Pulp, RAYE, Janelle Monáe and more make for a suitably celebratory 20th edition of Helsinki’s Flow Festival

Chief among these alternative locales is Flow’s unique Balloon 360° Stage; here, punters sit colosseum-style in the round to watch artists perform under its eponymous balloon - an installation which, come nightfall, is lit up to offer a visual spectacle to rival any main stage’s pyrotechnic bells and whistles. It’s a setup Nabihah Iqbal can’t quite believe either, as she spins on the spot during her Friday afternoon set, taking in the already dense crowd. Thoroughly unassuming with a polka dot guitar and Rage Against The Machine tee, she works through cuts from her 2023 release ‘DREAMER’ - many of which take on more of an ‘80s, Smiths-esque jangle when rendered live - and shouts out Pakistan’s Olympic medal-winning javelin efforts (“my family group chat was going crazy earlier”), before covering The Cure’s ‘A Forest’ - a haunting, aptly atmospheric parting gift. 

Every inch the ‘50s Hollywood siren (save for the fact she’s barefoot), RAYE’s turn on the Main Stage is, quite simply, a masterclass in performance - in not only entertaining a crowd, but commanding their attention with humour, heart, and grace. She spends the set’s first half indulging in dramatic outros, scatting, and Adele-like chatty interludes, taking us from a New York jazz club to South London in a heartbeat (major props to her reflexive band too, who respond to her every move with nuanced, unruffled ease). Though a now often-touted comparison, the jaw-dropping extent of RAYE’s vocal prowess is truly on par with Amy’s, and, like Winehouse before her, she trades in candid narratives and sucker-punch emotional heft; today’s cover of ‘It’s A Man’s Man’s Man’s World’ is the perfect fit. The only slight question mark lies with her pivot to a dancier section that features a brief medley from her time as the industry’s go-to featured artist, with the likes of ‘Prada’ and ‘You Don’t Know Me’ receiving airtime. A canny move to play the hits to a foreign festival crowd, perhaps, but ultimately their inclusion only serves to underscore the remarkable arc of RAYE’s career - that is, to emphasise just how much better her output as a creatively free, independent tour du force really is. 

From the sublime to the riotous, over at the tented Silver Arena, IDLES - mysteriously sans guitarist Mark Bowen - are orchestrating what might be the politest mosh pit we’ve ever seen. Equal parts punk provocateur and camp showman, ringleader Joe Talbot makes reference to the UK’s recent, abhorrent far-right riots as a prelude to debut cut ‘I’m Scum’; later, he wiggles his hips and jogs on the spot as if leading a PE warm up. There are moments that, thanks to internet infamy, feel as if they’ve now run their course (namely the band’s notorious ‘fuck the King’ chant), but there’s no denying that IDLES do what they do very well indeed.

As a city, Helsinki seems to pride itself on welcoming LGBTQ+ people, and Flow is its ideal ambassador. While Halsey headlines Friday night, bringing the rockier side of her alt-pop back catalogue to the fore, the festival’s standout pop performances come courtesy of Janelle Monáe and Jessie Ware. Rounding out Flow’s first day with a late night slot, the former’s show is an impeccably executed concept piece, complete with separate chapters, indefatigable dancers, and multiple extravagant outfits (that 3D floral cape would look ridiculous on anyone else, but on Janelle, it’s somehow majestic). Her status as a true triple threat is self-evident; not only are the vocals pitch-perfect and the dancing impeccably choreographed (particularly for MJ-channelling closer ‘Make Me Feel’), but she also transitions seamlessly between chapters, genres, and characters, here exuding the cool confidence of braggadocio rap, there the romance of lovers rock. It’s a touring show with the glossy, quasi-theatrical production of pop’s biggest stars, but for all the paraphernalia, it nevertheless feels in aid of something more than just The Show - as Janelle thanks the crowd in a moving closing speech, she reminds us to keep supporting the LGBTQ+ community - her own community - and marginalised peoples the world over. 

Jessie, meanwhile, is pure drag mother, glowing in the Sunday evening sun as she welcomes us to disco haven The Pearl and introduces us to her onstage entourage, The Pearlettes. Ten years have passed since the last time she played Flow, and her return finds her looking firmly forwards - much of the setlist comes from her superlative fifth LP ‘That! Feels Good!’, while new Romy collab ‘Lift You Up’ hints at what could be an exciting clubbier direction. Getting down off the stage to hold hands with the crowd’s front row - some of whom, she smiles, have come to every show on this tour - she is at once down to earth and flamboyant, heartwarming and fierce.

