The Valkyrians

The Valkyrians is a Finnish rocksteady and ska band.

The Valkyrians performing in 2008

In 2006 they released their debut album High And Mighty, which was popular on the radio and charted at #24 on the national Finnish album chart.[1][2] One of the album's singles, "Rankin Fullstop", peaked at #6 on the singles chart.[3]

The Valkyrians released a second album, The Beat Of Our Street, in 2009. It reached #28 on the album chart.

Their third album Punkrocksteady was released on August 10, 2011. The album's songs are cover versions of the 70's and 80's punk and new wave bands and a tribute to the early influencers (outside of ska, and reggae).[1]

History

In 2002, Angster, Moonhead, Big Deal, Letku Leroy and Gladiator met at a familiar watering hole in Helsinki, Finland. These musicians had known each other for years and on this night they decided to make a shared dream a reality. They were going to start a band that played the sweet, smoky rhythms that had for decades emanated from the island of Jamaica. The first gig was set up for Big Deal's and Leroy's birthday party. Ska, rocksteady and reggae, as well as 2Tone and punk were played. The gig was a success and the party exceeded all expectations. The Valkyrians were born.

Their first release, an EP called Miracle by Semi Sounds/Fat Belt Records, came out in 2004. It featured I Don't Wanna Go Home, which received a positive reception. The band started to consider making an album. High and Mighty was released in 2006 (BALE/Fat Belt). Thereafter, the band toured Scandinavia and central Europe. The album rose up to number 24 in the Finnish charts. The band won a slew of awards that year: a Femma (which is a kind of alternative to the Finnish Grammy Emma) for most danceable act of 2006. Another award was given by Finland's premier alternative rock paper Rumba. Do You Really Wanna Know was named song of the year by Funky Elephant.

Stupido Records and Pork Pie Records released the band's second album, The Beat of Our Street, in 2009. It climbed up to number 29 in the charts. The band went on a tour that lasted the best part of a year: Finland, the Czech Republic, Germany, Austria, Poland, Slovenia, Croatia, the Netherlands, Belgium, and Sweden were toured by the band.

Come late 2010 and the band started thinking about album number three. They wanted to try something different and decided to approach the songs they'd loved in their youth from a different perspective. Eventually it boiled down to covering punk rock and new wave classics from the late-1970s and the early-1980s and infusing them with some rhythmic Caribbean magic. After some fairly brutal arranging sessions, the band retired to Seawolf Studios on the fortress island of Suomenlinna. The Valkyrians, mixing engineer Petri Majuri and recording engineer Pasi Hartikainen worked until June 2011.

Punkrocksteady was released 10.8.2011. It's all about punk dressed in rudeboy garb, with rocksteady, ska and reggae rhythms. The album is an homage to the classics of past decades and the people who created them. They've all had a major impact on the musical and spiritual development The Valkyrians and its constituent parts. The roots of the band are in punk. Some artists worth mentioning: The Clash, Buzzcocks, Elvis Costello, 999, Devo, The Only Ones, Misfits, Sham 69, Wire.

Band members

Former members

  • Big Deal - drums 2002-2013
  • Letku Leroy – bass 2002-2018

Discography

Albums
  • High And Mighty, released February 6, 2006 by BALE Inc. licensed by Pork Pie Records
  • The Beat Of Our Street, released September 30, 2009 by Stupido Records Oy licensed by Pork Pie Records
  • Punkrocksteady, released August 10, 2011 by Stupido Records Oy licensed by Pork Pie Records
  • Rock My Soul, released 2015

Singles
  • Miracle EP, released October 2004 by Semi Sounds/Fat Belt Records
  • Ranking Fullstop, 2006 BALE Inc.
  • Do You Really Wanna Know, 2007 BALE Inc.
  • Hooligans, 2007 BALE Inc.
  • Hold On Rudy, 2010 Stupido Records Oy
  • Heart of Glass, 2011 Stupido Records Oy

References
  1. Steffen Hung. "Valkyrians - The Beat Of Our Street". finnishcharts.com. Retrieved 2010-06-28.
  2. "The Valkyrians". The Valkyrians. Retrieved 2010-06-28.
  3. Steffen Hung. "The Valkyrians - Rankin Fullstop". finnishcharts.com. Retrieved 2010-06-28.
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