Report from Pitkä Kuuma Kesä Festival, Sun 28.06.09

Our reporters were witnessing the first ever Pitkä Kuuma Kesä Festival in Suvilahti (Helsinki). We’ve chosen quality over quantity and thus our report isn’t a complete, chronological description of the events. We chased the balloons, hit the evil robots, greeted the change and avoided collapsing young ladies on stage.

Colorful balloons. Lots of them. It was a ball game started by Flaming Lips.

The biggest one of them all contained the very Maestro of the whole evening. Over the heads and far away. Calactic themes for the enthusiastic audience.

It was definitely a playtime. We cheered for Barack Obama. The most optimistic one of us all leading the way.

A requiem for the past.

It was a due time to shoot the ghosts.

Chanting the battle cry against the giant robots and evil spirits. Tenderly he did so.

More balloons, please. And robots too.

The ferocious seagulls of Suvilahti missed the target. Flaming Lips didn’t.

A Great Touching Performance.

And then an interlude with a collapsing young lady.

On her knees still. Screaming all the time. Oh.

She’s loosing it. Hysteria - no, nervous breakdown - no. It’s a collapsing, noisy young lady. And that was all there ever was.

“She spends approx. 90% percent of their live shows laying down on the ground.”

- A comment by an anonymous audience member

A rare moment then. Still shaky feet though. Ladies and Gents, Crystal Castles. (You don’t miss this one.)

Mogwai. They are guys just standing in there yet their music can move mountains. We think.

He moved. Did you see? Ah, he was just picking up the tuned guitar from the technician.

A true redneck drummer with a piercing snaredrum sound. You won’t miss that one either.

And the red hair came to make a short feat on this one. Curly it is. And BIG.

The organizers of Pitkä Kuuma Kesä Festival promised more candy for the next year to come. We’re already waiting for that to happen. Thank you.

Photos by NMC Earwitness/JMK.