Erja Lyytinen / The Greystones / Sheffield

Apr 10

Apr 10 Erja Lyytinen / The Greystones / Sheffield

Tonight sees us travelling up through rural Derbyshire into the South Western suburbs of Sheffield to a pub on a hill overlooking the city call the Greystones. A lovely pub (reminder to come back again soon on Thursday Pizza Night !) there’s almost no indication of a live music venue anywhere to be seen, apart from a inconspicuous grey door round the corner of the main bar with a sign above saying “The Backroom”. Walking in, I was taken aback by the view. About a 100 capacity room with small tables, and comfy benches along the sides. A stage at one end and mixing desk at the other, a cosy and very welcoming spot.

We’re here tonight to catch Erja Lyytinen on her “Smell the Roses” 2025 UK tour.

But first up on stage we have a set from Dikajee.

Dikajje (full name Olga Dikajee Karpova) is a Russian born, UK based singer/songwriter and visual artist, she released her debut album Forget~Me~Nots in 2021. Usually performing in a larger ensemble, tonight is a simpler set, Dikajee on keyboard, supported by Sarah Lambert-Gates on vocals.

Described as a folky prog artist, Dikajee delivers a stunning set of powerful, yet beautifully haunting songs. Many with a sad edge to them, her vocals weave between Kate Bush and Bjork as she intricately spins a magical web of sounds. Sarah adding a depth to the vocals with some wonderful harmonies, the songs are delivered with passion and emotion.

Chatting with the audience, Dikajee comes across at ease with her craft and funny too.

A wonderful and engaging start to the evening.

During the break we all rush to the bar to fill glasses and back to our seats ready for the arrival on stage of Erja Lyytinen. Hailing from Kuopio in Finland (Home of KalPa and legendary NHL forward Oli Jokinen) Erja is a vocalist, guitarist, and songwriter. She studied for a year in Sweden at the Malmö Musikhögskolan before returning to Finland to complete her musical studies at the Sibelius Academy (where Apocalyptica cellists Eicca Toppinen and Paavo Lötjönen studied). Erja was the first woman to study electric guitar as a major.

From her 2002 debut album “Attention!” she has released 12 albums, and her thirteenth, “Smell the Roses” landed a couple of weeks ago.

Tonights show centre around the songs of her new album, and she is joined onstage by Heikki Saarenkunnas on bass and Jesse Lehto on the drums.

There are some great blues and slide guitarists out there, with the likes of Troy Redfern, Zac Shultze and Philip Sayce, and Erja is right up there with the best. Right from the off, as she drives into Ball And Chain, the power and intricacy of her playing is evident.

Wings to Fly strikes differently, with more of a folk feel to it but with some wonderful bluesy chorus sections. Swapping guitar, Erja talks freely with the crowd and says shes pleased to be back in Sheffield. Someone shouts out and reminds her its her third visit to much laughter.

Again the style changes once again for Going To Hell which has a blues structure but a harder almost metal feel to it. Its notable how good her vocals are, strong, dynamic and packed with emotion.

It’s clear Erja, Heikki and Jesse have a natural affinity, and they work effortlessly together, complimenting, no one element ever dominating the mix, and that’s evident in Dragonfly, a deep and meaningful song about trying to clear your head. During Dragonfly it struck me how good they sounded, and clearly that’s great musicians, but I realised how good the sound was here at The Backroom. It may be small and compact, but boy have they put the effort in, to make sure the musical experience is one to remember.

With Abyss Heikki’s bass is more prominent at the start, and this one has a prog-like feel to as it builds and becomes more of a rock track. Erja has a smile plastered from ear to ear and is clearly enjoying herself, and the packed room claps and cheers with each track.

Next we enjoy the title track of her new album Smell the Roses and Jesse lays down some rock beats under pinning the crisp guitar tones. The early vocals reminded me of something very different. Something like The Creepshow (no bad thing at all!) The blues take a backseat for this one and it’s all out rock, and we’re loving it, especially the catchy chorus sections. It’s followed by Empty Hours a slower number which creates a nice relaxing break in the pace of the set.

The Ring is another one that goes down a treat with it ‘s late 70s styled rock styling with slide refrains. Next up, we step away from the new album to 2022’s “Waiting for the Daylight” for a downright ‘dirty’ throbbing rock number in You Talk Dirty’ which hits deep.

As we reach the end of the set we enjoy Wedding Day from 2019’s “Another Day” which is loud and raucous and a must singalong number. It’s a perfect finale and showcases Erja’s impressive guitar skills, as her fingers roam freely along the fretboard delivering riff after fantastic riff.

Erja is an incredibly skilled guitarist and not just a good songwriter, but a storyteller. Her smile and easy going nature create a sense of intimacy at her shows, as if she’s performing for you. The variety of styles works so well and the structure of the setlist allows us to weave a journey through them effortlessly.

An artist at the top of their game, a support that blows you away with something different and emotional, and a top class intimate live venue. You couldn’t ask for a better musical night out.

Kiitosb Erja !

“Smell the Roses” is out now, and available to order HERE.

Setlist

Ball and Chain

Wings to Fly

Going to Hell

Dragonfly

Abyss

Smell the Roses

Empty Hours

Stoney Creek

The Ring