Soumi Perkele! That is how Backyard Babies' guitarist Dregen usually introduce the babies encore, a cover of Hanoi Rocks' "Taxi Driver". Hanoi Rocks' were/are in many people's opinion, were synonymous with the finish rockscene. An inheritance that caused a higher interest in- and respect for Finnish bands but also many devastating comparisons. Every sleazeband that Finland produced 1985-90 were labeled as "The New Hanoi Rocks". Smack, Gringos Loco's and Havanna Black all got busted on the boulevard of broken dreams. Quite a cross to carry, there is often two sides of the coin. Read a review of the Hanoitribute

Today, almost fifteen years since Hanoi Rocks' called it quits, the Finnish glam/sleaze rock scene is flourishing like never before.

NO DIRECTION

No Direction is probably one of the hottest Finnish bands at the moment. They have relocated from Helsingfors to London and eventhough their name suggest otherwise, this band may very well have found a path to the stars. Their sound is very British and fans of Wildhearts and Honeycrack should check them out. No Direction website

SILVER CITY BANDITS

My favorite Finnish band - Silver City Bandits - have had their worst year in their short but successful career. Former vocalist Candy left in January, short after the bands' debutCD had been recorded. Talk 'bout bad timing! The Quest for a new vocalist turned out to be quite a bumpy ride but the answer lied within the band - i.e. bassist Jarkko who now handles the vocals as well.

Silver City Bandits are a bluesy sleaze/street combo, revamping the riffs of Guns ´n Roses, L.A. Guns and Backyard Babies (think "Diesel and Power"). The Image is classy and most of their songs rocks and rolls in the right way. I'm looking forward to the return of gunslingers from Silver City. Their new sound, with new Vocalist J-Cop, is meaner and angrier and very reminiscent of early The Throbs. Visit the Silver City Bandit Website

PLASTIC TEARS

I thought the tears had fallen but they're back as plastic as ever. Plastic Tears earned quite a reputation in the early nineties as a moody sleazeband with a sound not a million miles away from Hanoi Rocks or Dogs D’amour. The Tears froze in the cold climate of Helsinki and I thought that was it but the band is back hotter than ever with their brand new CD "Stranded in Rock n Roll". The CD shows a band with more attitude than before. The Music still sounds like party of New York Dolls, Hanoi Rocks and Dogs D'amour. Fans of trashy sleazerock should check 'em out. Visit the Plastic Tears website

If you are interested in the Finnish rockscene, you should get your filthy hands on the brand new;

Finnish Freakshow vol. 2

This is the second volume of the Finnish freakshow compilation, featuring thebest of the Finnish underground sleaze. Eventhough I find the second a bit weaker than the first, I am amazed how such a small country as Finland can produce so many band with such potential.

The CD opens with Londonbased No Direction which impresses me with their powerpop/punk. No Direction have a professional sound and the songs are strong. They have to work a bit on their image though to get ahead of the pack.

The Following band – Silver City Bandits – are the second strongest band on this volume of the Finnish Freakshow. I praised the bandits a couple of years ago. I though they had a bright future with their streetwise riffs. Then their lead vocalist left the band and they run out of ammo for awhile. Now, a year and a half later, the bandits have a new vocalist and they have to recapture the scene that was their. I still believe that this band has got major potential. The Rest of the CD contains six sleazepunk band of which Self-made rockers, Starhags and Rosy Dream stick in my mind. The Sound varies a lot though and some bands have to work on their production.

Mail Silver City bandits for ordering info