Finland Calling, a new article series is here third time. This time Takahuone.fi presents Melrose, the band that the whole rocking world should know.
Melrose is a band which is a great piece of Finnish rock and roll history. They were formed in 1981 and since that they have recorded seven studio albums and played highly energetic shows. Melrose is still a popular live band in Finland. Melrose is such a top-class act when it come to live music.
Melrose is fronted by Tokela, a guitar player and a singer. I think that he is maybe the most underrated rock dude in the rock history of Finland. He really knows how to fire sounds from his guitar and his performances on the stage really gets your feet moving with the sound of rock and roll.
“The song” from Melrose is Rich Little Bitch that is always a highlight moment of the show. A famous film director from Finland, Aki Kaurismäki used Rich Little Bitch in his movie Hamlet Goes Business in 1987. Aki is one of the best film directors of the planet, but he also has a great taste of music too. There is always some cool music stuff in his movies.
When you look at Tokela in the music video from the film it is no wonder why a Finnish teenage pop music magazine Suosikki started to call him as a new James Dean.
Melrose made a final breakthrough into the Finnish music market late 1980s. They gained some serious recognition in the Central Europe too, like in Germany where they were selected as a performer of the year. But because of their then bass player had some family issues, their attempt to conquer the world interrupted for a years.
– We would be still there, if we could have a chance to continue at that time there, Tokela told to Finnish newspaper Iltalehti four years ago.
But the wheels of Melrose are still spinning and it is never too late. With Tokela there is Jami on drums and Roger on bass guitar in a current Melrose lineup. They have made some good songs during the recent years. Like a song It’s in the bag. It was released in 2008.
In the year 2015 they made a popular album in Finland Got It Made. One of my most favorite song from the album is Drama Queen.
Melrose has its roots in Länsimäki, Vantaa. It is a town in Finland just next to Helsinki. It was pretty rough neighbourhood at the time when Melrose was formed there. You have to be tough to survive on the streets of Länsimäki. Tokela lived in Länsimäki as a kid and he wrote a song about his experiences.
There is still some rock gang attitude in Melrose. Maybe they will come into your town soon.
Text: Mikko Korvenkari
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