Finland, a country of roughly 5 million has been so far musically – apart from its louder representatives – largely in obscurity. Well, this is about to change. At least this is what bandname-savvy I Was A Teenage Satan Worshipper think.
With their lemonade mix of punchy electropop, with nicknames such as Nekrokitten (!) and track titles such as ‘OMG, Techno Chicks!!!’ they are trying to put their hometown Tampere back on the musical map. Hilarious oddballs these Finns! Whether they succeed in raising Finland’s profile with their quirky pop crossover remains to be seen. In the meantime founder ‘My Lovin’ Martian’ and the rest of the crew invited ClashMusic to join them for a drink and a dance.
Describe your music.
It’s a kind of electronic punk/indie-rock. It’s danceable and it’s fun.
Your primary influences?
It’s really hard to say. I really like a lot of British bands. Jesus And Mary Chain, My Bloody Valentine, Primal Scream, but they are not the only influences on us, there is much more than that. Maybe a little bit also of French electronica, Daft Punk, Stereo Total or similar stuff and the playfulness that with that genre.
How was the band formed?
It was an internet project.
What do you mean by that?
I just made some songs and I uploaded the stuff on myspace and I pretended it was a real band. Some people asked us to play some gigs and then I called some of my friends in order to play with me. That was it.
Has being a Satan worshipper in your teens got any implications now? [most band members are now +/- 30]
The taxi driver asked us exactly the same! When we were teenagers, we got treated like Satan worshippers by schoolteachers and the like. Our parents were also concerned…
Were you dressing-up in black?
Yeah!
Were you also into Heavy Metal?
I had a mohawk and I was a punk rocker. But in Finland at that time this almost meant that you were burning down churches.
Why did you choose this band name then?
I don’t really remember. It’s just came to me in a dream.
Who writes the music and lyrics?
Mostly I start the tracks at home, but on our upcoming album we composed in the studio with contributions from everyone.
Why didn’t you choose to play heavy metal?
In Finland everybody seems to be forming heavy metal bands.
Why is that?
Because it’s a heavy metal country. It’s dark. I think heavy metal is a very good way for the Finnish man to try and be dark and “I don’t want to talk to anybody”.
So you guys felt slightly more social?
Maybe a bit. When were teenagers, there was no option play pop music, it was heavy metal or no metal at all.
So you made your revolution by playing pop?
Yeah!
Any cool Finnish band tips?
My favourite band is called Regina. Also Pharaoh Overlord and Joensuu 1885.
What should people expect from you onstage?
A lot of energy and broken strings! Some sweat, definitely some dancing and just a little bit of blood, not too much! No goatheads…
What are you going to do after this interview?
Go to the next interview. Beer! Beer! Beer!
3 reasons why people should check you out?
We sound good, we are good-looking and we are also sexy.
Words by Vasilis Panagiotopoulos
