Text, photos and video: Mikko A.
Video documentation here
In recent times, there has been many types of noise gigs in Finland. Big, small, public, private… But when was the last time there was something happening outdoors? Not merely outside of a building, but literally somewhere in rural setting? Finns who go to events like Apocalyptic Rites, have been able to see industrial acts or some sort of noisy power electronics acts, who have performed powered with diesel engine generator due location of event not being connected to the grid. Those events are not exclusively noise related, but only ones that come to my mind.
April 2026 there was an opportunity for something else. Roughly in Kouvola region, the Brownhill Mafia guys had decided to organize a gig in the forest. It was semi-public. Advertised in couple of selected platforms, most of all their own website and mailinglist. You would have to contact via e-mail to get the further information. Where to pay ticket price and after that they would send you address where to arrive.
Couple of cars had arrived early. Parking next to field, behind the farm. Waiting the rest of attendees to arrive so we’d all walk sand road that would take us further to forest. It was raining and was colder than had been for couple of weeks. Made mistake on not dressing according to weather and also mistake of bringing only couple mild beers that had been consumed pretty much before event even really started!
Actual road took us to place. Originally small square where the trucks could turn when being on their route to pick up logs from the forest. With the help of battery amplifiers there was modest but fully functional ”stage” to perform. Tent, protecting electronic gear from rain. Fires burning for little additional heat. Notably also various objects scattered around, indicating that we would not only see performers playing on stage, but possibly all around.
Glass Plinth Project used a combination of electric pulses and acoustic sounds. Playing objects with a bow, creates the classic known sounds. An experimental soundscape was relatively linear sound. The backbone of the set was a slow, repetitive pulse, but all kinds of other sounds were added with taste. This new project comes from the same area. Unless I am mistaken, man lives in some of the nearby farms, are used to be largely clueless about experimental sound before being exposed to Brownhill activities, who both grew up and now live in farms of this region. Merely week before I had been talking with Dead Door Unit on his tour, mentioning that these days over here often even small cities or even villages have potential. Artists emerge from other kind of surroundings than metropolitan underground meltingpots, but also they may find local resonance. Awaking new people into experimental sound who formerly would have not thought about it and bringing people over, to witness what they are creating, rather than going out to showcase it.
Glass Plinth Project sound was surprisingly solid and clear! With the help of small subwoofer, it didn’t lack bass frequencies and warmness. The best thing was the symbiosis of natural sounds and artistic expression. The fire crackled, the birds chirped, the rain drops on plastic sheets yet at the same time the experimental, often synthetic sound created for the situation was included in the mix with perfect volume. Glass Plinth Project was very positive surprise when the creators experience in making such a sound is relatively short!
There was break in between where the audience could talk to each other and drink beers and so on. Around thirty people meant that there was both known ”scene guys”, but also locals I had never seen before. Despite the fires and somewhat esoteric vibe, there was nothing pretentious about it. Very casual meeting, where none of the audience nor performers were ”dressed up” or performed anything beyond what they would normally do. This was just example of what I have described with term ”rural noise” or ”rural industrial” that was matter of articles and discussions over the years. Some of these can be found from this very same SI blog!
Metsäkirkko had clearly planned and rehearsed their set. There was objects for percussion, drum percussion, whole damn air-organ had been carried to the woods! There was horn, experimental sounds crafted from metal objects, wood.. Not on what they did, but also involving seemingly unprepared audience members to drag the rattling and clanging metal objects around the surroundings.There was both narrative use of sound, as spoken pieces. Yet also vocalization resembling the roar of a wild animal that took place in the forest, out of sight of the audience and somewhat improvised sounds.
The performance took place in a milieu rather than a “stage”. While the sound would come from the amplifiers in front, the acoustic sounds often came from many directions around the listeners. Rarely, if ever, have I been to a gig like this, where the idea themselves are somewhat unique and good, but also the execution itself works 100%. I closed my eyes and could hear entire forest make the sound. People dragging metal junk around me, artists playing their instruments or objects somewhere in the three dimensional space where sounds of forest would blend in.
It was completely bright during the gig. This was a good thing in a way. Simply because somehow I don’t think Metsäkirkko is really “the sound of the dark forest”, so to say. It is less about the city man’s romanticized fears and mysteries, than… possibly the spirit of those who live in there?
However, I must say that if the forest had been dark, the roars of a ”horny lynx” from afar would have perhaps sounded more terrifying and the flames of fire would have created a certain vibe that would have generated brooding vibe to organ drones.
After the shows, finally the evening was starting to get dark. Then wickerman-esque figure created of pine tree branches was set on fire.
Damn good evening, musically and otherwise! If only I had realized that the bright and already warm spring had really turned close to winter season again! I could have stayed and hung out for a longer time. Now it was urgent to get away since I had no plans to catch a cold when so many other things to attend to. For me it was return to Lahti and a warm shower and crawling under the covers… while the Brownhill crew were camping in the forest all night, waking up insite the snow covered tent.
When I first started to write about concept of rural noise, it was indeed influenced by my interests in English 70’s artist collective ”Brotherhood of Ruralists”. They had moved to live in countryside and stood in opposition to the scholarly nature of contemporary art which believed that paintings were only really valid if they addressed social questions. The group would define ruralist as someone who is from city, but had done conscious move to the countryside. Even if this doesn’t constitute as manifest or some sort of academic stance, it does display ruralist being someone who made conscious choice. Rejecting something, for favor or something else. All these guys have has their taste of urban life, but made their choice to return and their art has transformed from youthful rebellion and alienation into something spiritually profound even when not underlining or overly romanticizing the mystical nature.
In this particular live show, Metsäkirkko did indeed step into realms of addressing both social and spiritual questions in the monologue that happened at later part of the gig. It would still remain outside the tiresome jargon of typical current age ”socially aware art”. Rerhaps the surroundings and situation itself would underline that it wouldn’t be regurgitations of alienated misfit (hah..), but rather ideas of someone who has made concrete choices. As well as worldview and thoughts that emerge right in this very surrounding that audience were entitled to briefly experience.
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