Fearlessly balancing between folk, avant-garde, prog, metal, and experimental theatre, Sleepytime Gorilla Museum is making their long-awaited debut in Finland as part of their European tour. The cult-favorite from the U.S. will perform at Kuudes Linja in Helsinki on Monday, August 4th. Opening the night is American psych-folk duo Faun Fables. Tickets are now available onTiketti.
Formed in 1999 in Oakland, California, and returning from over a decade-long hiatus in 2023, Sleepytime Gorilla Museum is known for their eccentric, intense, and intricate music — often described as “Igor Stravinsky meets Meshuggah.” Their artistic kin might include the likes of Mr. Bungle, Tom Waits, King Crimson, Einstürzende Neubauten, and Secret Chiefs 3. Especially renowned for their immersive live performances, the band merges sound, light, film, and frenzied rhythms into a surreal spectacle. Or as one anonymous concertgoer once put it: “some kinda satanic anarchic viking shit.” On stage, you'll hear not only traditional instruments, but also hand-built contraptions made from scrap metal and sound-producing toys — including the brutal, over-two-meter-tall stringed monster known as the Sledgehammer Dulcimer.
The band currently consists of Nils Frykdahl (guitar, flute, vocals), Carla Kihlstedt (violin, guitar, vocals), Michael Mellender (guitar, trumpet, percussion, vocals), Dan Rathbun (bass, vocals), and Wes Anderson (drums), who joins for the European tour. Their acclaimed fourth studio album, Of the Last Human Being, was released last year.
Opening the night is Faun Fables, a revered neo-psych-folk duo led by Dawn McCarthy. Their upcoming album Counterclockwise will be released in May on Drag City (home to artists like Will Oldham, Silver Jews, Joanna Newsom).
ROCK AGAINST ROCK.
SLEEPYTIME GORILLA MUSEUM (US)
+ FAUN FABLES (US)
Mon Aug 4, 2025 – Helsinki, Kuudes Linja
Tickets:
Available now via Tiketti – starting from €27.50