I am forced to admit that I have an affective link with 22 Pistepirkko. This band is one of the first I discovered when I was young. I've bought the tape Bare bone nest in 1990 and immediately, I was addicted to. During the same time, I was reading Mary Shelley and 22 Pistepirkko's “Frankestein” was – and still remains – my favorite companion for this lecture, even if the song is not really connected to the story.

Then, I've got 22 Pistepirkko in the heart, a secret not shared with a lot of people in France.

Since, I dug my personal way and if I did not follow these rocking finishes, they were there, somewhere in the shadows of my troubles.

2005 is a great year for this relation : a new album surfaced and a deep tour of France has been planned for almost a month.

Round 1 : Drops'n kicks.

Yeah. Tears and wounds. That's what I feel today.

Available for several months, this cd is only out since september in France in a strange 2CD-set version. It's just a bag of hits where 22 Pistepirkko shows all its faces. Many songs are future classics, and bring us all the band capiticities. Sometimes out of time, sometimes sixties rock, dark pop, even folk : you just want to crush your head by listening “Midnight Owl”, “I got burned” “Sister May”, “Soul free” (with strange french samples), “Rat king” or “Sad lake city”, yet on “Eleven”.

Round 2 : Point Ephemere, Paris 17/10/2004 – the perfect gig

Drops'n kicks live. Yeah. I began with the fabulous 17 th October show in Paris. Seven days before “black Tuesday” anniversary. Fifteen before I broke up, lose my heart. A perfect night. Three people on stage, playing a dark rock, a circumstance soundtrack. Eyes wide open, I was. Listening sounds I never hope. Tension Guitar, upstairs keyboards, monster voices, PK looks like a sober Nick Cave playing guitar, Espe is some kinda happy Iggy with sampler and bass, going up amps, tables and jumping in the line.

I was shouting on “Frankenstein”, dancing on the beating guitars of my faves of “Drops'n' kicks” .

In heaven. 90 minutes of joy and more than 20 songs. Yeah : the perfect gig !

Round 3 : Rockomotives Vendôme 29/10/2004 – the Ah! gig

A surprising gig due, unfortunately, to sickness.

PK began by two acoustic songs, alone on stage, and immediately, audience saw there was a problem. Espe and Asko joined for “Sad lake city” and try to find a solution. On “Rat king”, the sixth track, it was obvious : PK wa not able to sing anymore, suffering, tears in his eyes. But they did not stop, playing songs I never heard, two instrumental, some strange old stuff and something happens : thirty minutes of noisy rock and fight, against sickness, against troubles.

Finally, 22 Pistepirkko rocks the trial. Once again.

Round 4 : La Chapelle St Jean , Vendôme 30/19/2004 – the secret gig

A day before Halloween, 22 Pistepirkko played this short set in the beautiful Chapelle of Vendôme. It was labelled “acoustic set” but it was not. Fifty minutes of pure joy, intimistic music and audience, with an almost cured PK, including the never expected fantastic “My night train missed” and “Coffee Girl”.

22 Pistepirkko, band of year and forever. They won the “Tour de France.