Details after the break!
If you’re in Finland and can make this festival, GO! We had the pleasure of covering Modern Sky Festival in NYC and lemme tell you, awesome memories were made! Read all the information below and see one of the most underrated indie Rock scenes, China’s, live in action this Summer!
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Modern Sky Festival Helsinki: Zhala (SE), Nova Heart (CN), Stylish Nonsense (TH), Teksti-TV 666 (FI), Lust for Youth (SE), Re-TROS (CN), Neon Bunny (KR), Disa (IS), The Hearing (FI), Wordy & Soulspeak (CN/US), Long-Sam (FI), Hedgehog (CN)
August 28–29, 2015, Telakkaranta, downtown Helsinki, Finland
The Modern Sky Festival Helsinki, a new urban music festival, will take over the historic Hietalahti shipyard behind renowned Club Nosturi in the heart of Helsinki. A joint venture between Modern Sky (China’s leading music festival producer and indie record label) and Finnish music stalwarts Live Music Association ELMU ry and Helsinki Festival, the festival will present two days of the most exciting Asia and Nordic acts spread across four stages.
After nearly a decade in China, the first Modern Sky Festival in the United States took place last year in New York’s Central Park, and this is the first time Modern Sky brings one of its signature festivals—combining music, art, fashion, and Asian youth culture—to Europe.
Under the theme “New Nordic meets New Asia,” Modern Sky Festival Helsinki brings together a buzzing mix of new international pop, rock, and electronic music from both Asian and Nordic capitals.
The roster is packed with plenty of exciting Asian acts, headlined by China’s Nova Heart. The band’s singer Helen Feng, dubbed “China’s Debbie Harry,” is also a VJ for MTV China. International media like Rolling Stone, Spin, NME, and Vice have named the band one to watch, and they also play Glastonbury this summer.
Re-TROS play post-punk that smells like the Beijing smog. They have toured with Gang of Four and worked with the legendary Brian Eno in the studio. Hyped and raucous, they have headlined Chinese festivals and toured across the United States. Song titles such as “TV Show (Hang the Police)” highlight their uncompromising attitude.
Korean electro-pop star Neon Bunny will turn the shipyard into a Korean dance party. You might already be familiar with K-pop, but we are proud to introduce you to a whole new genre: K-indie.
Among other Asian acts performing at the festival are post-punk-electric-funk Thai duo Stylish Nonsense and the DJ duo Wordy & Soulspeak from China/USA. Beijing-based noise-pop trip Hedgehog formed in 2005 and have gone on to tour with Xiu Xiu and perform at CMJ.
Hot Asian performers are balanced out with the coolest Nordic pop. One of the most intriguing artists is Swedish-Kurdish pop comet Zhala, the first signing on Robyn’s Konichiwa Records. Swedish post-punk pop outfit Lust for Youth transmits minimalistic vibes that make the audience shiver. Experimental singer-songwriter Dísa, now based in Copenhagen, originally hails from Iceland, and the country’s heritage of cinematic pop music can be heard in her songs.
Of course, lots of great Finnish acts are set to perform. Teksti-TV 666 is definitely one of the coolest live bands right now, blending krautrock, shoegaze, and punk. The Hearing fuses Owen Pallett, Kate Bush, tUnE-yArDs, and Freddie Mercury into a powerful, minimalistic one-woman show. Artist and producer Long-Sam combines stylish synthpop with electro and deep house vibes.
More acts will be announced all spring.
A true Asian-Nordic fusion, the festival will inspire all the senses. The century-old shipyard atmosphere will be enhanced by art installations and projections under the darkening August sky and food vendors offering dishes from Asia and Nordic countries.
Pre-sales from Tiketti and Lippupalvelu: Early Bird tickets until April 21—only €55 for 2 days!