Interview by Adrian Hextall
The Finnish AOR standard-bearers are back with a new EP, Finnish dates, and the promise of a full album, all delivered with their trademark chilled charm and a refusal to bow to rock’s angrier trends. Issued through Gramophone Records – Number One EP will be the band’s first new music since 2020’s critically acclaimed “Feel The Burn” album.
Number One EP is a collection of seven tracks of trademark Brother Firetribe – instant melodic rock overlaid with the stunning vocals of Pekka Heino. The EP brings two new classics, “Number One” and “How Long Till Tomorrow”, with a stunning acoustic version of “Bring On the Rain” and four previously released singles together for the first time. To talk new music, the years in between releases and more we caught up with the ever-genial frontman, Pekka Ansio Heino.
“It’s fucking Finland. It’s always like this. Just constantly waiting for those summer months, you know?” The familiar, warm chuckle of Brother Firetribe’s Pekka Heino comes down the line from a Helsinki still hovering at a brisk +5°C. While the Finnish capital might be taking its sweet time to warm up, the melodic rock maestros themselves are rekindling their own particular fire, much to the delight of fans worldwide.
That “excuse to play” translates into a run of Finnish dates throughout May, a welcome return to the stage for a band whose very existence was born from camaraderie. “This whole band has always been like that,” Pekka muses. “Because of the nature of how this band was born was basically just sitting down with a bunch of guys and having fun with writing the kind of songs that we really like. And actually, the music kind of was like a side product to just hanging out.”
He readily admits that the involvement of then-Nightwish guitarist Emppu Vuorinen historically meant “Brother Firetribe worked really seldomly.” He laughs, recalling the six-year gap between 2008’s Heartful of Fire and 2014’s Diamond in the Firepit: “Somebody was just looking at the calendar and like, ‘Holy shit, it’s been six years! We should do something!’ Because that’s just how we are.” While Emppu is no longer in the lineup, Pekka jests, “old habits die hard, you know? We’re still in that mood of not really working too hard. But it’s going to change. It has to.”
However, the landscape for touring has shifted dramatically. “Before COVID, it was really easy to go out and do a month of touring in Europe or some dates in UK,” Pekka states, his tone turning serious. “But COVID and the war and everything… we can’t do that anymore. We’re not big enough to do that.” He breaks down the stark economics: “When we toured, if we did a European tour, we’d stop with the nightliner… The cost of renting that before COVID was around €30,000. And now it’s €60,000. We can’t afford that. We can’t afford to tour for a month outside of Finland. That’s just impossible.”
Despite these hurdles, the creative fires are being stoked for a bigger project. “The plan is that after we finished the tour and a handful of summer festivals, we’ll just dive straight into writing more songs,” Pekka reveals, confirming the good news. “We got a couple of songs already kind of in the bucket, and then just start working on a full blown new album.” While festival appearances this summer are currently limited to Finland and a slot at Sweden’s Malmö Melodic, the desire to play further afield, including a return to the Czech Republic’s Masters of Rock, is strong.
This dedication to their sunshine-drenched, anthemic rock comes from a deep-seated philosophy. Pekka grew up on a diet of 60s, 70s, and 80s rock, a time when music, for him, was about joy. “For me, it was always music and seeing bands playing live. It was always about that bringing smiles on my face, you know, just about having fun and escapism.” This outlook starkly contrasted with the grunge era that followed. “The whole thing just totally changed when it comes to rock music… It was all about not having fun. The bands you saw on stage, they didn’t have any contact to the audience and kept playing with their backs to the audience. I never really got that.”
“I was never angry, you know?” he reflects. “I had no need to rebel against something. So I never kind of… I got lucky in that sense.” He’s made peace with the shifting tides of modern music. “I found peace with myself for not understanding it, because I don’t have to. As long as people get their kicks out of something, it’s always cool. Good for you, but, you know, I just leave it alone.”
This unwavering commitment to their joyful noise is precisely why Brother Firetribe continues to resonate with a dedicated global fanbase. We even squeezed in a quick query about their debut album, False Metal, being retitled Break Out for its Japanese release. Pekka chuckles, “That had something to do with the Japanese version… they didn’t like ‘False Metal’ for some reason. Metal was… there was something about it that was offensive or something like that. So the record company just made the decision that we’re going to call the album Break Out over there. Maybe the Japanese people were afraid of Manowar getting back to them or something!”
As the Finnish summer slowly approaches, one thing is certain: Brother Firetribe will continue to provide the perfect sun-soaked soundtrack, regardless of the temperature outside. And while the wider world waits for more accessible tour dates, Pekka’s sign-off is a hopeful plea: “We just need to pull you out of Finland a little bit more often, you know.” His response? “Oh, please do. Yes. Please do. Help us.”
The message is clear: the Brother Firetribe feel-good machine is warming up. Long may it burn.
Number One EP is out now
LINKS:
https://www.merchbar.com/hard-rock-metal/brother-firetribe
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