotonous tones. vocals, delivered through their swaggering leader traversing the level under a shower of sinister synths. Edgy, sublime and a little menacing, the only thing missing are a few cigarettes that hang freely from their mouths.
No one at this festival is more detailed than VIRTA frontman Antti Hevosmaa, who, despite performing seated, becomes such a captivating presence that it’s hard to look away. Working in front of a synthesizer and drum machine, Hevosmaa jostles and trembles with the sound of his specific mix of alternative rock jazz, intensely bent over his station like a scientist immersed in experimentation, before sensually caressing the air with his hands as he melts Thom. Elsewhere, he carves trumpet melodies through pensive psychedelic passages. , while percussionist Erik Fräki rips through the steel with his hi-hat, a delight that is haunting and euphoric.
The six Macedonian rockers Lufthansa make noise, their fast-paced psychedelic post-punk logo making heads dance through tumultuous percussion, zigzag guitar beats and funk-inspired basslines. Meanwhile, leader Ivo Nikolovski shakes his body as if he is exorcised, his nonchalant attitude and natural voice contrasting with the surrounding noise. A tantalizing watch.
Liz strives to keep Louder’s sites up-to-date with the latest news from the world of rock and metal. Prior to joining Louder as a full-time editor, she graduated from the National Council for the Training of Journalists and earned a BA with honors in popular literature. Music journalism. She loves writing about everything from neo-glam rock to stoner to doom to progressive metal, and loves to celebrate women in music.
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