Finnish music is taking over London’s music scene for the next two weeks.

"The two year UK project is now heading to its final and the LIFEM- and Ja Ja Ja festivals are great way to celebrate this. We are very excited to have these partners and artists with us”, sums up the Music Finland project manager Riku Salomaa.

LIFEM – London International Festival of Exploratory Music – celebrates its fifth year with a four-day event The Finnish Line including seven Finnish artists: Värttinä, Jimi Tenor, Iiro Rantala, Alamaailman Vasarat, Tsuumi Sound System, the duo Maria Kalaniemi & Timo Alakotila and Pekko Käppi. The festival is held at King’s Place in London’s Kings Cross 30 October until 2 November.

The programme also includes two London film premieres: Kimmo Pohjonen’s Soundbreaker and Jimi Tenor’s Sähkö The Movie. Both screenings give a rare insight into the minds of two of Finland’s most creative and distinguished performers.
Music Finland is the main partner for LIFEM 2013 – “The Finnish Line”. The event is also supported by Kings Place, The Finnish Music Foundation and the Embassy of Finland in London.

The first ever Ja Ja Ja Festival celebrates Nordic sounds with bits of wider culture, including film screenings, food and visual arts. The two-day festival is held in the iconic Camden venue at the Roundhouse.

The Finnish acts playing the festival are Husky Rescue, I Was A Teenage Satan Worshipper, LCMDF and Black Lizard. The line-up provides almost 20 artists including big Nordic names such as Méw (Denmark), Annie (Norway) and múm (Iceland). Copenhagen International Documentary Film Festival hosts screenings featuring the award-winning Finnish Documentary The Punk Syndrome (Kovasikajuttu).

The festival is an evolution of the much-loved monthly Ja Ja Ja club night, which, since 2009, has established itself as London’s premier destination for the very best new Nordic music. The Ja Ja Ja Festival has been developed in joint collaboration with the Roundhouse, and is supported by the Nordic Embassies in London and the Nordic Culture Fund.

Ja Ja Ja Nordic Festival 8-9 November
http://jajajamusic.com/festival/line-up/

LIFEM Festival 2013, 30 October – 2 November 2013
http://musicfinland.fi/en/events/2013/lifem-london-international-festival-of-exploratory-music