Adam Kennedy talks with Blues Queen – Erja Lyytinen ahead of her return to Tyneside this week.
Due to popular demand, and following her successful 2023 UK tour, internationally acclaimed guitarist, and singer-songwriter Erja Lyytinen will embark on her "Diamonds On The Road" 10-date UK Tour in April 2024.
The tour is named after the artist’s current live album Diamonds On The Road, which was originally released by Tuohi Records last year.
"After our long-awaited visit to the UK in November 2023, I realised that I have really missed touring in this country," says Erja.
"We have some hardcore fans in the UK, real blues rock enthusiasts who certainly show their appreciation when you're on stage and that feels good!"
She adds: “I can’t wait to come back in April 2024 for a full tour, consisting of altogether ten shows. I will be flying straight from Australia to London. I’m looking forward to enjoying England in the springtime.”
How has 2024 been going for you so far?
It has been a very busy start to 2024. We just finished the Diamonds on the Road tour in my home country, Finland with some amazing sold-out venues. As a cherry on top of the cake I had the privilege of doing two sold-out concert house shows with a Symphony Orchestra in Lohja, Finland. This was the first time I had my own music arranged for such a big orchestra, and it sounded amazing to hear woodwinds, strings and horns combined to play in perfect harmony, with some occasional dramatic hits from the kettledrum! It was massive and majestic to hear songs like “Waiting for the Daylight” or “Bad Seed” played by an orchestra. We are already planning some new shows with an orchestra in the future.
You played your first UK shows since before the pandemic at the end of last year. How did that run go for you?
It was a compact little tour, but much needed after so many cancellations and changes because of Brexit and Covid-19 which we have faced since 2020. However, it was wonderful to note that people had been supporting me through these challenging years and came to see the shows! It was simply nice to get to see my dear UK fans and friends after such a long time. I have been coming to the UK since 2010, so I have grown to this country, and these people and their manners, food and atmosphere and I always enjoy the vibe in the UK.
You are about to perform in Australia including a show at the prestigious Byron Bay Blues Festival. How much are you looking forward to performing in Australia?
We were supposed to play Byron Bay four years ago, and we were able to finally get to Byron Bay this year. I have never visited Australia or played there, so this is something that I am very much looking forward to. The festival is on a surf coast, and I´ve been told it´s the most beautiful place you can see! Besides, the festival has stars like Tom Jones, Ricky Lee Jones, Neil Young and the Tedeschi Trucks Band playing among other world-known stars. So, the line-up is simply crazy, and I can´t wait to watch other artists perform at Byron Bay! It would be cool of course to see a koala bear and a kangaroo too, but I´m happy also if I could finally see Derek Trucks, as I´m a big fan of his slide guitar style.
You will be returning to the UK for your most extensive tour in sometime during April. Would you say that the UK is like a home away from home for you?
I enjoy touring in the UK, the vibe, and the moist air of the island. I have been coming to the UK for years and made lovely friends over there. The UK has a long history when it comes to rock and blues music, and I have noticed that I enjoy mostly listening to records from the 1960s-70s era. I enjoy the progressive rock bands from the UK. There´s something about the sound of that time. Black Sabbath, Manfred Mann, Pink Floyd, Yes etc. It´s good, real music, played live in the studio, without any samples coming from the hard drives, and it´s often very artistic and has a lot of edge and that simply speaks to me.
You played your first UK solo show last year at the Prohibition Cabaret Bar in Newcastle. It must feel different performing your music without your full band. Was that something you enjoyed, and would you consider doing more solo shows in the UK in future?
I have played solo gigs for as long as I can remember. I probably did my first solo gig when I was 18 years old. It is very different to having a full band backing you up. It´s just you on stage, playing rhythm, solos and singing at the same time. You can hold the audience “in your hands”, they are close to you, and together you make the direction for the evening. It´s fascinating and it can sometimes get loud too. I usually use my HOS Electro-Reso Erja Lyytinen signature at these shows. It´s a combination of a resonator guitar with a spider cone and an electric guitar with microphones and I can play loud with it or more acoustically by using the potentiometer to blend the sound between the resonator guitar or an electric guitar. I don´t usually have a resonator with me on band gigs, so it´s fun to have it with me at solo shows.
You spent a few days in Newcastle on your last tour. Did you get the opportunity to explore the city? What did you enjoy most about Newcastle?
I enjoyed strolling through the city, checking out the sightseeing. My friend drove around the city, so I could see a bit of the famous Newcastle bridges. We went walking on the Tyne Bridge. I also did a bit of shopping at the market. I found a vinyl store and got some cool albums from there, like King Crimson´s Earthbound, Pink Floyd´s The Wall, and Focus´s At The Rainbow, which has very cool album artwork. The leaflet opens and looks like a cinnamon cookie, but it´s probably a cloud, as the album name refers. They don´t make vinyl with artwork like that anymore! But all in all, I can´t wait to come back to Newcastle soon to play at the Cluny.
Do you have an idea of how your set list might look for your upcoming UK dates?
We will be mostly playing songs from the live album “Diamonds on the Road”, which has songs from my albums “Waiting For The Daylight”, “Another World” and “Stolen Hearts”. So, it´s going to be a cool powerful rock set with some loud guitar.
I understand that your band might look a bit different to your last tour. Tell us about your current bandmates and how you met.
I will be playing the UK shows with a power trio. Heikki Saarenkunnas will be playing the bass in the trio. Heikki also played on my November 2023 UK tour and was introduced to me by my former bass player when he wasn´t able to come to some of my European tours. The drummer who´ll be joining for the first time on the UK tour is Sami Osala. He is an original member of Sunrise Avenue, so his playing is loud, as he´s used to playing big arenas. But that works great with blues/rock, as my style has gotten heavier during the years as well. So, it´ll be a nice power trio tour!
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What are your plans for the rest of 2024?
The Rest of the year looks intense as well. We will do summer festivals. I’m going to play in Ireland at the Rory Gallagher tribute festival in June, then I’m coming back to the UK to play Linton Festival on my birthday the 7th of July. We will be playing for the first time in Croatia too. In the Fall, September – October 2024 there´s a tour coming up in Holland and Germany, then some occasional shows here and there through the year and my traditional Blue Christmas tour in December. For my fans, I have some good news, too, as I´m planning to write and record new music this year. So, I’m hoping to have new material to be released as well!
Erja Lyytinen will perform at The Cluny in Newcastle on Friday, April 5. For ticket information and further details about the artist’s upcoming appearances please visit: https://erjalyytinen.com/tour.
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