Toolspotting 01: The Valkyrians At The Sonic Ballroom November 14th 2010

Cologne. Sunday, November 14th 2010.
It is the last warm evening of the year. As I have to leave home for another night out on the streets, the thermometer of my unmarked investigation vehicle shows 18 degrees Celsius. Trying to squash some newly slipped midges on the driver’s wheel I rethink my mission: Uncover the secret tools that make The Valkyrians the “Finnish Ska Sensation” that everyone and their mothers talk about.
Naive people would shrug and say that they just played their asses off. Sure The Valkyrians did. But is that the whole truth? – a rhetorical question. There must be more to it. It will be on me to give my client proof of the gear The Valkyrians use for their trademark “warm yet aggressive sound”, exactly half way between Kingston and Coventry. If you know what I mean.

Sonic Ballroom

I’m going to make this a fast one. Rush into Cologne’s best music club Sonic Ballroom, get the pics done, drown a few and then head out again. At least that’s my plan, before I am told that a support act has been spontaneously installed. A very persistent support act. A stubbornly not-willing-to-end hardcore support act.

Usually mingling with the Sonic Ballroom crowd isn’t a bad idea. Most have long ago decided against a life accompanied by sun, health care and steady meals. Exactly how I like them. But tonight I mustn’t lose focus. Besides, being there by car, alcohol is not an option. I breathe a sigh of relief as The Valkyrians enter the stage. They command every attention in the room and let me do my job.

Start!

The Valkyrians kickstart into a bumping set of wisely selected tunes from their albums “High & Mighty” and “Beat Of Our Street”. Floorfillers like “Hooligans” and “I Want To See Some Action” are delivered with the same amount of edge as moody charmers like “Queen Of Hearts.” The guys know how to move a crowd, know how to spread the vibe. But to me it’s also clear from bar one that the star is the sound here.

So, here’s what I got: “The Valkyrians, Sonic Ballroom. For the sake of completeness: Vocalist Angster uses an Shure SM 58. Everyone does, so this information is may not be significant.

More revealing is the guitar setup: Gladiator plays a Fender Mustang, a tasty alternative to the Tele or Strat.

He uses a Marshall stack for more overdrive. And he has three footswitches:

The perfectly named “Turbo RAT”-Distortion, …

..a pink, roadworn Ibanez Analog Delay: a collector’s item.

And a Korg DT-10: A Digital Tuner.

Bassplayer Letku Leroy holds a vintage dream come true in his hands. A Vox Bass. Powered by an Ampeg Amp and Ampeg Speakers. Exactly right for mumbling elegance. Classic!

Mr. Moonhead (organ): I rarely see anyone use anything else these days, and for good reason. The Nord Electro has exactly the right piano sounds, next to the right organ sounds. And no bells and whistles.

Works especially well with the Rotosphere on the floor that provides the mandatory Lesley effect. Two footswitches are strapped to Moonhead’s keyboard, details of which escaped me. Probably some more distortion. He has an amp on stage, too. Fender tubes.
Drums: Yes. Pearl. And massive.”

After The Show

I would have loved to engross The Valkyrians into lengthy Musicians’ Magazine style conversations after the show. They actually appeared to be quite affable. But tomorrow is another day with loose ends to connect. After spitting my observations into the voice recorder and leaving them for transcription, I navigate my vehicle h0me again through the dusty streets of Cologne.

Summary:
guitar:
Fender Jaguar:

Marshall Amp:

Turbo Rat:

Ibanez Analog Delay:

Korg DT10:

Bass:
– Vox
– Ampeg Amp
– Ampeg speakers

Organ:
Clavia Nord Electro
Hughes & Kettner Rotosphere