Festivals became a staple of Finnish summer celebrations in the early 1970s. Ruisrock in Turku started in 1970, and the Villikissa rock festival was organised in the municipal of Ii in 1971. The youth music club Oulun nuorten musiikkiklubi -72, which had organised disco evenings and band concerts, decided to organise a rock festival in Oulu in the summer of 1973. Markku “Marcus” Hänninen took on the role of promoter, and Oulun Sosialidemokraattinen Työväenyhdistys (Oulu Social Democratic Labour Association) was the official organiser.

Conveniently, the Woodstock documentary published in 1970 was showing at the Bio Kiistola cinema in May 1973. The film gave young people an idea of what rock festivals were all about. The authorities were wise to the occasion and prepared for disorderly conduct, vandalism and the emergence of drugs. The health authorities and the fire brigade only granted permits for the suspicious bacchanalia at the very last minute.

Kuusisaari was chosen as the venue because of its location. The area was easy to monitor as it was surrounded by water. The gates to the island were fenced, so it was difficult to get into the area without a ticket. The goings-on at Kuusrock were strictly monitored. The alcohol control led to inventive smuggling of alcoholic beverages into the area, reminiscent of the prohibition era. Police patrols with sniffer dogs walked amongst the crowd, and the decibels were measured diligently.

The first festival brought people from all walks of life to the city many days in advance. On Friday evening, the organisers realised that the festival was going to be a financial success. The three-day event blew away both the organisers and visitors. The abundant musical feast turned out to be too much for the crowd to take in, and the festival was shortened to a two-day event going forward.

The entire 19-year journey of Kuusrock was focused on quality over quantity. Already in 1974, Marcus Hänninen visited the Reading Festival and started working with Antti Einio’s management agency. This helped to attract international bands to the festival.

I was somewhere in London, near the Thames, and there was this barge where they had set up a punk disco. Anyway, that’s where I first encountered the Sex Pistols, and I thought, “Hell, can a band like this even exist?” Ana Einiö and I were always checking out these bands, wondering who might be on tour. At some point, there was a possibility that the Sex Pistols could come to Finland and play at Kuusrock! I got really excited; you know? Ana said, “Well, this is a done deal.” We had contracts and everything. It must have been about two months, and I hadn’t even had a chance to advertise it yet. We were almost ready to announce it in the newspapers, and then Ana called. He said, “Marcus, there’s a situation. Martat, the granny associations (an organisation well-known for its dedication to educating the public in matters of home economics) have somehow managed to prevent the band from getting a work permit.” I was swearing… So, yeah, the Sex Pistols won’t be coming. – Markku Hänninen, promoter of Kuusrock

The festival days were divided by musical genre; Saturday was an offering of rock-n-roll extravaganza, while Sunday was more of an easy-listening affair.

All those early days bands like Geordie, Dr. Feelgood, and Procol Harum in '76, they were such good choices, and luck was on our side. With Procol Harum, we had to pull off something special. The crucial factor that made the Procol Harum event successful was having a Steinway piano. I don’t know where Ana got that information, but he must have had some channel where he knew that YMCA (Oulu Young Men's Christian Association) had a Steinway. You can imagine that somewhere at YMCA, they have one. And then Ana calls, saying, ‘Guess what? YMCA has it!’ Kuusrock and YMCA in collaboration!" – Markku Hänninen, promoter of Kuusrock

The organisers frequently managed to secure rising international stars as headliners. The festival offered a surprisingly fresh cavalcade of international talent in Dr. Feelgood, Eddie and the Hot Rods, Iron Maiden and Anthrax. People, at times, failed to realise the true value of what they were witnessing, as was the case with the thrash pioneer Savatage. All the top Finnish bands and artists of the time also visited Kuusrock, and Kuusrock is also where many local bands got their first break on the big stage.

In 1988, Marcus Hänninen left the role of promoter in the hands of Ibo Sulkala and Harri Määttä. The first year with the new team fired on all cylinders for fans of metal, but the following year saw a dwindling number of visitors. A high-quality slate of artists was not enough to attract listeners. The year after that was filled with disappointment as well. The cold and wet summer weather in 1991 was the final nail in Kuusrock's coffin.

Over a decade later, the potential of Kuusisaari was noted once more, and the first Qstock festival came out with a bang in 2003. Qstock quickly grew to the largest festival in northern Finland and has been sold out for more than ten summers already.

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Sources:

Hänninen, Markku, Promotor of Kuusrock. Oulu. Interview 12.3.2024, interviewer Esa Nissi.

Sutela, Juha, City of Oulu websitet www.ouka.fi/oulu/pohjoista-musiikkia/kuusrock-festivaali

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Photo: Jukka Kyrömies/Kaleva archive. Kuusrock 22.7.1978.

Video: The Ramblers, Talkin' About Love, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GONBgLlrvnI