Beat a Go Go

Marko Annala (photo: Mikko Hinkkanen)

Mokoma was relatively unknown to the majority of the record-buying audience when they were recording with the multinational EMI, even though the band itself was formed in 1996. Not until they left/were kicked out from EMI and after they had put together their own label, Sakara Records - and after they had recorded the first-ever thrash-metal record sung in Finnish, Kurimus - did the majority of record-buying people, me included, start to notice Mokoma. To me Mokoma was an oddity and their music did not open up to me at all. Maybe it was because of the artsy-fartsy songs they used to perform. Anyhoo, I was wrong, that image I had was based on one record I had heard and a bunch of gigs I had seen Mokoma perform as a warmup to other bands. Everything changed one night at the Tavastia club, right after Kurimus had been released, when I saw Mokoma on stage, opening for Kotiteollisuus. I listened to them with every hair on my body standing up. I was literally awestruck.