LIVE REPORT: Frozen Factory
Prog Amongst Stoners
Tiivistämö, Helsinki; February 10th, 2024
Helsinki Indie Live Underground
So we all know that Frozen Factory is one of my favorite live bands right now, yes? I’ve been lurking around their shows as often as I can just because I love their music so much, and also, they’re lovely people that are worth spending time with! February 10th, 2024, was a weird night though, as they were paired with three heavy stoner bands… not exactly a great match for them, yet I’m glad to see opportunities for them to expand their fanbase, even if the pairing of a proggy rock/metal band with stoner/grunge metal is pretty bizarre. Nevertheless, this Frozen Factory show was special, for a variety of reasons that I’ll get right into!
First of all, this show was interesting for having a different lineup than normal. The band’s often-absent drummer, Marianne Heikkinen, was back behind the kit this night, making it my first actual time seeing her with the band, despite this being, I think, my fourth time seeing them live! I also learned that she’s the other half of Saruru, a “bunny metal” band that I’ve heard of but haven’t gotten around to checking out—seems I need to change that! She’s an absolutely stellar drummer, so I hope to see her playing with them more regularly! Next, guitarist Zsolt Szilagyi was not present this night, because he was out performing with Dreamtale at On the Rocks with Metal de Facto and Everfrost, so Joni Koivumäki was on double-guitar-duty. And finally, this show promised to be the live debut of the absolutely amazing anti-racism song, “Equalise Power”; I love that track, so I was very excited to see it live at long last! It’s just so relevant right now.
The setlist included, of course, my favorite of their songs, “Solar Windfalls,” which I will gladly rant endlessly about, because it’s just that great. I get incredible goosebumps all over my body every time I hear it. I also realized for the first time that the shirt I’ve been wearing, which reads “If you exchange your time for money, you’re going to spend your life,” is quoting one of their songs, “Tiresome Times.” You wouldn’t believe how many people comment on that shirt when I wear it—what a great line! I didn’t actually realize it came from a song—though in hindsight that seems foolish of me—so I was pretty delighted to hear it in action!
I remain quite surprised that they still haven’t brought either of their new tracks to the stage yet—”The Heart Has No Choice” and “Break These Ties for You” are both excellent tracks, but I think the latter in particular would be really good live, so I guess that means I’ll have to keep going to their shows! One thing I love about Frozen Factory, however, is that every time I’ve seen them, while they’ve always played my favorite song, the rest of the setlist has always changed. As someone who does enjoy seeing the bands I love repeatedly, this makes it extra fun because I always learn a few new songs every time, like the aforementioned “Tiresome Times.”
Overall, I had a blast checking out their show again. While Fuzzkills sounded good musically, their vocalist sings in a style that I don’t much like, and I wasn’t particularly in the mood for the grunginess of Kaiser. I was a bit sorry to miss the headliner, Green King, but alas, I had to leave to pick up my partner from work, but I hope the rest of the folks in the audience enjoyed their Iron Maiden-flavored stoner songs. Personally, I got everything I needed from Frozen Factory. Now, I need to go on a crusade to get them to play at Helsinki Psych Fest or the Love Potion Club!
Tracklist
Planted Feet
Tiresome Times
Loud, Lazy, Late
Solar Windfalls
Hammer
Equalise Power
We’re Gonna Die
Absolute in Vanity
Fantastically Incorporated
Life Found Away
You
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