I would be lying if I told you that I have never heard of 15 Minutes Before The Dive. I've witnessed their live performance quite a few times and never do they cease to amaze me with their skills. It has always been plain to see that they have fun on stage and therefor they are fun to watch. As their trademark is also their upbeat yet profound and powerful sound, their delight on being on the stage has also always reflected on their speeches in between the songs. They look comfortable on stage and they are relaxed enough to make jokes with each other and with the crowd making each listener feel as comfortable as they are.
     As before they have proved that all the fun they have on stage comes naturally, as an addition to that they have proved tonight that they do not need fun words to make the crowd smile and feel themselves comfortable. Their delight on being on stage is obvious to see and the genuineness in their music is reflected in the movement of the crowd. As the singer Thomas (Kirjonen) states out that the atmosphere in the room is cozy and warm, it's hard for anyone to disagree.
     15 Minutes Before The Dive has been on the studio preparing their first full-length album, and has therefor cut down the number of their shows this year. Perhaps it's exactly their time on the studio that has polished the edges of the diamond that was already quite bright before; as a live band they're now tighter than ever.
     Their first EP, Fleece Is The New Black was downloaded almost 6.000 times, all of the three songs from the EP are included with the brand new tracks on the forthcoming album that is due this autumn. Stay tuned for them, John Doe surely does. ***** / *****

Smak that just released their third album "Shopping Mall Religion", have just kicked off their "Nivala, Send Me A Postcard" -tour this fall. As a band they have improved tremendously. Their new songs seem new yet familiar like the sun in the first day of spring and they make the listener want to hop right into a cabriolet and head for a road trip. Final destination; California.
     As a side road branching off their highway, they have decided to change their language from finnish to english. Their influences from America are stricly reflected in their lyrics such as "High School Uncool" and the fun, devoted tribute to the FOX's TV show The O.C, "Newport Beach".
     While changing the language, they have made a smart decision with their finnish songs. As the majority of their set is built from the new, english songs, they have created a potpourri from their finnish songs. The audience got to enjoy the old songs like Hallanvaara, Nousen and Myrsky from their first album Sic Transit as well as Teen Mitä Teen, Elohopeaa and Pinnallisuus from their second album Elohopeaa.
     From all the talented musicians, tonight the special mentioning has to go to the guitarist. Henri (Salonen) showed nothing but high ambition and great talent with both of his performances. There was no signs of falling out as he played somewhat over two hours straight as well with 15 Minutes Before The Dive as with Smak five minutes after.
     As they have showed tonight that they have came a long way from the 15 year old boys they were back when they started, this yet fine show is nothing but a stop in their significant journey. Keep your eyes and ears open because it's no suprise if the end of their road is set up right in Newport Beach. ***** / *****

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15MBTD's profile / Smak's profile

Text: Joanna Tzortzis.
Photography: Markku Anttila

Related: 15 Minutes Before
The Dive @ Semifinal,
2008/05/April