Peer Günt

Shotgun Wedding (Live 2007-11-24 Alahärmä, Powerpark)

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Sudden Death (Live 2007-11-24 Alahärmä, Powerpark)

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Crazy Wild One (Live 2007-11-24 Alahärmä, Powerpark)

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Years On The Road (live Riihivuorirock 2007-07-21)

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Jungle Man (live Oulu 2007-07-13)

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LIVE DVD "Live At Tavastia" OUT NOW !
NEW ALBUM "Guts And Glory" OUT NOW !
Available from these stores:
Levykauppa Äx
Airon Musiikki
NetAnttila
CDON
Epe’s
FreeRecordShop
Levyikkuna
SwampMusic
BIOGRAPHY
Some time 1976, in a Finnish railroad town, south-eastern Finland, Kouvola - also known for the remorseless reputed army base located nearby - the first version of PEER GÃœNT was beginning to form. The name comes from a rose and it wasn’t until later that the band discovered, the Danish playwright Ibsen had a play by almost the same name based on the Norwegian composer Grieg’s music. Nevertheless, right from the beginning, the spine of the band has been Timo Nikki. In his home town, he was also known as the guy who used to play his guitar loud, with the window wide open, through a stack of old tube valve radios as his amp.
T. Nikki, spicing it up with tasty bluesy slide, and roaring lead vocals; Twist Twist Erkinharju and his legendary double kick drum kit, banging the drums like it was the last day on earth and Tsöötz Kettula in bass guitar - keeping the rhythm! Yet, just as the band had come together and they enjoyed playing as a group Tsöötz was sent behind the bars for four months for his disobedience against the national service, which he had refused to do. However, when the trio had been formed no little obstacles could split the band - Twist and Nikki knew to keep rehearsing until Tsöötz was free to rock ’n’ roll again. Finally, when Tsöötz was released he was full of determination and also sure that the band had a future if they only wanted so. He made sure to get Peer Günt to participate in the annual battle of the bands in 1984 with its final in Helsinki. He did this regardless of the rest of the band’s resistance, who cynically believed that the contest was only for pop bands.
At the time as the winning bands of the competition, starting from the third place, were being announced Nikki had passed out backstage. Once the band was accepted into the final they thought they would end up with the third place. They were even surer about that after their turn on stage thinking that they had played an awfully bad gig, knowing that the press already had their own favourite. The press favouritism had gone to the extent where a winner party for the favoured band had already been set up before the results had been made public at a restaurant nearby the final. However, when the results were announced for the third and second place and the loudspeaker said that the winning band came from Kouvola, Twist Twist and Tsöötz had to hurry to wake Nikki up for an encore. The band that was expected to win was placed third. Therefore, Peer Günt got to enjoy the party originally organised for the other band. Being gentlemen, Nikki, Twist and Tsöötz made a point of congratulating the local, supposed winner band, saying that they felt horrible about winning the contest, ha.
T. Nikki & Co. had found the recipe: "Slide blues based hard rock ’n’ roll with the speed of an express train". Their first album bearing simply the band name"Peer Günt"was released in1985. Consequently, the album tells what Peer Günt’s world is made of. Featuring the songs "Fuck the Jazz", "Bad Girls", "Wild Women", "Big Tits" etc. The opening track "I Don’t Wanna be a Rock ’n’ Roll Star" has always been the motto of the members of the band. In the end of 1985, Peer Günt went into the Euros studio for the second time to record a single. But why make a single if you can make it a mini album? So, the legendary "Through the Wall" minialbum featuring songs as "She was Here for the Rock ’n’ Roll", "Red Chevy", "Loosing My Mind" etc was released. Summer 1986, the band released their second album titled "Backseat" , which climbed up to the top of the Finnish charts immediately. This album, that sold gold, is known for the evergreen classics such as "Backseat", "Let Her In", "Bad Boys are Here", "I Take Your Money (and Honey)","Hole in the Door’, as well as "Liquor and Drugs". 