It is a dark and wet day in Tampere, not one where you want to stand outside waiting in line. But for this sold out gig of Brother Firetribe, people are still queuing up. Luckily none of us have to wait long and as I enter G Livelab for the first time, I am happily surprised. The venue has a nice atmosphere, it’s small but cozy. Best of all, you don’t have to wait long to hand off your coat (or pick it up for that matter).

Promptly at 21.00 the intro starts and when the band sets foot on the stage, they start with their most recent single Man On A Mission. Behind me a fan is singing along so loud I can’t hear much of the actual singer, but luckily she turns it down a notch later on. There is no security fence or zone, so the first row is literally only tens of centimeters away from the band, and I am glad they don’t seem bothered by it. Instead, they make eye contact, pose and make weird faces for the photographers, and in general have great interaction with the audience. It’s a pleasure to watch, although I get a little awkward myself when singer Pekka Heino suddenly is singing straight at me.

During the song Runaways I notice that the singer is having some trouble reaching the higher notes; it sounds forced, and so for most of the song he switches to an octave lower when it comes to those notes. I think that is a great choice, as his voice sounds very warm and more relaxed in the lower registers. Later on he is asking for a handkerchief from the audience, so he might just be having a cold. Bass player Jason Flinck also does backing vocals and I like how his and Pekka Heino’s voices sound together.

In my opinion, the songs on the setlist are chosen well; there is no song in there I do not like. However, I personally feel like there is a bit of a climax missing in the show. I do not think it has to do with the choice of songs, but maybe with the order of the songs, or the amount. As there is no support band, the evening starts sort of “cold” and it takes a bit longer to warm up. For that reason, I think a few more faster songs in the middle would have worked better to get the audience even more engaged. I feel when we are finally getting there, it suddenly is already over. The band leaves the stage and everyone yells, ‘We want more!’

Luckily the band honors our request for more, and we still get two great songs to end this evening. The band finishes with Heart Full Of Fire, one of my favorites. I definitely could have stayed and listened for another half an hour, but I guess it’s good to leave people wanting more. The band poses for a picture with the audience, singer Pekka shakes hands with the whole front row and guitar/bass picks and drum sticks are handed out to some lucky recipients, yours truly included. Then the show is really over. When I look at the time, it is still quite early, so this was a perfect way to start the weekend, with ample time to head to a bar for a couple drinks!