It is still early in the evening when the first band of the evening, Marianas Rest, starts playing their set. Pakkahuone is still pretty empty, and it doesn’t help that the music is very melancholic, and the band is not really moving much or trying to engage with the audience much. The only one who is a bit more active, is bass player Niko Lindman, but still moving in style with the dark, moody atmosphere of the music.

Despite all this, I appreciate the music, and I feel that it wouldn’t fit to have a band play music like this while energetically running around on stage, with flashy lights and talking a lot to the audience. This is music to be enjoyed quietly with your eyes closed so you can focus on all the details in the songs. It might not be a band most fit to be a warm-up band, but their music definitely touched me in some way and I would like to see them again.

From where I was standing, very much to the left side of the stage, I couldn’t hear the voice of singer Jaakko Mäntymaa very well, it just wasn’t loud enough, so I couldn’t hear the lyrics as well as I would have wanted to. It might have been different from other spots in the venue, but I had a better view of the stage from my spot. Being vertically challenged, that is important too. I was hoping for more songs, but after six songs, the set was unfortunately over.

During the break between bands, the stage is quickly changed to make it look a bit more Japanese-themed. Unfortunately, that means I won’t be able to see the drummer, as he is hidden behind a screen with Japanese characters written on it.

The whole band is dressed up in beautiful costumes. Singer and bass player Mirai Kawashima wears a kimono, while guitarist Nozomu Wakai wears a samurai costume complete with a samurai sword. Later in the show it gets waved around by the singer and I sincerely hope it’s not sharp. All the more because the band also brought two young children with them, who stayed on stage during the whole set. I assume they are the kids of singer Dr. Mikannibal and singer/bass player Mirai Kawashima, but that’s just a guess. They stand on the stage most of the time holding a skull, but sometimes they also help out with the vocals, their ears well-protected by big ear protectors.

Singer Dr. Mikannibal is wearing a white, short, goth-style dress with blood splattered all over it. At the end of the set, she brings a chalice on stage filled with more (fake?) blood and pours it all over her face and dress. Unlike most female fronted bands, especially in a dress like this, she doesn’t sing with an angelic voice, but instead growls, and is good at it. It’s fun seeing something so stereotypical being twisted around. She also plays the saxophone during one of the songs. As different as this show is from what I’m used to seeing here in Pakkahuone, it is entertaining and all musicians are very skilled at what they do. This is the first time Sigh is playing in Tampere, and they seem to be excited about it, and so is the audience. When I look behind me, I see a lot more people have entered the venue and most of them seem to enjoy what is happening on stage, headbanging or nodding to the beat of the music. Whether this style of music is your cup of tea or not (it is for me), watching the show is definitely entertaining enough by itself.

I have trouble figuring out when one song ends and another begins, each song ending seems to blend into the beginning of the next one, and before I know it, also this set has come to an end. Unfortunately the set list that my colleague tries to photograph to help us out, is written in Japanese characters so it doesn’t help us at all figuring out how many and which songs have been played. But after a quick search online, it seems that they played quite some songs, including a cover of the Venom classic ‘Black Metal‘.

As much as I enjoyed both support bands, I have been waiting for Turmion Kätilöt, and with me, it seems, the rest of the audience. The set opens with Lepositeet and from the start you can feel a change in the mood in the venue. This band has so much energy and I can feel it shift to include everyone present. Everyone is ready for this party we’re going to get for the rest of this gig. Between every song, there is a bit of a conversation going on between the band members, or maybe banter is a better word. As I don’t understand Finnish that well, I only pick up the occasional word. In this case, it’s MILF and DILF. I guess no explanation is needed. These six guys all seem to be born entertainers and performers, and they have no problem interacting with the audience. They don’t seem to be nervous at all, it’s like they are just making music in front of their friends for their own and their friends’ entertainment. In between songs they keep on joking (at least I assume from reactions from the audience), and while I do not understand what is being said, I am still enjoying the overall atmosphere a lot. This doesn’t mean that the quality of their playing suffers from all the talking and jokes in between, not at all. It all adds up to make this an outstanding show, a perfect way to start this long Easter weekend.

During the song Teurastaja one of the singers, Shag-U (yes, even the band members’ names are part of the entertainment), gets off the stage and into the security zone to get closer to the audience, but I’m on the wrong side, so I can hardly see what’s happening. At some point, the bass player Master Bates starts throwing mandarins and bananas into the audience. I happen to catch a banana. And I’m sorry for the hardcore fans who would keep it forever on display if they could, but I ate it after the gig. It was tasty.

My personal highlights of the gig were that Isä Meidän, Dance Panique, Naitu, Kuolettavia Vammoja and Sikiö were all played. It was basically my dream set list and then some more. What more can I say? I appreciate the effort that is put into the whole look of the band, with different costumes and make-up for all of them. I might have wished for more songs, but with 17 songs on their set list, I can hardly complain, can I?