Samuli Putro & Arppa in Espoo

Samuli Putro is a Finnish singer-songwriter, born in 1970, who first became known as the vocalist and principal songwriter of the rock band Zen Café. The group’s best-known songs include “Todella kaunis” and “Piha ilman sadettajaa.” After the band went on hiatus, Putro launched a solo career with the album “Elämä on juhla”; “Olet puolisoni nyt” became one of his signature solo songs. Putro spent the 1990s and 2000s performing with Zen Café at clubs and festivals, including Ilosaarirock. He subsequently toured under his own name, bringing his solo catalogue to Finnish theatres, concert halls and summer events such as Ruisrock.

Arppa is a Finnish band built around singer-songwriter Arppa, known for Finnish-language indie pop and rock shaped by jazz. The group introduced its sound on the debut album Laavalamppuja, followed by Kinovalon alla and Valeria; “Hauki” and “Kiertoradat” are among its best-known songs. Arppa has performed at Flow Festival in Helsinki and Ruisrock in Turku. The band plays as a full ensemble and leaves room for improvisation and rearrangement, an approach it has also brought to its own concerts at Tavastia.