Tallinn Music Week announces programme for 2022

The next edition of the Estonian showcase will take place in Tallinn and Narva, featuring 175 artists from 28 countries.

As usual, the programme includes several thematic and genre-oriented showcases, all in all, 28 showcase nights. A special train will be running between Narva and the Estonian capital during the festival. Out of the myriad of great artists, Louder Than War picks up on a few that will make the festival special.

Svjata Vatra
The name of the Estonian-Ukrainian collective Svjata Vatra most likely rings a bell with the regulars of TMW. During the festival in 2014, the band’s frontman Ruslan Trochynskyi was playing his trombone on the roof of the Ukrainian Cultural Centre. Eccentric creativity forms the core of the band’s music. Svjata Vatra play fiery and disobedient folk-punk, firing up their audience with gopak-like dancing and impressive improvisations.

Röövel Ööbik
The pioneers of Estonian indie Röövel Ööbik (translates as Robber Nightingale) have been in the curriculum of the music history classes at local schools. The band became one of the first collectives from the Baltics who took part in Peel sessions in 1993. Influenced by the rackety sound of the Fall and early Sonic Youth, Röövel Ööbik produce melody-led captivating noise. Along with the propagators of Finnish indie 22-Pistepirkko, the band will perform at D3 Club, an experimental music venue at the heart of gentrified industrial area Telliskivi.

The Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir
Featured as an opening act of the Narva programme, the Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir will perform Arvo Pärt’s composition in the Resurrection of Christ Orthodox Cathedral. Considering the polyphonic nature of this music and the fitting reverberating acoustics of the venue, this will be an impressive concert. Formed in 1981, the choir has been touring worldwide, delivering the spiritual beauty of Estonian music. They recently made a stunning performance at Kings Place in London.

Lelee
Although the Slovenian collective Lelee defines their music as noise, the joyous melodies evoke cotton-candy numbers by Orange Juice. The Slovenian lyrics add slight (perhaps, desired?) brutality to their sound. Announced as a part of the Narva programme, the band will be playing at Art Club Ro-Row, ​​a riverside venue with a vintage countryside atmosphere and a peculiar crowd.

Kaelan Mikla
Icelandic trio Kaelan Mikla will bring dark synth-pop vibes from Reykjavik. Seemingly inspired by witchcraft, the band creates an alluring image that evokes associations with Siouxsie and the Banshees and Jarboe. Kaelan Mikla will be hosted by Tallinn’s Sveta Bar, a venue that celebrates darker shades of international music talent.

Folk programme (various)
Various artists will present different facets of folk music. At the TMW Fenno-Ugria Night, Katarina Barruk will introduce the strange beauty of Ume Sámi, a dialect of the Sámi language spoken in Sweden and formerly in Norway. Similarly, Estonian songwriter Mari Kalkun will treat her listeners to the enchanting sound of kannel and lyrics in Võro (a dialect spoken in Southern Estonia). With her recent ambient-folk experiments, free-bass accordion player and composer Tuulikki Bartosik creates a soundscape, erasing the boundaries between personal and public. Although an emotionally challenging adventure, this music has a tremendously therapeutic effect.

Tallinn Music Week will take place on 4-6 May in Tallinn and continues on 7-8 May in Narva. More information about the line-up here.

Tickets for the festival can be purchased here.

Source: louderthanwar.com