'Eurovision fans are everywhere:' Puuluup get US audiences dancing to Estonian zombie-folk
Estonian zombie-folk duo Puuluup have just completed a U.S. tour and a one-off gig in Kyiv. Music fans in the States received the band warmly and many even started dancing as soon as their shows began.
Puuluup's Marko Veisson told ERR he was surprised that audiences in the U.S. got into it the band music so quickly. "The first concert was at a club in Minneapolis with 150 people, and everyone started dancing," Veisson said.
Veisson's bandmate Ramo Teder said that he saw only three people who remained seated during that particular show. "There were other concerts where, as soon as we started singing, we could see people starting to dance."
Teder added that the band's appearance at Eurovision in 2024 alongside hip-hop stars 5MIINUST also helped raise their profile ahead of the U.S tour. In fact, there were Eurovision fans at almost every one of their concerts in the U.S. "Eurovision is famous in America," Teder pointed out.
Puuluup's music coupled with their dead-pan delivery of anecdotes about cross-country skiing between songs has won the band no end of admirers around the world.
According to Marko Veisson, when it comes to the type of music Puuluup play, performing in a language most of the audience does not understand is far from a disadvantage.
"Rather, it is expected," he said. "It's something different, and something that thousands of other artists in that country are not doing already in one form or another. However, it is much more difficult to break through with pop music."
Veisson added that there are also major differences in the kinds of people who come to watch live folk music in different countries.
In the United States, it is mainly old hippies who listen to folk music, for instance, while in Ukraine, where the band all recently performed at the Lesya Kvartyrynka Festival in Kyiv – the audience comprised around 1,500 young people.
Ramo Teder said that while the band were in Ukraine, everyone was really interested in them and their music.
"During this full-scale war, they haven't really had much access to foreign bands and music; there's only Ukrainian stuff when festivals are held there, so they all wanted to interact with us," Teder said.
"The atmosphere that prevailed there and what we experienced was a moment when I felt really grateful that I make music and that I can perform here."
Next up for Puuluup is a European tour, including shows in Poland, Austria and France. After that, the band head to Asia for shows in Japan, Hong Kong and Taiwan.
They wrap up 2025 with four shows in Estonia accompanied by the VHK String Orchestra.
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Editor: Kaspar Viilup, Michael Cole
Source: "Hommik Anuga," interviewer Anu Välba
