Interview with Lapko

Lapko will release a new version of their 2007 album "Young Desire" in Germany on April 25th, 2008. A few days before they played with their lablemates in Hamburg and we asked them some questions between having sandwiches and coffee about touring and the "new old" album of course while Disco Ensemble where doing their soundcheck in the downstairs.

finnbands: You have been to Germany before and you are back here now. How is it to be back here?
Heikkonen: It's nice!
Nordberg: Yeah, yesterday we felt kinda weird but now we are lucky.
Malja: We've played a there weeks tour in Finland. We are pretty tired. We arrived yesterday but now we slept a long night.
Heikkonen: Yeah we slept like little babies. Now we feel like bunnies.
Nordberg: Now I am feeling something.
Heikkonen: But it's nice to be here and it's a shame that it's only going to be three gigs. But it's still nice.

finnbands: Why are you only playing these three gigs?
Malja: Actually I don't know. That's a good question!
finnbands: Well, yeah, I know I have to ask your booker!
Malja: But I heart that we are coming back next fall and we will be here on a longer tour. And now this are only three.
Nordberg: But I really think... The record will be on 25th and maybe the people should have time to listen to it and ...

finnbands: The record will be a new version of "Young Desire". What will be different?
Nordberg: Yeah it's the same record.
finnbands: So is there any difference?
Malja and Nordberg at same time: The covers!
Malja: We released it one year ago in Finland. And now, I don't know, is it tomorrow? *asking the others* When are we going to release it in Germany? On 25th. We did a special booklet for Germany and other countries.
Nordberg: And it is just a slimcase.
Heikkonen: *looking up the calender in his cellphone* But it is not going to be tomorrow.
finnbands: Yeah, on Friday. In Germany releases are always on Fridays.
Malja: Yeah, on Friday!
Heikkonen: Yeah, in Finland it's always on Wednesdays.
Malja: But people in Germany are a little bit more open to new music. It's a little bit easier here to play in front of a new audience - compared to Finland for example. So I don't know, I guess these three shows will be great.
Heikkonen: Yeah! *everybody looking at him* I just have to drink some coffee!

finnbands: When you compare the gigs you did here the last times, did you realise that the audience grew? That maybe when you started that there have been only few people and later on more? Actually I don't know, I just saw you in Germany last autumn at Popkomm.
Malja: We haven't done actually lots of shows in Germany. Only...
Nordberg: ten
Malja: ten shows. But I think people started to realise our name and after a few month I hope that there are some more. And the Young Desire release and that kind of stuff. Yeah, I don't know. Don't live in Germany so we don't know what is happening right here. *laughs* But I guess it's only good.
Nordberg: Yeah, we had this news that there is this reputation and feedback on the radios and tv. I don't know. We really don't know what to expect.

finnbands: In three days you are going to play at this Helsinki in Berlin festival. Is this a usual concert for you or is this something special?
Nordberg: I guess it is just that we are sharing the stage with bands from fullsteam records. They are all these bands. Not everybody is directly from fullsteam records but.... Good Finnish bands are playing together in Berlin.
Malja: It's a special night.

finnbands: Last September you played at Popkomm. I think before you had any expectations what is going to happen. Came any of these expectations truth?
Nordberg: Yeah, we had....
Malja: Hm, I don't know. You know, in these events like Popkomm, there are lots of business people and they are talking much and doing very less. They promise to do things and there is this rumours that pretty big things or little things are happening but I am not sure what of those have come true.
Heikkonen: I don't think any. Not about Popkomm.
Nordberg: Playing the showcase gigs is not like playing an other gig.
Malja: We found out it's pretty difficult to play in a showcase because that is a strange situation. Because the audience is there but they are just hunting something new. I think it is good but for the artist it makes the situation a little bit weird because the business people are not there because they would like to enjoy. They are more like finding something new to sell, you know.
Heikkonen: Yeah, it's more like a street maket or so.
Malja: Yeah, and ... I think it's a weird situation but it belongs to this business and that's it.
Nordberg: This is like this office. We are now like discussing our new product and Ville is having coffee and ...
Malja: *with coffee and sandwich in his mouth like showing something with his hands* This is a presentation what is coming to you in the next quarter of year.

