Strikes and Gutters, Ups and Downs - Children of Bodom in retrospective photos – 6.-30.10.2022. Espoon Kulttuurikeskus - Näyttelytila AHJO.
The exhibition is open during the opening hours of Espoo Cultural Centre (Mon–Fri 8–21, Sat 9–18 ja Sun 9–15). Free entry.
THE STORY OF CHILDREN OF BODOM STARTED IN THE EARLY 1990’S IN TAPIOLA, ESPOO. FIVE YOUNG GUYS WITH A BURNING DESIRE FOR MAKING MUSIC.
At some point the basements and garages of Espoo became too confined and we moved to Lepakko in Helsinki.
Years of van touring playing small shows with no sleep all around Finland. Adhering to a very strict rehearsal routine. Drank a lot of beer. We did hit a few dead ends all while either freezing or sweating our asses off.
Already before the Y2K we were partying all around the world. We had toured Europe extensively and visited Japan. We had no idea there was going to be two decades of this lifestyle ahead.
In those two decades of touring the band sculpted a public image of itself via concert and live photos.
Bands on the road are constantly photographed. With every album release a new set of carefully selected photos is released. The majority of the photos of us out there are from live shows.
In those shots you see the band doing what bands do and are meant to be doing. Playing live.
After a couple of dozen releases and thousands of live shows there are millions of photos of us out there.
Children of Bodom was extremely serious about it´s music. At the same time, it was our sense of humour and ability to laugh at ourselves that kept us going.
We wanted to bring to light unreleased photos throughout our career that portray the joy and sorrow of playing in a band as well as photos that show the reality of constant touring. We wanna thank each and every photographer for making this possible.
Alexi Laiho’s Estate, Jaska, Janne and Henkka
Visit the photo exhibition online – limited edition fine art prints now available: https://www.strikes-and-gutters.com/in-english