The Rasmus

Finnish rock band The Rasmus land at Stylus, Lifton Place, Leeds on 28 February 2027. Formed in Helsinki in 1994 by school friends, the group first sketched out a nervy blend of funk, punk and alt-pop across Peep (1996), Playboys (1997) and Hellofatester (1998). With drummer Aki Hakala joining in 1999, their writing turned darker and more melodic on Into (2001). Dead Letters (2003) carried them far beyond Finland with In the Shadows, a track that pinned down their mix of catchy hooks and twilight tones, followed by Hide from the Sun (2005).

Through Black Roses (2008), the self-titled album (2012), Dark Matters (2017) and Rise (2022), The Rasmus folded in electronic textures without losing their alternative rock backbone, somewhere between pop rock bite and hard rock weight. Around Lauri Ylönen’s elastic vocals, Eero Heinonen’s basslines and Hakala’s drumming, the guitar seat shifted in 2022 when Emilia Suhonen replaced founding member Pauli Rantasalmi. The same year, the band represented Finland at Eurovision with Jezebel.

On stage, The Rasmus lean on contrasts: anthems built for singalongs, shadowy atmospheres, and a catalogue that bridges their early energy and more recent synth-tinged material. Leeds gets a set that threads the breakthrough moments with newer tracks, delivered by a lineup that knows how to make melody hit with some grit.