The Finnish musician and singer-songwriter ERJA LYYTINEN is the anointed queen of the slide guitar.
Her razor-bite singing voice, the high notes that seem to whistle directly from the icy Baltic drumlins, the melody-rich blues she delivers, and her distinctively sharp guitar yowls are always splendidly fashioned into fine-spun musical dramas.
Her sounds, filled with rocky textures and creative blues concepts, have captivated global audiences for many years.
This week we witnessed her show at the famous Half Moon public house, in Putney, South West London. This is one of the longest running, and respected live music venues in Britain. The Half Moon has hosted The Rolling Stones, and John Mayall‘s Bluesbreakers, and incubated the talents of artists such as Kate Bush and Elvis Costello.
We saw ERJA LYYTINEN in concert at The Half Moon Putney on Tuesday 18th November 2025.
Erja wore shiny, beetle-black rubber jeans and a very short crop top when she came onstage, backed by drums and bass (no keyboards at this show.)
Erja wore shiny, beetle-black rubber jeans and a very short crop top when she came onstage…
‘Ball And Chain’ had a very ‘slidey’ feel, with a grungy riff and a punchy chorus.
‘Smell the Roses‘ was tenacious and insistent. With a zigzag design, it had a catchy melody, sweeping arrangement, and gritty vocals. Essentially, it was a tale of denial and grasping desire.
‘Going to Hell’ (the music video shared below) featured strands of raised guitar pinnacles that adorned an inscribed star-shaped core riff.
raised guitar pinnacles
RAW RAMP
that adorned an inscribed
star-shaped core riff…
‘Abyss’ began with a very dark spine of sound, it was glumly gloomy in nature, and, admittedly, ‘very loud’. Despite being experimental, with much use of effects, the piece was a pure blues experience. The imagery was intricate and breath-taking, and the entire piece came across as delightfully expansive. There was a sensuous shine about the way the stagecraft was accomplished. Brilliant!
The Half Moon stage-show with two sets, separated by an half-hour break for a meet-and-greet, was an excellent experience. Erja’s guitar playing was artistic, producing yowls, mews, growls, and shrills, with her quick fingers moving across the frets at a remarkable pace, all within the diverse tones & complicated rhythms set up by her talented band-mates, including Heikki Saarenkunnas on bass (and drummers Arvon Herttua and Uula Korhonen, who have been alternating during the tour.)
A benchmark performance!
Words: © Neil Mach
Photos: © Zoran Veselinovic
RAW RAMP 