Finland 2025
A big thank you to Katri Karvien and Aki Schadewiz for their excellent photography
Another invitation from The Beatmakers:
The Fantoms were invited over to Finland yet again!!
A big thank you to Arja Schadewitz
for the amazing editorial written & published covering
The Fantoms ..
The British main act of the Rönni festival
At Rönni, the main act was The Fantoms from the London area (UK), who, by their own definition, play the kind of rock'n'roll that was heard before Beatlemania. The audience at Rönni was then offered hits from the late 50s and early 60s from such artists as Buddy Holly, Gene Vincent, Johnny Kidd & the Pirates and, of course, Cliff Richard and The Shadows. Something special for us Finns was hearing Vince Taylor's original song "Brand New Cadillac" (1959), which we have learned to know as “Cadillac” (1964) versioned by The Renegades, a British band very popular in Finland at that time.
The Fantoms' line-up is a model example from the early 1960s: three guitars and drums. Careful dressing in silky suits and shiny shoes also reflects the same time, but stage presence was quite something else. The step patterns were from The Shadows, but performed in a more dashing way. The musicians didn't just stand stiff on stage while playing, but kept moving in patterns all the time. And finally, the drummer also stepped forward, swooping in to shake hands with the audience in the front row. It wasn't just a performance, but a carefully choreographed show performed by the whole group – something Finnish bands could learn about?
The band's original line-up was formed in the late summer of 1980 and was almost immediately cast as Cliff Richard's backing band for a 20-year documentary about the singer. This was followed by a moment of fame and tours, but not much financial gain. The band did record an album's worth of music, but in the end, only one single was released alongside the TV documentary about Cliff Richard.
The Fantoms took a break from 1984 to 2014, but returned after a promoter asked them to play again. Since then, they have performed in numerous European countries and have now arrived in Finland for the fifth time.
The Fantoms have also released plenty of music in recent years – songs that had already been recorded in the 80s and also completely new material: so far, 13 albums and singles. The latest albums 'The Album That Never Was' and 'The Bristol Express' are from this year.
The line-up as of 2023: Nick Kennedy (lead guitar, vocals), Glenn Brentnall (rhythm guitar, vocals), Gary Daggers (bass, backing vocals) and Jeff Tuck (drums).
