Have you heard of the latest punk sensation in town?! It’s Pertti Kurikan Nimipäivät! Pertti Kurikan Nimipäivät was formed back in 2009, in Lyhty Ry, my working place. The band was formed thanks to the staff of Lyhty,who decided to give a chance to a group of intellectually disabled people and teach them how to play music. The results? F A S C I N A T I N G!
These boys are both performers and co – workers of mine. I see them all day long, rocking their socks off! I tell you, these boys know how to play!
From left to right: Kari Aalto (vocals), Pertti Kurikka( guitar), Toni Välitalo(drums) Sami Helle ( bass).
The name of the band derrived from Pertti Kurikka’s nameday. As I previously mentioned in Finland people celebrate their namedays. It occured that the band formed on Pertti’s nameday. Their music is connected with their everyday lives, how disabled people cope everyday. Being a disabled person is more difficult on a whole new level. You don’t get to be treated like everyone else, wherever you go you get scorns of people. Disabled people know what they want. All they want is to be heard.The band members are sick of being treated so and decide to pour it down in punk!
My favorite track is: KALLIOON!
In this track the band disputes how they are sick of living in group homes. They descrive how it’s boring where they live and Kallio is the place to be! They are enraged with the treatment of society, so they just let it all out.
Their rise from anonimity to stardom was recorded in a motion picture named Kovasikajuttu ( The Punk Syndrome.) In this documentary you can see the ordinary lives of the band members. They love, cry, eat just like any other human beings. In the documentary you will encounter the hardship these people had, the things that you don’t get to see that easily. It’s touching and emotional. The way these people rose from the ground up to stardom. It’s was a long path paved with obstacles.
CAN YOU GO ONSTAGE WITH SHIT IN YOUR PANTS?
Ever since the documentary had it’s premiere and it was showed on national TV, YLE1, Pertti Kurikkan Nimipäivät went worldwide! The band had gigs all across the world. The toured in USA, Czech Republic and many more to come! The audience is crazy about them.
I want to thank Lyhty Ry and the producers of the movie for giving an insight to the world about disabled peoples’ lives. Hopefully, after seeing this movie you will realise that people with special needs are no second-rate citizens, they are the same, just like you and I.
PS: See Kovasikajuttu, it won’t let you down.
For more information and merchandise, please visit:
kovasikajuttu.fi
finnishchronicles 