VoodooV: Live at LARK, Berlin | 14 October 2026
The Finnish four-piece band bring their mix of funk and psychedelic rock to Berlin, with their second album "Hello World" taking on digital alienation, online populism and the commercialization of spirituality.
VoodooV come from Tampere, Finland. The four-piece started out during the pandemic, playing jam sessions in a studio they called The Bunker. Their debut album, "Jamgem", followed in 2023. Two years later, they released "Hello World", a record that takes a closer look at some of the less comfortable sides of modern life. On 14 October 2026, VoodooV play at LARK in Berlin as part of their European tour. Before the VoodooV Live at Lark, Berlin show, we spoke to the band about their music, the ideas behind the new album and how it all began.
Five Questions with VoodooV
Indienoxzine: You’ve come a long way since your early jam sessions. How would you describe VoodooV today?
VoodoV: Hmm, good question. Today, I think it’s more focused. It’s not just sitting together and jamming or something like that anymore. We’re trying to have a vision for the future and see how far we can take this by ourselves, because we do everything ourselves. This is actually the first time we’re using an agency, Booker Tool, which is a new step. But I think the word could be “more focused” compared to the jam sessions we had before. We spent a long time finding ourselves, and now it’s becoming more of a package.
Indienoxzine: Your album "Hello World" tackles digital alienation and online populism. Can music be a way to challenge what’s happening in society?
VoodoV: Yeah. I think the important thing is that you shouldn’t take yourself too seriously or become too demanding. You can comment on things, criticise things or be part of what’s happening in the world. You don’t have to say everything precisely or do this or that. You can just be part of it. I think it’s also about participating in the conversation that’s happening right now. That’s our way of being part of it, in a way. I think it’s about commenting on the world as we see it.
Indienoxzine: What’s the story behind your latest single, “Always Almost There”?
VoodoV: Well, how do I put this delicately? Delicately, short and sweet. It’s basically about the mentality people have. I think each of us has a little part that’s trying to overachieve and never, never be satisfied with where we are, whether it’s financially, in our romantic lives or whatever it is. It’s basically the “grass is always greener on the other side” kind of thing. You’re always searching for something and you’re never quite satisfied. “Once I get another paycheck,” or “Once I get that car,” or whatever it is. The goalposts move all the time. The way we write these new songs, they have certain themes and a certain point of view about the human psyche and how people think. The subjectivity of truth is one part of it. There’s another story behind the song, too. It’s just one part of it, but there’s a line in the song that goes, “Too much is too much.” It comes from a friend of mine who had a bit of a problem with substances. He was in a dark place and he told me that he knew too much was too much, but moderation was just not enough. It’s kind of like, if you want to have fun and drink, too much is too much. But it needs to feel like something and not drinking at all doesn’t feel like anything. That’s a human feeling: trying to find the line where it’s not too much, but it’s just enough. Where do you draw the line? That’s the question.
Indienoxzine: Your live sound combines tight grooves with psychedelic energy. How much room is there for improvisation when you play live?
VoodoV: This time around, we wanted to have a bit more in the way of backing tracks because we wanted to have all these synthesizers in there. That’s kind of set in a way, because we use click tracks now. But there’s always a little room for improvisation, because we always mess up. So we need to improvise. This time around, we don’t want to use long solos or open forms. We’re trying to keep it tight, so we don’t mess with the form of the song. But within the song, we still play some licks here and there. We also respect the live aspect of it. We’re pretty set on what we play, but when we feel something as a group, we might think, “Yeah, this belongs in the live version. This wouldn’t work on the record, but live, you’ve got to play this.” We always play together in a sense, and we find the best parts of the songs to play live without breaking the song. We like the improvisational part, but now we need to work within the boundaries we’ve set for ourselves. That’s a new kind of challenge. We want to have really tight rhythms and everything, but how can we do that without feeling too rigid or too stuck? We’re trying to find our boundaries within that.
As a drummer, I can tell that when the venue changes, you have to change your dynamics to suit the stage. In a small place, you play a little more subtly, with little tricks here and there. But when you have a big audience or a big stage, you always have to play big.
The whole song changes because the drums can have more energy and become bigger. Of course, the bass player follows with the more straightforward lines. It’s live music, so it’s alive on stage.
That’s a good point. It’s a different kind of improvisation, playing with subtle things like dynamics. Even though the parts remain the same, the whole vibe can be different. You can also use different effects or sounds.
The audience has a big impact on the sound, too. We basically reflect what we see from the stage. When I see that someone likes certain things, I don’t do it consciously, but I draw a lot of energy from the audience. I think we all have the same thing: when we see that the room wants to hear something, we subconsciously start feeding that energy and playing with it.
But it’s also a learning process. We still want to do our own thing and show people what we’ve made. There aren’t too many rules, but there are certain elements of communication, so to speak.
And we have to give a shout-out to the fifth member of any group on any stage: the sound engineer. If there’s a certain vibe and a guitar solo comes in, they can boost it on demand. They can see how the audience is reacting and add that extra ten per cent every time. A great sound engineer is a big part of the show, especially when it comes to pushing the performance further and handling the things the band can’t control from the stage. He’s amazing. He’s the fifth person because he can really push the things that need to happen in a live setting. The things you can’t control, he can control the rest. He’s a big part of the show, definitely.
