Gig Report - Camden Electric Ballroom - The Rasmus, The Dirty Youth

< There was some war going on between two musicians of The Dirty Youth

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Location: Camden, London
Venue: Electric Ballroom
Bands: The Dirty Youth (Wales), The Rasmus (Finland)
Date: Friday 14th December 2012


Wales has already been a known producer of some of the finest rock and metal acts to grace the music venue circuit, the likes of Lostprophets, Skindred and Bullet For My Valentine are more than likely to have played a Camden venue at some point, now it was the turn of female-fronted rockers The Dirty Youth. Stepping out into the breach and performing prior to the Finnish legend rockers The Rasmus, it was down to the  quintet to set the tone for this evenings rock music extravaganza, they did it in sensational fashion. Danni set the room alight clad in leather and her hot pink hair stood out from the stage so much fans at the back of the room did not need to second glance or use binoculars to recognize who she was. Performing some of their best songs, the five-piece did the job in setting the tone for the evening, it was inevitable that the vast majority of fans in this gig were here to see The Rasmus, but on the other hand The Dirty Youth will have won a whole new load of fans. Blasting out their twisted style of Hard Rock  and soft rock together, produced a sound that would have made the likes of AC/DC and The Beatles very impressed, sure it was a little bit of a strange sound but that is what makes The Dirty Youth themselves and as they flicked from song to song fans could tell the band were enjoying themselves, however as time was ticking and the clocks were turning, the set was nearly over but not before Danni shouted out 'Who is looking forward to The Rasmus?', might as well be honest she was definitely looking forward to seeing their set! And so it was time, as the Welsh rockers left the stage with a feeling of achievement, the interlude gave fans a chance to get psyched up for the grand masters of Finnish rock who were waiting in the wings to ascend to the stage.

[8.5]

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Lauri had only just noticed that Mr. Sauli Niinistö, the Finnish president was in the crowd >

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The Finnish rock legends signalled their stage arrival in dramatic fashion as the stage lights dimmed down into darkness, what came next was a real shock to the attending fans, the band went straight into playing new material off of their latest self-released album, throughout the night what was heard was selected songs from modern to past times, running past through classics such as 'In The Shadows', 'First Day of My Life', 'Ghost of Love', 'Shot', 'Sail Away' and 'Someone Else' amongst other well and truly known songs, the band of which was marking 18 years of existance did not disapooint anyone and although they performed to their utmost best, it was a saddening experience for some as one fan had said that they had grown up listening to The Rasmus right from their early days releasing demos and that she and her boyfriend had flown all the way from Rovaniemi in Finland to see this momentous occasion, despite also them visiting the relatives; it added a rather personnel connection to the whole concert and it would seem the band felt it as every-time the crowd reacted beyond expectations Lauri was ecstatic in remarking how lively the crowd was and that he loves London (and London loves him and The Rasmus!). Using elaborate projections on the band whilst playing, the music resonated through the spacious area of the Electric Ballroom and probably seeped through into the underground network as the Finnish rock band came out of the shadows to deliver what would may be their best performance in London for years. After all the concert was now in their ball park, fans were jumping up and down as if they were on springs, some even waving frantically Finnish flags; which may as well be a goodwill gesture from the UK to Finland, but even more so it felt as if it was held in Helsinki because the atmosphere was cold but also loaded with emotional rock ballads and powerful songs that course through every fan watching their band perform a show that can only be described as sensational. Sadly all good things must come to and end and well The Rasmus did not just turn it down, they did it with an almighty bang, playing some acoustic songs in the process and Eero Heinonen (bassist) donning some rather exuberant glasses which had the Finnish flags on them (whilst also slapping on his bassist something he had bought in Camden Market, a heart that as soon as noise was detected had the same effect as soundbars going up and down) and Lauri Ylönen's infamous black crow feathers in his hair bouncing away (many fans actually mentioned how much they've missed that image), but as like most bands The Rasmus had proven why they are Finnish rock legends as this show proved it, furthermore it is evident fans will see more of them in years to come, they are not done, not by a long shot.

[10]

Finally after what was perhaps the most memorable night in the living memories of the dedicated fans of The Rasmus, GMA spoke to a crowd of fans outside the venue to gather their thoughts on the entire concert, there was appraise all round. The interview can be heard and downloaded below.

Interviewees were: Alex Poulson, Cassi Gillett, James Petts and Becca Grose.
Listen to it as the fans give really personal answers and how The Rasmus has impacted on their lives.

Live footage from the concert, specifically the song 'In The Shadows', The Rasmus' most notable song was recorded, all rights reserved to GMA.

https://www.facebook.com/thedirtyyouth?ref=ts&fref=ts
https://www.facebook.com/therasmusofficial?fref=ts

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