Reviews: Dwight Icenhower (Elvis Presley Tribute) at Mikaeli, Mikkeli and Peer Günt at Kivijalka, Mikkeli
29th April, 2024
Now these two shows took place about a month ago, it is true; but has not The Anti-Club given you ‘20th Century Rocks’, and more besides, since then?
Don’t like Elvis Presley? Well then “… you’re so square/and baby I don’t care.” It’s true of course that he didn’t write his own material, for the most part; but a voice and charisma like his constitute a talent greater than that of most songwriters. The personality was his gift, but he worked hard on his singing and stagecraft, much harder than most, and it showed.
So on 4th April earlier this year, one Dwight Icenhower’s - a stage-name that doesn’t quite work but still, he has to be called something - tribute to the ‘King’ arrived at the Mikaeli concert hall in snowy Mikkeli, Finland. The Orlando native mustn’t have known what hit him.
A depressing fact which has been pointed out here before (see our Reviews of Absolute Bowie and These Charming Men, for instance) is that the likes of the classic rock icons of yesteryear will never again be seen. Rock as an art form has been killed by that soul-destroying invention ‘the internet’, and while one or two genuine artistes of the old school may yet spring forth, the glory days are long gone.
So one’s time and money are much better spent on quality impersonators, much as they may justifiably dislike that term. Suspend disbelief for a few hours and we can forget that we were born a few decades too late. Icenhower’s show is incredible - his voice utterly flawless, his mastery of the stage mesmerising. He is a tribute act for certain - every gesture, every utterance the result of an impressive three decades studying and imitating Presley’s moves and idiosyncrasies - but what a tribute act.
Added to all this, he had one of the actual drummers who played with the real deal back in the day, and some supremely talented musicians, his rockabilly-blueprint guitarist in particular. Icenhower’s dedication to his art is awe-inspiring - the amount of make-up he wore, and presumably had to apply himself, alone was staggering, looking like a waxwork figure (and that is meant in a good way).
He and his band are also those decent types who, after all that effort (more or less every Elvis flagship song one can think of) still smile and shake hands and pose for photographs afterwards regardless of whether anyone buys their merchandise or not - Icenhower even went to the trouble of complimenting your humble correspondent’s outfit, while himself looking like the most glamorous rocker that ever lived.
A week before that on 28th March, the other extreme of the spectrum was experienced at the small restaurant/venue Kivijalka on the outskirts of the same town. The Finnish Motörhead, Peer Günt, from Kouvola just an hour or so away playing a storming set completely devoid of the showiness and glitz described above; see below for a more visceral description of what I am talking about:
These grizzled hard rockers have been going for 50 years, and still pack a punch. They play no-frills, take-no-prisoners, straight-ahead biker rock and are damn good at it. The audience ranged in age from those who had seen them back in the day, and countless times since, to enthusiastic newcomers born 30 years after the band’s debut album was released.
See them while you can - this is one of those groups which represent the last of the dying breed lamented earlier in this article. When they’re gone, the Icenhowers of this world will be all we have - get the last dose of authenticity while you can!
E-mail: theanticlub@pm.me