LIVE REPORT: Merta & Battle Beast
Pakkahuone, Tampere; January 27th, 2024
So we all know that I really like Merta all of a sudden, yes? This has been established? Well, after selling merch for them in Tampere that one time when I was representing Arion, I had suggested to them that maybe they should consider dragging me along to sell their merch on the regular… after all, we seemed to get along and they’ve got a hot new album coming soon and surely will need to go on tour! Well, the album isn’t out yet but a new single certainly is, so they paired up with another Master Events band, Battle Beast, who were planning a couple of shows this January. The first was in Oulu and I unfortunately couldn’t make it because I was covering Altamullan Road that night, but I did head up to Tampere on January 27th, 2024, for the show at Pakkahuone… that was two sold-out shows in two nights for these musical maniacs!
While I know the venues of Helsinki very well by now, getting my first little behind-the-scenes tour of Pakkahuone was a pleasant treat this time. They had some of the best catering I’ve experienced on tour and I’m pleased to say that everyone I met—both bands and techs/roadies—were quite friendly, which isn’t always the case. Everyone was hustling and bustling, but there was no apparent stress. The folks setting things up for the show were all smiles and seemed to be enjoying what they were doing. I felt very well-cared-for by the bands, who had made sure I had a place to stay if needed and that I was fed and taken care of.
The Enslain Metal Merch crew, images by Sami Hinkkanen
People began immediately trickling in the moment the doors opened, despite there being some inconsistencies in the listed start times. Some places said that Merta would be starting at 19:30, but other places had their correct starting time listed as 19:45. When the clock thus struck, they exploded on stage to “Tasapainossa.” I really love their energy, of which there is an abudance, and by the time they got to “Moraali” I had my little glee-grin plastered on, because every time I hear Kalle Niskanen growling, I get so tickled, just because he’s so very clean-cut… it doesn’t seem like those sounds should be coming out of him and it makes me very happy when anyone transcends expectations. Also, “Moraali” is one of my favorite songs from 2020’s “Kokonainen,” so now that I’ve familiarized myself with their albums, it was a treat to hear the songs I recognized live!
They continued with two hard-hitting tracks from 2021’s “Minä” (with “Insomnia” being another personal highlight because I have had insomnia for about 2 years now, so just… vibes, right?) before we had the chance to see their brand new single, “Harha,” hit the stage for the second time (the debut being the night before, of course). I’ve been enjoying that song since (before) its release and it was awesome to hear live, no question. I felt a great compulsion to run up to the stage and dance for their whole show, but I don’t drink very much anymore (and certainly not while working) so instead, I danced at the merch booth by myself.
These guys have had amazing energy every time I’ve seen them, with this night being no exception. Juhis Kauppinen is an excellent frontman—chatting with the crowd a bit and shouting out Battle Beast—while also being a great vocalist and really encouraging the crowd to get into it. Granted, Finnish crowds aren’t big on dancing or partying physically but I did see more and more hands up as people steadily filled out the floor throughout their show. Their set further included their second-most-recent single, “Katso mua silmiin” and a couple more personal favorite songs, “Saarna” and “Vapaa elämä,” before they wrapped up their set with “Kahden rajalla.” It was a great performance and I very much look forward to seeing them live a lot more after their third album comes out!
Setlist
Tasapainossa
Moraali
Kipinä
Insomnia
Harha
Kaamos
Katso mua silmiin
Saarna
Vapaa elämä
Kahden rajalla
Merta; images by Sami Hinkkanen
Now when it comes to Battle Beast, I’ve known of these guys from back when their first single, “Show Me How to Die” plagued me on Radio Rock while I was working in Canada in 2010, so I admit that I hated them when they first appeared in the scene (I blame whichever DJ refused to stop playing that song during their night show). However, over time, I’ve started to appreciate them for a variety of reasons, among them being their solid new music and really stellar live shows. If you’ve never seen them before and you’ve considered it, I do recommend them, as their shows are usually quite a spectacle—they’ve very charismatic and entertaining performers.
