'Mieskuoro Huutajat' are a band from
Oulu, a place which sounds like part of a woman, in
Finland. They were formed in 1987 and are led by a man called
Petri Sirviö. 'Mieskuoro Huutajat' means 'Men's choir
shouters'. And that is what they are - a loose ensemble of men (dressed in dark suits, with
black rubber ties and white shirts) who shout
mutated versions of patriotic songs devoid of all melody, but possessed of a forceful rhythmic sense, at the tops of their voices.
This simple description does not really do them justice, and it's hard to fully grasp their impact if you are not Finnish. Imagine if the staff of an investment bank went mad one day, and decided to band together and shout out slashed versions of 'The Star-Spangled Banner' or 'Hey Jude', and you have their appeal.
Their first recorded release was an EP called 'Pohjoinen kotimaamme' from 1988. It reached number 8 in the Finnish pop charts, which suggests that Finland has some fantastic popular music. A number of EPs followed, until the release of their first proper album in 1998, '10th Anniversary Concert'. They tour regularly, although mostly on the continent (their only date in the UK was in Wales, in 1998).