Page 46 - Black Velvet Rock Magazine Issue 113

BV113 pg 44-47 The Rasmus.qxp_BV113 pg 46 13/12/2025 22:40 Page 3

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A particularly snazzy video wall at the rear
of the stage makes a world of difference and
helps make the performance feel big time.
There is some wonderful humour when bassist
Eero Heinonen suffers a guitar strap malfunc-
tion, causing his instrument to strike the ground
just as he is talking about connecting with the
crowd. "Shame that strap didn't connect," he
jokes.
'October & April' injects a nice change of
pace before things ramp up higher. New song,
'Banksy', is a triumph, adding a bit of pop punk
into proceedings, but also highlighting what a
difference Emilia ‘Emppu’ Suhonen has made
since joining the ranks. Bearing more oomph
that the Duracell Bunny and offering talent in
spades, it's a standout moment in 'Banksy'
when Lauri whirls Emppu round the stage by the
neck of her guitar, mid solo, like Jack did to
Rose on the Titanic.
'Livin’ In A World Without You' generates an-
other huge response, but, when the unmistak-
able alarm sounds of 'In The Shadows' blare
out, Shepherd’s Bush loses its mind for three
minutes or so of pure epicness. The main set
concludes with the title track of the new album,
where they selflessly welcome back Lee from
The Funeral Portrait to play his part of the song
and ensure that their fans get the genuine ex-
perience of the song.
And still, they are not done. The encore
starts with Lauri performing a touching acoustic
performance of 'Sail Away' by himself, before
the band join him to end things with a bang, with
a storming performance of 'Love Is A Bitch',
again showing their confidence in their new ma-
terial.
It's a delight that, during the course of the
evening Lauri breaks the news they are already
working on new music, which means it shouldn't
be too long before they are back in our towns,
and, as they sing in 'Creatures Of Chaos', ‘The
future belongs to us’, based on tonight, the fu-
ture does, indeed, belong to The Rasmus.
YYYYY
Michael Coventry

The Rasmus (pages 43-46) and The Funeral
Portrait (page 47) Photos By Mark Cavill

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