Style council [UK]

Classy secret gig for friends and fans in The Rasmus’ hometown.
The Rasmus
The Mansion House,
Espoo, Finland
06.09.05

Knocking and taking digs at The Rasmus is pretty much like pointing at George Bush and calling him an idiot – you know it’s an easy, predictable target but for many there’s an overwhelming compulsion to do it anyway, much like pointing at the raw nerve in a brokes tooth with your tongue. Their distinctly Nordic flavour of soft rock is far too cloying and sugar for many a palate, with often a mere smear of eyeliner between them and the overblown ’80s guff of bands like Europe and Poison. For all that the word “goth” is so often flung at them by people who’ve clearly never heard of Bauhaus or the Sisters Of Mercy, this is stadium rock at its most unashamed. And tonight, that’s exactly why they’re onto a winning thing.
Arranged for a specially invited audience of international record company people, a smattering of European media types and a select few lucky fans, tonight’s gig is a party to launch their new album “Hide From The Sun”. People who’ve travelled from as far as Mexico are herded onto a bus in Helsinki and driven to a mansion house, more often used for weddings, just outside of the city. First impressions are inauspicious – a tiny stage under what can only be described as a Tesco Value gazebo is set up for an intimate acoustic set. After a few speeches from band managers and record label bosses, the crowd huddle around the sorry-looking set-up in anticipation of a stripped-down set.
They had us all fooled, though. Large screens featuring the artwork for the new album suddently collapse, and a dazzling trail of fireworks leads away from the house, down a field, to a full-sized stage set against a fairytale backdrop of woodland. Dazed, everyone staggers towards the light like the old giffers in “Cocoon”, disorientated, surprised and excited. The whole thing is pure class.
Concentrating solely on new material (even super-hit “In The Shadows” is omitted from the set), Lauri Ylönen’s mob play under the leafy canopy as is there were headlining Wembley Stadium, their beaming front-Hobbit emoting from under a woolly hat as if his life depended on it. They sound heavier in this setting, “Lucifer’s Angel” and “Shot” sounding like HIM put through a Bon Jovi filter. There’s a blip with the ballad “Sail Away”, which has the unfortunate distinction of sounding like Robbie Williams fronting Whitesnake, but “Night After Night (Out Of The Shadows)” – surely this album’s huge hit thanks to its Jupiter-sized chorus – gets them back on track.
Tonight, The Rasmus pulled out all the stops to make this show magical for those who do love them. And for that, you have to doff your cap.

Emma Johnston

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