KOTKAN MERIPÄIVAT

KOTKA, FINLAND

REVIEW AND PICTURES BY MARKO SYRJÄLÄ

The Kotkan Meripäivät festival is organized in Kotka in July’s last weekend and it typically has an attendance of more than 200,000 visitors in four days. The festival is Finland’s second largest festival and it’s been held since 1962 onwards. As always, the event now includes a wide selection of performers for different target audiences. On Saturday there were performers like Joe Cocker and The Village People. The main event was held on Friday and it included such bands as legendary U.S. hard rockers Twisted Sister, Hardcore Superstar, the Michael Monroe band, and reformed Pelle Miljoona Oy which now had former Hanoi Rocks members Andy McCoy and Sam Yaffa in their ranks.  

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MICHAEL MONROE

Club Tavastia, HELSINKI

1′st of APRIL 2010

REVIEW AND PICTURES BY MARKO SYRJÄLÄ

It’s been about ten years since Michael Monroe last played a solo show in Helsinki.  That’s of course because of Hanoi Rocks rebirth which started in 2001. Hanoi Rocks released three successful studio albums before they decided to disband again in 2009 after a series of sold out shows in Club Tavastia. Unlike his former colleague Andy McCoy, who announced his very short live Real McCoy project almost right away, Michael decided to take to some time before getting  back in action.  In January of 2010 Michael announced his new all star band which included: Ginger from The Wildhearts, former Hanoi Rocks / Demolition 23 bassist Sam Yaffa, guitarist Todd Youth and another former Demolition 23 member Jimmy Clarke. This new band first did a handful of successful shows in the USA before heading back in Europe. They arrived in Finland in late March to play six shows with the renewed line up including New York Dolls guitarist Steve Conte and and drummer Karl Rosenfist.

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ELECTRIC BOYS

CONNY BLOOM AND A.C CHRISTELL

On April 12th, 2009 the eighth sold out gig in only six days, at the legendary Tavastia Club in Helsinki, concluded the series of farewell performances by HANOI ROCKS. After putting out three albums, TWELVE SHOTS ON THE ROCKS in 2002, ANOTHER HOSTILE TAKEOVER in 2005 and STREET POETRY in 2007, since reuniting, Andy McCoy and Michael Monroe have decided to call it a day.

To coincide with the farewell tour, a book entitled "All Those Wasted Years" has been released, but since it hardly scratches the surface concerning the more recent stages of the band we decided to sit down for a chat with current guitarist Conny Bloom and bassist Andy Christell. Both also share a long history in connection with HANOI ROCKS, having already toured alongside them in the 1980′s with THE ROAD RATS [also featuring ex-HANOI ROCKS drummer, Gyp Casino]. In addition to HANOI ROCKS and THE ROAD RATS, Conny Bloom and Andy Christell have played and reaped success together in ROLENE and most importantly the, now reunited, ELECTRIC BOYS.

INTERVIEW BY MARKO SYRJÄLÄ AND JARNO HUOVILA

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GYP CASINO ex-Hanoi Rocks, Live Ammo, Road Rats, Rolene

GYP CASINO

Interview by Marko Syrjälä

Pictures: Marko Syrjälä & Archives

The Swedish born drummer, Gyp Casino, will forever be best known as a member of the original, and arguably the best, lineup of the legendary Finnish band HANOI ROCKS. He played on the bands first three albums, BANGKOK SHOCKS, SAIGON SHAKES, HANOI ROCKS in 1981, ORIENTAL BEAT and SELF DESTRUCTION BLUES both in 1982. His tenure with the band culminated in getting fired over an on-stage fight with the band leader Andy McCoy [the reason why he isn't credited for his work on SELF DESTRUCTION BLUES despite playing all the drums].

He then went on to play with the Swedish ROAD RATS and later ROLENE, together with future HANOI ROCKS members Conny Bloom and Andy Christell. Later on he got to enjoy great success, both in the charts aswell as live, all over Sweden with PELLE ALMGREN before again joining up with Andy McCoy in his band LIVE AMMO and putting out the BUILDING ON TRADITION album in 1995. He currently runs a business in Stockholm where he was gracious enough to recount some interesting tales from his career with HANOI ROCKS, ANDY MCCOY’S ALIVE AMMO, ROAD RATS, ROLENE, etc.

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Hanoi Rocks
Another Hostile Takeover Swedish Tour
Kulturbolaget
Malmö
Sweden
10/12 – 2005

 Reviewed by: Anders Sandvall
Livepics by: Anders Sandvall

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Hanoi Rocks has had a new guitarist Stevie Klasson in the band for a while now, and they also have a new album under way. Andy McCoy, Michael Monroe and Stevie Klasson held a press conference in Ruisrock in July and Metal-Rules.com along with Petri from www.Rockunited.com and a few other reporters were there to get a recap of what’s going on in the Hanoi camp.

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