Designed with exceptional live acoustics in mind, the new venue G Livelab aims to offer a comprehensive live music experience. Seating 150 people, the new club has started with a bang and announced a string of stellar acts – both Finnish and international.
Helsinki’s live music scene grows this autumn when the new venue, G Livelab, opens its doors at the corner of Pieni Roobertinkatu and Yrjönkatu. Modifiable according to occasion, the venue seats approximately 150 visitors and it has been designed with an exceptional live music experience in mind. The opening concert, an album launch show given by celebrated Finnish group Tuomo & Markus on 4 August, immediately drew a full house. The remainder of the autumn programme comprises a string of notable names, including American jazz stars Vijay Iyer Trio and Marcus Strickland’s Twi-Life; Australian avant-garde trio The Necks on their 30th anniversary tour; and the ACT Music signees Cecilie Norby, Victoria Tolstoy, Marius Neset, Lars Danielsson and Ulf Wakenius who join Finn Iiro Rantala in three concerts. The legendary Posies star Ken Stringfellow will be fronting a Finnish band and a rare duo performance will be given by Romanian violinist Andrei Ionita and Japanese pianist Naoko Sonoda – both big names in the field of classical music.
Other confirmed acts include Jaakko Aukusti, Samae Koskinen, Color Dolor, Frigg, Laura Moisio, Mirel Wagner, Dalindèo, At The Hollow, Aki Rissanen Trio, Särre&Zenger&Tölölab, Avanti!, Töölön ketterä, Pekko Käppi & K:H:H:L, SUN Trio, FiBO Players & Kudsi Erguner, Aili Ikonen, Death Hawks, Hanna Paulsberg Concept and Mimmit who entertain at the family-friendly brunch event in early September. The popular Klasariklubi, focusing on classical music, will be continuing at G Livelab with Panu Savolainen & Atte Kilpeläinen among the first bookings. The venue will also collaborate with other events, playing host to festival concerts: so far it has been confirmed that the Helsinki Festival and Etnosoi! Festival will visit G Livelab during the autumn season. In future, the programme will also include literary and culinary events.
Marco Casagrande, the architect behind G Livelab, describes the venue as follows: “We have used building materials that are typical for city architecture: brick, concrete, tarmac, glass, copper, steel, leather, ceramic and plants. However, what have been more important were the artisans moulding them: steel workers, glaziers, gardeners, tanners, welders, bricklayers, tile setters, carpenters and other workers. The restaurant has been created patch by patch in collaboration with professionals. As a result, familiar materials gain an uncanny dimension: as if the molecules were in constant motion like notes and beats of a song, pulsating to the beat of the city and breaking free from the shackles of time. The space is multi-dimensional, multi-temporal and multi-sensory.
G Livelab is administered by a new company Livelaboratorio Oy, which is managed by Tanja Douglass and owned by the Finnish Musicians’ Union. The board is composed of a number of household names of the scene, including Ahti Vänttinen (chair), Markus Nordenstreng, Jukka Perko, Maija Vilkkumaa, Minna Pensola, Matti Lappalainen and Matti Nives. Nives is in charge of the planning of the programme; the producer is Katariina Uusitupa; and the restaurant manager Timi Rytsy.
”We are very excited to finally present the club to the audience,” says Tanja Douglass. “We hope that there is a place for it on Helsinki’s live music scene and that it will contribute to its vitality. G Livelab is a special meeting place for live music and the audience: we deliver versatile, high-quality live music and aim at offering exceptional conditions for each show. Putting music first is our priority. In practice this means modifying the space to suit each artist’s needs.”
The autumn programme along with details can be found on http://glivelab.fi