In the 1980s, the welfare society was at its high point, alternative culture was on the rise, general cultural and social activities were active and consumption was increasing. In the early 1980s, people marched for peace and against nuclear weapons.

When punk music swept over Finland at the turn of the 1970s and 1980s, a real generational shift began in the field of music. Punk lowered the threshold for starting a musical hobby, and various new-wave bands were conceived around even the most remote corners in Finland. In old musician circles, the newcomers were at times treated with contempt. At the same time, as restaurants were increasingly replacing live music with disc playing, demand and supply didn't match. Surface tensions were rising, and there were few spaces for voluntary activities. Student and youth theatres were bustling as well.

In 1986, the time was ripe for some civil-disobedient direct action. The operators in the free cultural field found each other, teamed up and took over Arina’s old bread factory in Heinäpää.

Such a gang, who didn’t join the techno hype or the stock market patterns, or didn’t get to play hockey in the NHL, they kind of took over that empty space. This kind of cultural boom was timed at a time when there were already enough talented and crazy guys in Oulu to do all sorts of things, but there was still a bit of a small-town vibe, that if something happened somewhere, you would definitely hear about it and it was easy to join in. - Petri Sirviö, The Screaminng Men’s Choir

Arina’s construction work for the old bakery had been put on ice, and the bread factory had been left empty. The new occupants consisted of Tehtaan Näyttämö, which was formed through the merger of Oulu Student Theatre and Youth Theatre, Oulun ELMU and a mixed bunch of young musicians. The premises were mainly taken over from small rodents, grime and dirt.

Yes, it was quite anarchistic, and it appeared to me that people just walked in the door and started doing things. No one led or distributed turns or kept order, it was a very free place. The Huutajat practically started their operations from the Leipätehdas (Bread Factory). – Petri Sirviö, The Screaming Men’s choir

As Tehtaan Näyttämö became the tenant, with a little help from the city, Arina gave the keys to Leipätehdas to Tehtaan Näyttämö. Leipätehdas was the answer to the need and quickly became a den of alternative culture. It lay somewhere between the anarchy of poorly kept wooden houses and the organised society. Somewhere between sourcing its power from the weed undergrowths of abandoned culture and a new way of creating urban culture. In the rooms with hard concrete walls and tiled floors, the sound of music rang beautifully. Leipätehdas is also where the concept of the Oulu sound was born. The Oulu sound was characterised by a noisy output, with bands like Electric Blue Peggy Sue and the Revolutionions from Mars, Faff-Bey and Radiopuhelimet. It was possible to smoke and drink in the premises during the music-making, but stewards were hired during events in the house. There was a lot of voluntary activity, and profits were sought through the production of a new youth culture. The three-storey stone building hosted theatre performances and band concerts and, above all, offered the opportunity to develop the operations of small theatres and bands without the supervision of any external parties. At the same time, Mieskuoro Huutajat (screaming men’s choir) was founded, and the first training place was located at Leipätehdas.

In that yard, there was a car repair shop called Perttola’s repair shop, which Penttilä called Porttola’s begging shop. Perhaps the first inner tubes for the Huutajat’s ties were obtained from Porttola’s begging shop. – Petri Sirviö, The Screaming Men’s choir

The leases expired at the end of 1988, and demolition work began at the start of 1989. The journey together was shortlived, as the theatre folk and bands spread out around the city looking for new opportunities for self-expression.

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Sources:

Sirviö, Petri, Founder and choir conductor of the screaming men’s choir. Oulu. Interview 21.3.2024, interviewer Esa Nissi.

Glad, Reija, Välähdyksiä – 50-vuotiaan Oulun ylioppilasteatterin historiasta, Oulun ylioppilasteatteri, 2014

Savolainen, Marjatta, telephone interview 11.12.2023

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Photo: Kaleva archive, Mieskuoro Huutajat (screaming men’s choir) in 1988.

Video: Mieskuoro Huutajat - Oulujoki, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RcvxSxpicLo&list=RDEMzdOMJrCNzBiXoYUvqiU6aQ&start\_radio=1