finnbands: Your show on stage and your presence on stage is kind of special I'd say. Is that the real you or are you different in every day life?
Nordberg: It's just changing clothes and going there and ...
Malja: I know... I think on the stage we are trying to behave. I am not seeing us like ... we don't have any stage persons. In a way of course. But we don't have any masks *laughs* or something like that. But of course when you are an artist who performs you should build some kind of public... you know curtain. Because if you would like to cry I think it's better not to cry on stage because you haven't paid your rent or any kind of that. But we are trying to be as honest as we could in a way because ...
Heikkonen: I think it's just natural to loose yourself on stage. Even if you don't I guess you are making shitty music. It's just enjoy playing your own songs and it makes you do some really strange stuff.
Nordberg: You don't necessarily be like a metal animal. You can be like a folk singer and you can go mad.
Malja: And I think, some particular songs, when you play them, they just give you kind of roles you should act, you know. They have some kind of words inside it and it just makes things happening. But
Malja and Heikkonen doing some guestures with their hands, Heikkonen kidding a little on Malja while he searches for words and discribing what he wants to say with his hands.
The album has a very strong theme and every song we are playing from that album has something young-desire-like. You don't have to take some role because ...
Nordberg: You don't go to a gym or drink coffee, that's natural.
Malja: Hm, jajaja, that's a fact.
Nordberg: And there are certain rules.
Malja: But you can't do go naked. There are some limites...
Nordberg: Yeah, some rules... When you go... Then someone comes and says 'You don't belong here!' But we don't have those kind of rules...
Malja: Because we haven't...
Heikkonen: I think we are not going anywhere!
Malja: No! But it's sometimes nice to just stuck the easier...
Heikkonen: Yeah, repeat the same shit.

finnbands: And when you are on stage, do you realise what is going on around you / in front of stage?
Malja: I am afraid that we are not.
Heikkonen: I know these guys are! From some particular reasons. But I don't see anything.
finnbands: Yeah, sure.
Heikkonen: But I have heart after shows that there was these *showing with fingers* one, two, three, four, five cute girls in the front row. *everybody laughs* So there is someone who sees something.
Malja: Yeah, but it's only between the songs when you have time to look around. *laughs*
Nordberg: It's like having a nice time with yourself that you close the curtains but then you ...
finnbands: So maybe you should check the frontrow before you start to play.
*everybody laughing and Ville showing thumbs up*
Malja: That's why we have audience light like this *showing from behind to front down*
Nordberg: This cop college, what's that in English, this movie?
*everybody laughing, what is going on now?*
Yeah, but the whole police department they go to the bar and they find homosexuals there and they don't realise the fact, you know *asking Malja*
Malja: No!
Nordberg: They are in the wrong place!
Malja: Hm…
Nordberg: But…
Heikkonen: But you don't wanna say that we are in the wrong place?
Malja: But I guess that's another story!
Heikkonen: Yeah, but who is in the wrong place?
Malja: *to Niina* Ok!