If there’s one throughline between all of Flow’s three days, it’s a real platforming of electronic music - from the underground hardcore and afro house that can be heard at the Resident Advisor Front Yard Stage, to former DIY cover star James Blake’s blissed-out Silver Arena set, to the Mercury shortlisted Barry Can’t Swim’s triumphant Saturday night turn. And it’s evident just how much the Finns appreciate it, too. They’re there in droves for rising star Kenya Grace’s dreamy drum and bass, turning out not just to hear viral hit ‘Strangers’, but also to watch as she collages samples of ‘90s staples like ‘Hollaback Girl’ and ‘Renegade Master’ with her own ethereal vocals. 

Nothing, though, compares to the sense of fervid anticipation for Saturday’s headliner Fred again.. - the musician, DJ, and producer whose signature sampling style has seen him become the face (and sound) of dance music’s mainstream infiltration. He’s hardly a stranger to huge shows - just think back to his five-night residency at London’s Ally Pally last year - yet he possesses the remarkable ability to make these huge events seem surprisingly intimate. Sharing via an on-screen video message that he actually spent part of his childhood in Finland (thereby immediately getting the crowd onside), Fred eases in with a gentle, piano-led intro; initially, his onstage foil Tony Friend mans the decks, allowing Fred to indulge in his clear, kid-in-a-candy-shop delight at the two-tier keyboard and drum pads before him. The best received tracks are those lifted from the third in his ‘Actual Life’ trilogy, yet, true to form, Fred rarely executes anything verbatim. Rather, there’s a sense that he’d get bored with even his own work if he wasn’t consistently making tweaks - that any and every variation in performance is as much for his benefit as it ours. And, when such creative restlessness produces moments like his run through the crowd to deliver part of the set from a platform hovering above the sound desk, who can complain? 

Widescreen pop productions and eclectic electronica may have dominated this year’s lineup, but that’s not to say that Flow doesn’t have skin in the game when it comes to more indie offerings. Blur headlined in 2023; this weekend, it’s the turn of PJ Harvey and festival closers Pulp to prove just why the ‘90s revival is going nowhere. Having said that, anyone in the audience whose familiarity with Polly Jean starts and ends with ‘Dry’ are in for an education, as she spends at least half her set showcasing the eerie beauty of more recent work (namely last year’s ‘I Inside the Old Year Dying’). Moving around the stage space with the grace and precision of a contemporary dancer, she ends each song gazing not at the crowd, but into the middle distance with a piercing thousand yard stare. Her props - a writing desk and paper, a table laid for tea, a sprig of rosemary to inhale - only add to the sense that this is more theatrical performance piece than it is a play-the-hits festival set, but it’s this utter indifference to convention that has long been - and continues to be - PJ Harvey’s appeal. 

Pulp, in contrast, are one band for whom playing to the audience is all part of the fun. Clad in velvet, making a real effort to speak Finnish, and climbing atop any amp he can get near, it’s no exaggeration to say that Jarvis Cocker is one of the world’s greatest living frontmen. The setlist for their ever-expanding ‘This Is What We Do For An Encore’ reunion tour (originally announced back in 2022) is at this point a finely tuned thing of beauty. There’s plenty from 1995’s masterful ‘Different Class’ and cult favourites from adjacent LPs ‘His N Hers’ and ‘This Is Hardcore’, but we’re also treated to a couple of deeper cuts; ‘O.U. (Gone, Gone)’ is a recent addition for the tour’s Nordic leg, and ‘Weeds’ becomes an atmospheric accompaniment to the now lightly falling rain.

There are few artists who, 40 years into their career, remain as vital as Pulp - both in the sense of their hugely charismatic, ceaselessly dynamic live show, and in the enduring relevance of their music. “There’s no such thing as a common person; we are all common people,” Jarvis states, by way of introducing their usual curtain call - the ultimate distillation of a band whose beating heart is their perception of the messy, extraordinary ordinariness of quotidien existence. But, having earlier brought out fellow Sheffield legend Richard Hawley to play one of his own tracks, ‘Sunrise’, Pulp have one more trick up their sleeves - the full band live debut of a new song. Tender, understated, and backgrounded by a serene oceanic horizon, Hawley co-write ‘A Sunset’ sees Jarvis strip away the flamboyance and consider the gap between wealth and what’s truly valuable. It’s a thoroughly moving, goosebump-inducing moment, and one which guarantees that the 20th edition of Helsinki’s Flow Festival is truly one for the history books. 

Tags: Fred again.., IDLES, Janelle Monae, Jessie Ware, Kenya Grace, Nabihah Iqbal, PJ Harvey, Pulp, Raye, Flow, Festivals, Reviews, Live Reviews