Being no longer in my first youth, I have to admit that I did not know much about many of the bands performing at the youth party in Kelm.
The friend who I went to the concert with was as surprised as you are, because, according to him, many have been played on Radio 2. I suppose it makes sense to mention the artists here: Around the Sun, EiK, The Boondocks, eq, Rake, and Uhs Kumatu. The line-up of Kelm was charming as all the artists were Estonian bands. Not that I have anything against foreign artists, but it’s nice that people fumbling in the dark like me can also learn about the new bands that are popular among the young. I did not however try my luck when attending this concert, my objective was to see Rake, two of whose songs I had listened to on Youtube countless times over the past two weeks. Rake partly consists of people who are familiar from the band OUU already – Rahel Ollisaar and Hyrr Innokent Vainola, which sets the expectations very high to start with. I hear they will soon launch an album as well.
The live concert by Rake was, for me, the undisputable culmination of the evening. The dynamic between the artists on stage, the singer’s bursting confidence, and the version of the track „Sorry“ specially arranged for the live performance were the aspects that made the concert especially attractive. I wish I had more musical knowledge to say something smart about it but let it be known that they are very good in live. Only good vibez, if one were to use the slang of the youngsters.
In addition to Rake, there were others I liked. For example, young rhyme and rap master EiK, whose opening act attracted many to cheer on. Being so young and so fluent, wow! No truth is absolute, right. In the meanwhile, the whole atmosphere, at least in the bar area of Kelm, started to remind a class party kind of event, where everyone sat back by the walls and cheered from there. I’m not saying that everyone should have desperately writhed on the dance floor, but it could have been livelier. At least for a moment it was sad to see how eq played his beats to an empty dance floor. Being there made me wonder whether this sort of alternative music is so common in the lives of the youngsters that one doesn’t have to go crazy about a live concert, but can enjoy it in calm reflection. At least in my youth the horizon of opportunities was not so wide that one could miss anything a bit exclusive.
The bands like The Boondocks and Around the Sun also gave great live concerts. The instrument-playing skills of the youth are impressive. And what a powerful vocal Around the Sun has! While the first band had gained wider fame via Radio 2, Around the Sun’s vocalist mentioned that the concert at TMW was one of their first performances in front of the larger audience. Perhaps it was the smaller and more intimate venue that suited them better. Anyway, the audience received both acts very positively, and there was no sign of the contemplative mood of the adjacent room. Unfortunately, it can happen at TMW that moving between halls one can miss a band. Although there were not so many at Kelm, I did manage to miss Uhs Kumatu. But that’s alright as we will definitely hear and see a lot of both these and all the other bands that participated in the festival after Tallinn Music Week is over.