finnbands: How do you prepare for a gig? Is there anything special you are doing every time or are you just hanging around, doing the soundcheck and go on stage later?
Nordberg: We have some old habits but...
Heikkonen: But usually when we stay in hotels if we can we go to sauna.
Malja: It relaxes you.
Nordberg: I prefer the shower.
Malja: But we don't have any kind of *raising his arms* and stuff like that. It's more like if you have a place to be in few minutes quiet and
Heikkonen: ... yeah and smoke five cigarettes in a row and
Malja: ... and take a sip of beer and...
Heikkonen: ... nothing special...
Malja: ... put your superman suit on and
Nordberg: But we have heart that of course many bands have... We haven't toured that long in a row so we don't have to find anything.
Heikkonen: We don't do any ... or do this heh *raising his hand*.
Malja: I think, the problem... It's not problem in Germany because in here bands are always playing quite early. But in Finland it used to be... when we did this tour the last weeks, it just happend that some days we were planed to go on stage by 2 am. And it's so late that you have to do something special to make yourself fit, you know. Because you are sleepy and it doesn't help if you take a sip of Whiskey or the whole bottle. Well, when you take the whole bottle then you will have a problem. *laughs* I don't know. *Looking in the round* To be abroad it just give special concentration power. So you don't have to do any tricks.
Nordberg: When I find this now ... You have to sort of forget who you are. Just have to live this. Just go shit chatting and forget all the trouble.
Malja: Yeah, that is the main key. Forget your troubles, your personal problems. And we have lots of personal problems so we have lots of things to forget *laughs*.

finnbands: What does your future look like? What do you wish for the future?
Malja: Less problems *laughs*
finnbands: And in the band?
Malja:*still laughing* In this band also!
Nordberg: Less problems. And more good songs.
all togehter: Gigs!
Malja: It would be nice to tour in Europe with Young Desire for a long time. You know, we are really looking forward to have a big and wide tour with some good bands maybe. That's very nice. I guess that is one of the main wishes that we have right now and of course that we have time and talent to write new album one day but I don't know. Well, anything could happen.
Silence!

finnbands: When you are playing the same songs from Young Desire over and over again, don't you get bored?
Malja: Yes we are!
Nordberg: But you can do always *pointing at Heikkonen* for example we do all this old songs on our setlist and we just found our songs again.
Heikkonen: Yeah, and you can always just play a song the wrong way. And then it feels a bit different.
Malja: But that's why we have the audience light, you know. Because the front line gives you the different mood in every night. That we are playing our music not only to ourselves then to the people. The people are giving a special meaning night after night.
Nordberg: You have some anthems.
finnbands: So the people are changing? There are not always the same people?
Malja: It depends! If you are in the same city...
Heikkonen: Sometimes there are familiar faces.
finnbands: I heart of a band from Finland touring in Germany and they said: 10 gigs in Germany, 10 times the same front row.
Malja: Yeah, that just happens. That's why we decided to travel here because in Finland we don't have any new faces left.
Heikkonen: But maybe we are lucky we have a front row in here.
Malja: Yeah!
Nordberg: Yeah! Actually that is a good thing to have in the future.
Malja: Yeah that could be one good wish! To have a front row existing!
Heikkonen: But maybe the front row could be five meters between the band and the audience.
finnbands: Yeah, but we are not in Finland here. *smiling*
Heikkonen: Ah ok!
Nordberg: Maybe there should be some *raises his thumb* and bring them there.
Heikkonen: Yeah, some hitchhikers coming to our show.

finnbands: What are you going to do after the Germany tour?
Malja: I guess we have a few days off. And we have some plans, but not with the band. I am going to travel a little bit and Anssi is going to travel and...
Heikkonen: And I am going to...
Malja: ... travel...
Heikkonen: No! I am not going to travel. I am going to drink beer and relax. And stay at home!
Malja: We don't have much ... There are only 5 shows booked the next summer in Finland. So we have lots of time to write new material and
Heikkonen: After this week we have two month off. And in June I am coming to Hurricane Festival. There are so many good bands playing there. After that it's going to be very crazy.
Malja: We have been pretty hurry in former two summers so now it's nice to have a little bit more relaxed summer holiday.
Heikkonen: It was like last summer we had one weekend off...
finnbands: So you did all the summer festivals last year?
Heikkonen: Yeah, and the summer before we had one weekend off.
Malja: Yeah, two weekends in two years!
Heikkonen: So it's nice to have a summer vacation!
Malja: Go fishing and this.

finnbands: Ok, I think we are done! Thank you!
Malja and Heikkonen: Thank you!

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