2007

Where and when? Suvilahti, Helsinki. Over three days, 17.-19.8.2007
Visitors: 12 500
Stages: 3
Artists: 36
Highlights: Suvilahti offered an unprecedented and exciting backdrop to the festival. !!! made the crowds dance and Bebel Gilberto charmed with her fabulous energy.
Website: http://archive.flowfestival.com/2007/en/ (Please note that some imagery or links might not work correctly on the archived site.)

The fourth ever Flow took place, for the first time, in Helsinki’s Suvilahti area. The festival spanned over three days (from Friday to Sunday) and three stages and was part of the Helsinki Festival. The lineup included over 30 artists. The location, a former power plant, created a unique and intimate atmosphere, while the program was more diverse and current than ever before. The highlights included !!!, whose Saturday night gig got the crowds dancing like there was no tomorrow, Bebel Gilberto’s irresistible energy, the charismatic soul legend Terry Callier and the charming Jenny Wilson. The evening clubs were popular, too, and the dancefloor in the old power plant hall saw some serious raving until 4 am on both nights. Other notable performers in 2007 were, e.g. CocoRosie, ESG, Architecture in Helsinki, Cut Chemist, Carl Craig, Jaakko Eino Kalevi, Luomo, Op:l Bastards, Pepé Deluxe, Eleonoora Rosenholm, Rättö & Lehtisalo, K-X-P, Tuomo and Risto. For the full lineup, please see the bottom of the page.

Bebel Gilberto’s show was one of the festival’s highlights.

After the previous year’s multi-location festival, the Flow team decided to find a location that could cater for both day and night and hence, offer a more holistic festival experience. The team found the old power plant area called Suvilahti, whose post-industrial atmosphere felt like Berlin – and was, therefore, a perfect match and Flow’s new home. This was the first time the site was used for a big event or allowed the public to enter the space. However, the city of Helsinki had been planning to build a centre for culture there, akin to Kaapelitehdas; an old cable factory turned into art space. The surrounding area was still largely uninhabited and it provided a brilliant setting for the daytime events and allowed the music to be blasted late into the August nights. The location was central to excellent public transport links, too.

The festival was built on an intimate yard, nesting between the old gasometers and the boiler hall. The evening clubs took place in the impressive old boiler hall called Kattilahalli, aka Voimala (especially amongst the Flow crowd). The whole power plant site was built in 1909 and became one of the first power plants and a pinnacle construction project in the early 20th century Helsinki. It gained a global reputation with its impressive architecture. The plant ceased its operations in 1974.

The new festival area allowed the music to be blasted late into the August nights.

In addition to the two outdoor stages and the club space in Kattilahalli, the festival site hosted restaurants by Kuurna and Catering M.A.T and many bars across three different spots.

Interest towards Flow surprised the organisers’ expectations, and on Friday queues were formed at the gates, ticket sales and bars. The team responded quickly, and by Saturday, there was more staff on the ground and more toilets, which ensured a smoother continuation of the festival. Growing pains were conquered, and by learning and taking feedback, the next year’s planning towards the improved Flow experience began.

Continue your trip down memory lane:

Watch photos: Browse photos from the 2007 festival

Browse the archived Flow Festival 2007 website:
http://archive.flowfestival.com/2007/en/
Please note that some imagery or links might not work correctly on the archived site.

Flow Festival 2007 artists in alphabetical order:

!!!
Architecture in Helsinki
ASS (Andreas Söderström Solo)
Bebel Gilberto
Carl Craig
CocoRosie
Cosmo Baker/The Rub
Cut Chemist
Eleanoora Rosenholm
ESG
Gilles Peterson
hannulelauri
Jaakko Eino Kalevi
Jenny Wilson
Jori Hulkkonen
K-X-P
Katusea Soundsystem
A Club DJ, Friday
A Club DJ, Saturday
Korpi Ensemble
Luomo
Mathew Jonson
Nicole Willis & The Soul Investigators
Op:l Bastards
Pepe Deluxé
Pooma
Quiet Village (2 sets)
Risto
Rättö ja Lehtisalo
Samae Koskinen
Shogun Kunitoki
Terry Callier
The Five Corners Quintet, Jukka Eskola, The Stance Brothers, Timo Lassy, DJ Antti Eerikäinen
The Valkyrians
Tiefschwarz
Tuomo

Visuals:
Amoamiamo
Beige/Harmaa
Jugi Kaartinen
Klaustrofobia
Lumiere Bros
Markus Pasula
Random Doctors
VisualSysteemi
XPLOITEC