The setlist for this occasion was pretty much the same as has been the standard from their recent tours in support of “Circus of Doom” and Merta had quite thoroughly warmed up both the crowd and the venue. I admit that I don’t love the fact that their intro track doesn’t lead into the first song… it always makes the beginning of the set a bit jarring, because you expect the intro to go into a big blast of smoke as the band hits the stage, but instead you get silence, followed by “Circus of Doom,” which is a great first song, but its slower build-up makes that space in between feel like a calm when there should be a storm. It’s also a shame that most lighting techs don’t seem to keep the fact that photographers shoot the first three songs in mind, because the lighting was pretty much all blue for the first song; the second song was hardcore cyberpunk neon and it looked way more suited to excellent photography.
Vocalist Noora Louhimo is, of course, a true powerhouse vocalist and her stage costumes by Ilmatar Couture are really spectacular. She greeted the crowd a couple of times, shouting out the sold-out crowd for a second night and expressing their happiness to have a “date” with everyone. These guys sadly don’t seem to keep anything older than “Bringer of Pain” in their setlists anymore, but that said, apart from the loss of “Black Ninja,” this current live setlist is a pretty excellent representation of their material and includes pretty much all of my favorite tracks except that one. I’m further pleased to hear that they’ve graduated from “A Whole New World” and have moved on to “Can You Feel the Love Tonight”… the former was starting to get a bit old, but I do love that they have these strange little breaks in their set that allow Noora a moment to relax (though it is worth mentioning that while she didn’t sing in “A Whole New World,” she was adding a bit of flavor into “Can You Feel the Love Tonight”). I also want to give them a whole bucket of brownie points for using the Elton John version as opposed to the Disney version, just because I’ve always liked his lyrics better.
Now, if I have one… really, it’s hardly a complaint, rather it’s more of a “too much of a good thing” bit of feedback. Without ever having called myself much of a fan of theirs, I’ve seen Battle Beast over ten times by now, so it goes without saying that I’ve gotten into the rhythm of their sets. If you’re someone who just wants to see your favorite band blast your favorite songs, then I would 100% recommend their live shows, no questions asked. However, as someone who tends to end up at their events at least once or twice a year (be it at shows or festivals), their shows have clearly started to follow a pattern. This is expressly seen in the inclusion of a song made popular by Disney, as well as the drinking break and Janne Björkroth chasing his keyboards while playing them (which is fun, I won’t deny). While I did enjoy the fact that he absolutely did not keep up with his fleeing instrument this time, unfortunately, this samey-ness of shows is the very reason why I stopped going to see Sabaton live. It was fun back in the day when they were goofing around in clubs and talking crap with the crowd, but when you hear the same speeches at every show and see the same schtick… it gets old after a while. This happened as well with The Used once upon a time… despite there being 4 full years between shows, the singer apparently made a bunch of the exact same jokes at both shows. Ultimately, if you only see a band on tour once per album, this is not an issue, but for the fans that like to see them regularly and hope for something a little different each time, it’d be nice if they’d goof around a bit more in their hometown shows, just so that their sets don’t become so polished that they end up getting boring. Luckily, they haven’t crossed that line yet, it’s just a risk that comes from having too much of a pre-planned program for live shows.
That said, perhaps that’s the style of performance that these guys thrive with and if I don’t like it, that’s a me problem. In fact, contrary to this minor suggestion, I do really think that these guys are a terrific live act that you should absolutely check out at least once if you get the chance. They’re all smiles on stage, they’ve got energy for days, and they bring a positive party vibe with them that’s perfect for a night out. It absolutely does not surprise me that they’re regularly selling out venues with a 2000-person capacity these days and even me, grumpy old crankypants that I am, was still dancing away to my favorite songs behind the merch desk! That, I should think, speaks louder than any whining I have about them following a pattern in their sets. If you haven’t seen either of these acts yet, you should probably get on that ASAP!
Setlist
Circus of Doom
Straight to the Heart
Familiar Hell
Armageddon
Place that We Call Home
No More Hollywood Endings
Eye of the Storm
Can You Feel the Love Tonight (Elton John cover)
Where Angels Fear to Fly
Bastard Son of Odin
Wings of Light
Eden
Russian Roulette
~encore~
Master of Illusion
King for a Day
Beyond the Burning Skies
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Images by Sami Hinkkanen
