Tallinn Music Week - Day Three
Although I’m loath to use the G word these days, Eastern European folk music with a punk edge is very much alive and well here at Tallinn Music Week. I saw three totally different bands that fell loosely into this category. First up was Dumai Dunai from Montreal, who called their music Slavic dub, but also managed to fit plenty of ska and punky polka vibes in there.
The 7 piece, complete with horn section, sang in English, Serbian and Ukrainian, and if I’m honest I wasn’t completely sold on the vocals, but the band were enjoyable enough and would have likely gone down well on the Oldtown stage at Boomtown.
Next up were the Bazookas from Amsterdam who’s music owed as much to Manu Chao’s early mestizo sound as much as anything Balkan related, but either way it was definitely ripe for a proper knees up / skank out, and Bazz Barnasconi is a fantastic front man, interacting perfectly with the crowd, showing all the charm and charisma of a seasoned street performer.
Their already healthy brass representation gained an extra member as well when they invited Ukrainian singer and trombone player Ruslan Trochynskyi (now based in Estonia) onstage to perform their new single ‘Fight The Monster’.
Although I admittedly struggled to say their name, Lithuanian band, Lapkričio Dvidešimtosios Orkestras, were definitely another highlight of mine. Probably the closest to bands such as Gogol Bordello or Leningrad (can we still mention them?), but probably reminded me most of Brummy Balkan-Klezmer favourites The Destroyers, back when their vocalist Paul Murphy was still with us. That said there was a decidedly post-punk lean to their brass heavy folk and funk sound, at time’s sounding like James Chance’s Eastern European cousins.
Other highlights outside of this particular vibe were: Arklio Galia from the Lithuanian capital Vilnius. They were impossible to pin down musically but somewhere in the psychedelic realms with traces of jazz-punk, rock n roll and polka; Afro-soul singer Sadé Awele from Canada who blended West African flavours with rnb and jazz-fusion; I loved Abekejser from the Danish city of Aarhusand, whose sound matched their purple attire, with jazzy electro funk and disco that sat somewhere between Thundercat and Dam Funk, but also spread their wings further out. At one point they played what I thought was a tribute to Bristol dubstep don Joker (maybe it was the purple), but they’d never actually heard of him; Trad.Attack!, one of the only acts I actually recognised from the line up as I’ve been wanting to see them for years. They’re a local trio and were essentially born at Tallinn Music Week 9 years ago and have played every year since. They certainly had the biggest turn out I saw all weekend. Essentially a folk rock group, with the rock part very much led by the drummer Tõnu Tubli, Sandra Vabarna on the folkier side, reaching for a variety of instruments, including flute, jews-harp, glockenspiel and the torupill, Estonia’s local bagpipes. Jalmar Vabarna on guitar bridged the two worlds nicely, although at times it felt a little too daytime radio rock and not enough folk for me. The older tunes I seemed to love the most, especially Sõit from their second album, though I’m yet to listen to their latest release. I might well stick that on as I travel back home to Wales, this first track is certainly a good opener (update: I’m actually listening to the rest now, it’s great).
For anyone wondering after yesterday’s post, I never made it to Maarja Nutt. I think I’m cursed by Eurovision. I damaged my ankle in Lisbon last time it was on, and yesterday I ended up spraining it again. I argued with myself for a good half hour about going to see her but opted not to drag my bad ankle and both my bags across town. Time for a little self care instead. I’ve downloaded all of her albums as consolation though.
I’ve absolutely cherished my time in Tallinn. The festival was top class, the sound was awesome throughout, and the amount of incredible venues they have in close proximity is actually a little embarrassing for us in the UK, with our ever depleting number of spaces. My only sore point is not having longer to look through the town properly . What I saw whilst walking to the showcases was absolutely magical. Everywhere so full of history, with many of the town’s old buildings preserved. I definitely vow to return again. Next time I’ll add on an extra couple of days for sure! If you’re from the UK like me and looking for an alternative to The Great Escape, one which sends you way off the beaten track, then this is definitely the spot for you. I’m going to leave you with one more tune from Puuluup, who I didn't manage to catch, but had already seen in Helsinki last year. The eccentric Estonian duo play the traditional talharpas, and according to them, mostly sing about cross country skiing, occasionally in a made up language. I love them.
