‘CITY OF WHITE BLANKETS’ VIDEO FROM THE SCENES & UK DATES

THE SCENES 2ND ALBUM 'BEIGE' OUT ON OCTOBER 27TH

Mercurial vocals, dirty fuzzy guitars and a punk detour a few minutes in, they’ve certainly got plenty of ideas. Not sure what the girl in the bra in the video has to do with anything (the horse seems none the wiser) but if you’re up for watching a slightly overweight man be chased in his underwear for four minutes, then you’re quids in.. The band support The Specials for a long run of UK shows in November, plus they’ve just announced additional dates at the Roundhouse’s NIGHTMARE festival, the Old Blue Last, a late show at Camden’s Barfly and Bristol’s Start The Bus.

WATCH BRAND NEW VIDEO FOR CITY OF WHITE BLANKETS BELOW:

An experimental band barely out of their teens, The Scenes out of Oulu, Northern Finland, are something between art pop, hardcore punk and progressive rock. They possess a seemingly peculiar collective character yet it’s impossible to deny their powerful songwriting and showmanship mastery.

In May 2014 The Scenes toured the UK earning a reputation for their lights-out mayhem live performances, playing festival slots at The Great Escape, Liverpool Sound City, Live At Leeds and Dot to Dot, as well as supporting Bo Ningen on their club tour. Their sets ebb and flow with startling neurotic bursts, to the point where it’s almost certain that something will break – be it equipment or bones.

Although they themselves would describe their sound simply as ‘rock’, the oblique song structures, angular rhythms and contorted lyrics allow for only absurdist comparisons to reveal anything about their style. You’d be forgiven, for example, for thinking they sound like the Sex Pistols playing Erik Satie, or The Mars Volta doing The Hives. The sextet coalesce around vocalist Konsta Koivisto, who is more akin to Janis Joplin than any male counterpart. This young swaggerer, whom The Line Of Best Fit hailed as ‘a potential superstar’, also works as a painter / sculptor (under the name KONST), so his overt creative idiosyncrasies naturally command a central role to the bands’ identity. Guitarist/songwriter Miki Liukkonen is not to be overlooked however. Another individual cultured far beyond his young years, he is a well known, award-winning and critically acclaimed author and poet in his native Finland.

Characterised by such individuals, The Scenes exhibit a fascinating personality; an identity which has divisive potential, particularly via their brazen socially observant lyrics. Their inflammatory titled single ‘Anorexia Is Boring’, for example, about “anti glorification and selfie-terrorism” (which is really a twisted way of attacking against what they feel is narcissistic society), is contentious to say the least, yet comes with a studied self assurance, and such an almighty melody that means respect is surely due. Their ultimate ‘don’t give a fuck’ cool (which also sums up their ironic namesake) is actually central to their appeal considering they genuinely have the talent to back it up.

After their debut album “Images Of Animals Crying In Public” in April 2013, second album ‘Beige’ comes out October 27th on the Sound of Finland imprint. They will return to the UK for a lengthy tour in November, with dates to be announced soon.

The Scenes will play the following dates:

Oct 30th – Norwich, UEA w/ The Specials
Nov 1st – London, Nightmare Festival
Nov 3rd – Belfast, Olympia w/ The Specials
Nov 4th – Belfast, Ulster Hall w/ The Specials
Nov 5th – Newcastle, Think Tank
Nov 13th – London, Roundhouse w/ The Specials
Nov 14th – London, Roundhouse w/ The Specials
Nov 14th – London, Barfly (Late Show)
Nov 15th – London, Roundhouse w/ The Specials
Nov 17th – Brighton, The Dome w/ The Specials
Nov 18th – Bournemouth, Academy w/ The Specials
Nov 19th – London, Old Blue Last
Nov 22nd – Nottingham, Rock City w/ The Specials
Nov 23rd – Southampton, Joiners
Nov 27th – Bristol, Start The Bus
Nov 28th – Liverpool, Studio 2

Xsnoize Author
Mark Millar is the founder of XS Noize and looks after the daily running of the website as well as hosting interviews for the weekly XS Noize Podcast. Mark's favourite album is Achtung Baby by U2.

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