It’s been a while since an epic night of pagan metal has brought rapturous sounds to the London grounds. But the Finnish dynamic duo of Korpiklaani and Moonsorrow descend upon the city with full heathen splendour.
[date]20th April 2016[/date]
[venue]o2 Academy Islington[/venue]
[city]London, UK[/city]
Moonsorrow
Beginning the evening without an ado is the mighty Moonsorrow – a band London has not seen by my estimation since 2008. Recently releasing their magnificent effort ‘Jumalten Aika‘, it was of particular excitement to see this band with the 90 minute space – we were all ready for some atmospheric heathen metal.
The band begin with the title track of their latest effort, bringing a dark and and cold embrace to the Islington Academy. Straight away it’s noticeable that the raw approach taken on in the recordings of the album have a brilliant resonance on the live stage.
Moving on to ‘Raunioilla‘, Moonsorrow prove they are a force to be reckoned, and why they have been sorely missed in their live absence. Despite the lengthy and progressive nature of each of the tracks in their set, the band are enjoying every note by striding around the stage, headbanging and playing the part of a true Finnish heathen.
The band take the opportunity to play a mix of old and new, including tracks like ‘Jotunheim‘ and ‘Ruutolehto‘ that brings Korpiklaani frontman Jonne Järvelä on the stage to contribute to the dark chanting mid song.
Given the genre of music, it’s stunning at how responsive and active the audience are right throughout the setlist, something that’s not often seen in the UK. There’s a vast appreciation for Moonsorrow’s music all around, but clearly the London audience is respecting their fantastic live performance as well. Something I had not anticipated, but an absolute pleasure to witness!
Korpiklaani
It’s also been a fair while since the Finnish folksters brought their party to UK shores, at least not a full headline set in years, but alas the band return giving us some new material, a new line-up, and a whole new party to enjoy!
Kicking off with ‘Viinamäen Mies‘, it’s instantly evident that Korpiklaani are putting more and more into their live performances – the high tempos have the band running and hopping around the stage, with two not so new members Tuomas Rounakari and Sami Perttula shredding their violin and accordion respectively.
Perhaps the biggest difference is the free reign of the stage frontman Jonne Järvelä has after deciding to drop his guitar for live shows. When the high speed of ‘Journeyman‘ throws it’s force into the London crowd, it’s clear this suits him a lot more. It’s already the most active I’ve seen the band, and the crowd are feeding off the high stage energy like never before.
Again the band take the lengthy set time they are given to showcase a career’s worth of their Finnish folk-infused classics. Energy is at its highest when the Klaanimen jam out ‘Ämmänhauta‘, ‘Sahti‘ and the ever-chantable ‘Rauta‘. Amidst the rampant folk-dancing and movement on the Islington floor, the London crowds make bold efforts to sing along in all the Finnish language songs, and given the bands perpetual energy and happiness throughout the show, it’s fair to say we did quite well.
The final bout of songs really gets the party to its peak, with the sing-along ‘Wooden Pints‘ and ‘Vodka‘ celebrating the liquids that brought the band into existence, and bring the party to a sad close.
Korpiklaani are better than ever. I don’t think I have seen them perform with this much energy and passion for their music. The band now seem to be aiming for the top of the folk chain, and they are well on their way to being there should they continue with liver performances like this one.
