Suisto-Klubi, Hämeenlinna, Finland 28th & 29th January 2023
The 69 Eyes - “Gotta Rock Spring Tour” 2023
THE 69 EYES started in 1989 as a Sleaze band in Helsinki and over the years developed their very own style the Goth’n’Roll. The band is also known as “The Helsinki Vampires” among their fans and came over to Germany for the first time in 1998. Things kicked off during the early 2000s when they went on tour with PARADISE LOST and won over more and more fans. THE 69 EYES constantly toured during all these years not only in Europe but also in Australia, Japan, Russia in the USA establishing a big and very dedicated Goth’n’Roll fanbase. In 2022 the band signed with ATOMIC FIRE RECORDS and released their EP ‘Drive’ and is currently working on a new album. www.69eyes.com / www.facebook.com/the69eyes
Saturday 28th January 2023
When THE 69 EYES released their latest single in fall and announced their “Gotta Rock Spring Tour” 2023, it was time to plan a trip to Finland to check out how their latest releases sound live. Most of their shows were already sold out, so fans had to make sure to get their hands on a ticket for the band’s upcoming shows. Since I was familiar with Suisto-Klubi and the intimate atmosphere the club offers, I made sure to arrive at the venue in good time, to secure a spot in the front row for photography.
At 9 p.m. the band came on stage and drummer Jussi69 literally had to climb over his drumkit to give us the beat. The stage was pretty small, but that didn’t keep THE 69 EYES from giving us true Goth’n’Roll tonight. ‘Devils’ and ‘Fell Berlin’ warmed up the crowd in the sold-out club and it got hotter and hotter during the gig. ‘Perfect Skin’ made it back on the setlist and the ladies in the crowd obviously loved the performance. Those who love their Goth fell for ‘The Chair’, while the feelgood track ‘California’ gave us a wonderful summer vibe in the cold Finnish winter. Classic ‘Betty Blue’ came with a wonderful stage illumination and a killer performance of Timo Timo on guitar duties.
‘Sister of Charity’ gave us some time to breathe before 2019’s ‘Cheyenna’ took us on a vicious motorcycle ride. Jyrki introduced ‘Gothic Girl’ with a short announcement and this all-time classic found the perfect spot on the setlist, marking the halftime of tonight’s Goth’n’Roll event. When I heard the band’s latest single a cover of BOYCOTT’s ‘Gotta Rock’ for the first time, I wasn’t sure if I liked the track or not, with all those synths style sounds. The really energetic live version has a stronger focus on the incredibly intense bass line and drums as well as the guitars during the solo parts. Last but not least, Jyrki’s dedicated performance won me over and ‘Gotta Rock’ was on my mind, when I was walking back to the hotel in the small hours.
‘Two Horns Up’ opened many shows in the past year and now found a new spot on the setlist. This song comes with a heavy bass line during the opening part and usually all hell breaks loose in the audience, when the track is on the setlist, so tonight in Hämeenlinna. ‘Wasting The Dawn’ heard the audience singing along before it was time for the title track for the band’s latest EP ‘Drive’ that came with a really rocking live performance as well as ‘Never Say Die’. THE 69 EYES saw us off with Goth classic ‘Brandon Lee’, but as soon as the band left the stage, the audience demanded the encore.
I never can decide, which track I love more as the opener of the encore, ‘Crashing High’ or ‘Framed in Blood’, tonight’s killer performance of ‘Crashing High’ didn’t make the choice easier. When I saw the stage for the first time tonight, I’d never have imagines, that so much action and true Rock N’ Roll would find space enough. ‘Dance D’Amour’ gave you small chance to catch some breath, before Jyrki asked Hämeenlinna “You wanna rock?” and the venue was literally cooking, when the last tune of ‘Lost Boys’ faded.
Setlist
01. Devils
02. Feel Berlin
03. Perfect Skin
04. The Chair
05. California Drive
06. Betty Blue
07. Sister Of Charity
08. Cheyenna
09. Gothic Girl
10. Gotta Rock
11. Two Horns Up
12. Wasting The Dawn
13. Drive
14. Never Say Die
15. Brandon Lee
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15. Crashing High
16. Dance D’Amour
17. Lost Boys
Rating
Music: 10
Performance: 9
Light:7
Sound: 9
Total: 8.8 / 10
Sunday 29th January 2023
“Loppuunmyyty” (sold-out) the sign at the entrance of Suisto-Klubi stated and when I arrived at the club app. 90 minutes before showtime, a bunch of people were already waiting at the entrance to secure the best spot. Tonight’s audience seemed to be significantly younger, but I spotted some familiar faces from last night’s gig. Showtime was scheduled for 7 p.m. and when the band came on stage, I realized that the fog machine was blowing as if there was no tomorrow. I expected that fog would be reduced after a few songs, but it soon proved that I was wrong and photography would be more than a challenge tonight.
I’m sure that in a larger venue, the band would have been invisible for those standing in the back, reminding me of the band’s gig in Leipzig back in 2019 but tonight’s audience was lucky, since Suisto-Klubi has a capacity of only 150 people. When I looked at the audience standing behind me on this foggy evening it became clear that all the people in the club were those about to rock and THE 69 EYES made sure that they got what they came for. The setlist had been changed a bit and ‘California’ had to make space for ‘Mrs. Sleazy’, a track that was released back in 1994 on ‘Motor City Resurrection’, a nice reminder of how the band sounded back in the 1990’s. Jyrki addressed the audience several times during the small breaks between the songs and introduced the band members to the audience.
Maybe it was due to myself standing on the right side of the stage and closer to the drums that I realized that there was a new double bass drum blast in ‘Cheyenna’. ‘Lost Boys’ seemed to get a heavier approach on drums as well and I totally fell for it. Tonight, things on stage got a lot wilder, the further the gig progressed, Jyrki and Timo Timo dancing wild on stage to ‘Crashing High’ (I’m, still asking myself, how you can circle around like this and play guitar at the same time?) and drummer Jussi69 standing on his drums or beating the shit out of them. Time flew by and I could hardly believe, that I had already killer performances of 14 songs, when it was time for ‘Brandon Lee’.
While the audience demanding the encore had been pretty loud yesternight, today’s crowd was even louder and choruses demanded the band back on stage immediately. The band came back on stage, all smiles to play ‘Crashing High’ and ‘Dance D’Amour’. After an extra intense version of ‘Lost Boys’ THE 69 EYES left the stage under a big applause and the audience disappeared into the cool winter night. What a great final of a weekend full of Goth’n’Roll and the best thing is: THE 69 EYES announced a European tour and several gigs in the United States in spring. Check out the band’s website and social media for details and make sure to buy your tickets as soon as possible, you don’t want to face the “Sold-out” sign and miss rocking’ out with THE 69 EYES.
Setlist
01. Devils
02. Feel Berlin
03. Perfect Skin
04. The Chair
05. Mrs. Sleazy
06. Betty Blue
07. Sister Of Charity
08. Cheyenna
09. Gothic Girl
10. Gotta Rock
11. Two Horns Up
12. Wasting The Dawn
13. Drive
14. Never Say Die
15. Brandon Lee
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15. Crashing High
16. Dance D’Amour
17. Lost Boys
Rating
Music: 10
Performance: 10
Light: 5
Sound: 9
Total: 8.5 / 10
All Pictures by Munich Vampire
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