1987, just prior to all the summer festivals, Peer Günt released their third full-length album "Good Girls Don’t" with songs such as "Midnight Train", "Bartender", "Let the Boys Run the Business", "Boys Got Rhythm", "Years on the Road", "Good Girls Don’t Drink Whiskey" etc. Just in time for the Christmas (’88) rush, a new album titled "Fire Wire" was released. Including classics, such as "Fat Girls", "Moses on the Mountain", "Who’s Gonna be Elected", "Wake me Up", "T-Bone Steak and a Bottle of Beer", and a bluesy "Handful of Sand" the album deserves its place in the history of rock ’n’ roll. Peer Günt kept touring around the country stubbornly with a pace of 2-3 gigs a week, 150 gigs a year and their songs were common knowledge to most of the Finnish boys, girls and even the more mature audience. The band spent most of their time on the road and therefore logically their first compilation album was titled "Years on the Road" 1989. Shortly after the month long tour, during which Peer Günt had one gig per day, the band went into the studio to record their fifth full-length studio album. The band was well warmed up by the tour, which can be heard on the album released in July 1990 named: "Don’t Mess With the Country Boys". Megamania (Johanna) was Peer Günt’s new record company. Finally, the 6th of April 1994 a new Peer Günt album with the name "Smalltown Maniacs" was released. The album was welcomed by Peer Günt fans who had anxiously been waiting for new material for four years.
Peer Günt kept obstinately playing around 70 gigs a year whenever the band members’ other projects allowed time for it. In the autumn 1997, Megamania released a new Peer Günt compilation album "Golden Greats" with 20 songs featuring "Woman on the Radio" from 1981 as a rarity. Between September 1998 and September 2001, Peer Günt played approximately 20-30 gigs a year in music clubs, halls and at summer festivals. The success was guaranteed with sold out clubs and people particularly visiting summer festivals for Peer Günt. Furthermore, in January 2000 the Finnish National Broadcast Corporation (YLE) televised a Peer Günt gig from the sold out Tavastia club.
After a year’s break (Sept. 2001 - Sept. 2002) Peer Günt was steadily back on the road again, playing an average of eight gigs a month. The band had also become the boys’ main focus and project again - no other commitments in other bands restricted the touring of P.G anymore. To prove that they were seriously back in business, the band made their first international performance since the late 80s playing the Sweden Rock Festival 2003.
During 2004, Peer Günt recorded a new studio album in the Sound Track Studios with Olli Kykkanen (The Royal Tramps). After nearly 11 years, a brand new Peer Günt album ’No Piercing, No Tattoo’ was released on February 22nd through the Ranch Label. The album’s blunt title manifests the band’s healthy stance in the rock ’n’ roll industry - too often bands’ images are pre-designed and entirely built around their looks and decorations rather than their musicianship. To quote T.Nikki in a recent interview: "So many of these so called stars have bolts and nuts screwed everywhere in their bodies..." The album contains a raw but powerful dose of Peer Günt from 2004, including three of the tracks from the previous two singles. Not too much detail, polishing or corrections, but a whole deal of the famous P.G country-boy attitude and feeling.
The band had just kept receiving praising reviews on their ’No Piercing, No Tattoo’ album from all over Europe. However, this wasn’t enough to keep the ’leaking beer can’ floating anymore. Over the past 29 years, Peer Günt have played over 1500 raw energy gigs and left behind a legacy of excellent songs, which serve as a rather high bench-mark for others to aim for.
In summing up, over 25 years on the road playing their own uncompromised heavy rock ’n’ blues through though times and fame tell the tale; A bunch of modest, but stubborn "Don’t wanna be rock ’n’ roll stars" owning their own system within the big machinery, playing by their own rules in their small town midnight howling band: A mighty frontal assault of volume demanding a great deal of anciently raw country boy attitude, energy and most of all a whole lotta Rock ’n’ Roll! As the saying goes: "A Tractor was a tractor". Long lived Peer Günt - "The leaking beer can"!!!
The start of a new chapter in the history of Peer Gunt. T. Nikki decides to continue the story of Peer Gunt, but with new members. The current line-up consists of T. Nikki; guitars and vocals; Pete Pohjanniemi; bass and Sakke Koivula; drums.
Good time rock’n’roll!