LIVE REPORT: Merta
“Virta” Album Release Show
On the Rocks, Helsinki; April 12th, 2024
When you’re a writer and you really like a band, and you also happen to be that band’s merch rep, this allows for a lot of potentially fun shenanigans, especially when you enjoy writing about live music. Since my new favorite band, Merta, seem to like me well enough to drag me out to all of their shows to sell things on their behalf, I thought I would express my appreciation by doing a little travel blog about the Virta Tour that started at On the Rocks in Helsinki on April 12th, 2024, and will conclude (at least for the time being) at House of Rock in Kouvola on the 27th. First up from this tour, we have a live report from the album release show!
Don’t miss my Off the Record interview with Juhis Kauppinen!
The band were in town all day for some pre-game rehearsals, so it was on me to decide if I wanted to come to town bright and early to check this out, or if I wanted to find my own way to town a bit later on. I came into Helsinki to get set up around 17.00 and found everything I needed ready and waiting for me. While the opener was sound-checking, I was counting and sorting shirts and enjoying some grunting warm-ups from the backstage. After a trip to dinner, where a decent effort was made to teach Merta vocalist Juhis Kauppinen how to use chopsticks (congratulate him, for he successfully picked up a single pea and put it in his mouth!), the guys headed back to watch some hockey backstage as I went to open up shop. My Favorite Nemesis were the first up around 21.00, with Merta taking the stage at 22.15.
I came into this show with a “no spoilers” mentality, so I didn’t know what the set was going to be like at all. Merta got started after the 30 minute stage changeover with their latest single, which is also the first song on the new album: “Harha.” As a CD opener, it works equally well as a show opener, giving them a chance to show off their fresh new sound. One thing I noticed immediately is that, while “Virta” is a bit less metal than the previous two releases, I didn’t notice that at all when they were performing. The music really got punched-up in a live setting and brought a lot of life and a degree of heaviness to the album sound.
They followed this with “Mielivalta,” which is a personal highlight from the album, so I was naturally really excited to hear it live (and it was great, obviously). It’s also noteworthy that these guys have strangely energetic crowds in Helsinki, per what I saw last time in October as well… Finnish crowds are legendarily notorious for their lack of energy, so it’s wild to me (in a good way) that the whole floor was roiling during this show with people dancing and/or with their fists up, generally having a total blast. “Katso mua silmiin” is an older single that teased this release and singles often make for great live tracks, case-in-point. This is a total live banger and one of those songs that really came to life live—people were cheering and dancing like crazy. Shout-out to Kalle Niskanen on bass too, because I am still getting overly delighted seeing/hearing him growl every single time.
Images by Janne Suominen
Juhis is what I affectionately call a total goomba, which you can see when he’s on stage, introducing songs and making jokes, teasing anyone who shouts at them, and generally being a lot of fun to watch. They broke free from the new material, shaking off my suspicion that they might be doing the whole album straight-through by playing “Moraali,” which is a ludicrously catchy break-up track from their first album that seems like it’s going to be one of those must-play tracks forever due to the live reaction it gets. This led to another album track, “Kaamos,” which was also another single named for the eternal dark of winters up north.
“Virta” was a fresh one live that had everyone dancing and moving, while “Irti vihasta” picked up the energy. “Kipinä” was the only inclusion from 2021’s “Minä,” sadly, with much more focus going towards “Kokonainen,” but there are only so many hours in an evening, and they picked good ones at very least, as after “Tahto,” they also played “Vapaa elämä.” They wrapped up the new music with “Tahdon samaa” and “Kahden rajalla,” and then, because the crowd was somewhat out of control, they had to come back for “Tasapainossa,” which is another one of their original big hits and a personal favorite as well, which meant that they ended the set with a hefty bang. I was surprised that they didn’t play the other single, “Tiimalasi,” though of all the singles to leave out, that one makes the most sense, as it is the album’s closer and has a rather specific feel to it.
What was perhaps the most interesting was seeing the reactions from the crowd… but I’ll get into that in my Tour Diary, which you will be able to check out after the tour wraps up at the end of the month! Needless to say, the crowd was living for it and the band delivered, so for now, don’t miss out on the rest of the tour:
20.4.2024 @ Hönö Baari, Tampere
26.4.2024 @ Shed, Järvenpää
27.4.2024 @ House of Rock, Kouvola
If you come, be sure to pop by merch and say hello! I can attest that these new hoodies are both gorgeous and comfortable AF!
Setlist
Harha
Mielivalta
Katso mua silmiin
Moraali
Kaamos
Virta
Irti vihasta
Kipinä
Tahto
Vapaa elämä
Tahdon samaa
Kahden rajalla
Tasapainossa
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