Indienoxzine: You’re bringing VoodooV to Berlin as part of your biggest international tour yet. What are you hoping to experience here, both on and off stage?
VoodoV: Antti said he’s very interested in the sound system at Berghain and wants to go and check it out. We said, “Let’s go check the sound system.” I think it opens tomorrow - it’s Thursday, and we have a day off - so maybe we’ll go and check it out. If you have any connections there, maybe…
But on stage, I expect big-city people - vibrant, colourful, joyful people. Finding our people, I think. People who like our music. So far, from my point of view, it’s been a great success. We’ve found lots of people who love what we’re doing throughout the whole tour. It’s been crazy. My biggest hope is always to see people dancing. I think that’s the highest compliment: when the energy goes back and forth. That’s something I really appreciate.
Off stage, I think we were here maybe two years ago and we really liked Berlin. I want to visit some of the places we went to last time and maybe some new places, too. It’s such a nice place. It’s a nice town to have a day off. Easygoing, chill.
VoodooV Live at LARK, Berlin
LARK is full tonight, fuller than we have ever seen it before. The atmosphere before VoodooV take the stage is relaxed and cheerful. Some people are still outside, others are at the bar, but many already have their eyes on the stage, waiting for the Finnish four-piece to begin. The crowd looks fairly young, around thirty on average, judging by the room. The first sounds are synths. Then the drums kick in, the first song starts and people begin dancing almost immediately. VoodooV do not need much time to get the room moving. The sound is loud, the band look focused and the energy is there from the start. The vocals are strong, sitting well with the instruments. The singer uses a voice transformer at certain points, adding a different texture to the sound. The synths return between songs and also feature as backing tracks during the set. They fill out the arrangements without taking the focus away from the band on stage. The sound is notably good for such a full room. It is loud and energetic, but the instruments remain clear, wherever you stand. The mix holds everything together, from the drums and guitar to the bass, vocals and electronic elements. The person handling the sound is doing a great job. The second song opens with powerful drums and guitar. VoodooV sound tight, and the energy stays high. As the set continues, the groove becomes more pronounced. The vocals take on a more atmospheric quality and the singer picks up a tambourine. Meanwhile, the bass starts to stand out more and more, carrying hooks that become a central part of the music. The guitar adds funky riffs around it, giving the songs even more movement. The bass is one of the things that makes this set so enjoyable. From song to song, the funk becomes more noticeable and the rhythm keeps the audience dancing. The synths add another layer, particularly in the spaces between songs, where they keep the sound going instead of letting the atmosphere drop. VoodooV have clearly thought about how to bring these elements together live.
Energy is the word of the evening. The band are well rehearsed, the sound is full, and the audience responds from the first song onwards. There is no shortage of indie concerts in Berlin, but it is always good to see a room this full for a band playing their own music. People have come to see VoodooV and they are there with them throughout the set.
VoodooV know how to celebrate music and community. You can see it in the way the audience moves with the songs and stays engaged as the set progresses. The band do not need to force a connection with the crowd; the music is already doing the work. When the set ends, the audience calls for an encore. VoodooV return to cheers and applause, and the dancing continues. It is a fitting response to a show that had the room moving almost from the very first drumbeat.
From The Bunker to Hello World
VoodooV started out with friends getting together for jam sessions in a studio they called The Bunker. Their debut album, "Jamgem", followed in 2023, with the single “Black Market Bubblegum” helping the band reach listeners beyond Finland. For their second album, "Hello World", released in November 2025, the four-piece worked with producer Raphaël Neikes, known for his work with Spiral Drive and Mother's Cake. The record keeps the band's mix of funk, psychedelic rock, indie pop and electronic sounds, while taking on digital alienation, online populism and the commercialization of spirituality. In 2026, VoodooV followed up with the single “Always Almost There” and continued expanding their international live schedule, with European dates and shows in Japan.
Finding Their People
When we spoke to VoodooV before the show, they talked about wanting to find their people on this tour. People who get what they do, enjoy the music and give that energy back. At LARK, there was a lot of that. The venue was packed, people started dancing with the first song, and the energy stayed high throughout the set. By the end, the crowd was cheering for an encore. One thing they said in the interview was that seeing people dance is one of the best compliments they can get. It made sense watching them play that night. The audience was right there with them, whether the songs leaned into heavier beats or the bass and guitar took on a funkier groove. Nobody seemed to need much convincing.
It was also nice to see LARK this full for an indie gig. Berlin has so many concerts happening every week that it’s easy to take a full room for granted. But seeing people turn up, dance and stay engaged until the very end is a good reminder of why live music matters. VoodooV told us they feel more focused now than in their early days of just getting together to jam. At LARK, that focus came through in the tight playing and the way the different sounds fitted together.
For Berlin’s live music scene, a night like this is a good sign. LARK was packed, the crowd stayed engaged throughout the set and the calls for an encore made it clear that people weren’t ready for the evening to end. VoodooV had brought their own mix of psychedelic rock, electronic sounds and funky grooves to the city, and the audience had come to see them. That kind of connection is what live music is about: bands getting the chance to play to a room full of people who want to be there, and audiences getting to experience something that goes beyond listening to a record at home. With so many concerts happening in Berlin, it’s good to see independent bands drawing a crowd and giving people another reason to keep showing up for live music.
Keep discovering independent music with our other On This Track, Three Track Week and Artist Features.
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