Rattus, a Finnish punk legend, was formed in 1978 in Vilppula. Vocalist–guitarist Jake and drummer V-P founded the band, soon joined by Jake’s brother Tomppa on bass. In the early years, the lineup was occasionally expanded, but the core of Rattus ultimately solidified as a trio.
After releasing a few self-produced records (a single and an EP), Rattus signed with Poko Rekords and released four vinyl records through the label. The band quickly rose to the forefront of the Finnish punk and hardcore scene.
In 1982, longtime roadie Anssi “Annikki” Nieminen took over as vocalist. From this point on, Rattus released records on several labels, mostly abroad. In 1984, the band toured extensively across Europe and Scandinavia. When Annikki stepped down from vocal duties in 1986, a second guitarist joined the lineup, pushing Rattus’ hardcore sound in a heavier direction. In 1988, Rattus played what was then considered their final show.
After more than a decade of silence, Rattus made a surprising return to the stage in 2001, driven by persistent demand. Annikki once again took on vocal duties at the comeback show, performing roughly half of the band’s material. In 2002, Rattus played a one-off show at Ämy-rock, and the following year saw a clear increase in live activity, including a mini-tour in Germany.
A true new chapter began when Rattus returned to its original trio lineup. Between 2004 and 2005, the band toured the United States and Central Europe while writing a significant amount of new material. At the same time, Rattus resumed its collaboration with Poko Rekords.
In September 2005, the band entered Sundi Coop Studio, with recordings engineered by Tuomo Valtonen. The result was the first full-fledged studio album in Rattus’ history, simply titled Rattus.
In spring 2007, Rattus returned to Sundi Coop Studio, and later that autumn released the album Uudet piikit. That same fall, the band embarked on a three-week tour of Brazil.
The story of Rattus begins in the spring of 1978, when childhood friends Jarkko Marjamäki and V-P Hyvärinen started playing The Damned’s New Rose in the boiler room of V-P’s home—practically nonstop. That summer, the municipality of Vilppula kindly provided rehearsal space in the basement of the town hall. Music echoed from morning to night, and the activity began to take on a more serious form.
A few weeks later, the fledgling band needed a bassist. Jake invited his brother Tomppa Marjamäki to join. At first, Tomppa viewed the project as little more than kids’ play—after all, he was a full two years older, which felt like a significant gap at the time. After some consideration and setting a few conditions, Tomppa agreed to join.
One of the key conditions concerned the band’s name. Tomppa proposed three options:
Rattus, taken from The Stranglers’ Rattus Norvegicus album
XYZ, in the era before Rush released Moving Pictures
A third name no one remembers anymore—probably for the best
Jake’s and V-P’s working title Uuno Häly did not appeal to Tomppa, nor did the English name Loophole, whose dictionary meaning did not really resonate at the time. Rattus (Latin for “rat”) was chosen unanimously. The repertoire gradually expanded to punk cornerstones such as the Sex Pistols, Ramones, Widows, and The Boys.
In 1978, a separate vocalist joined the band: Jari “Viri” Virkki, a classmate of Jake and V-P. At this stage, Rattus began gigging actively. Their first show took place at the Vilppula lower secondary school assembly hall. Jari worked at a gas station in his spare time, so chewing gum was generously handed out at shows.
The band played notoriously rough gigs, including a performance at Restaurant Männy during the Auto Drivers’ Christmas party. The success was so overwhelming that instead of the planned two sets, the show ended after just one—the audience was so “impressed” that the band was sent back to Vilppula by taxi. Rattus also played at adult education center Christmas parties and at events held at Rientola.
Alongside gigging, the band began developing original material. Songs from this period include Hätä, Nimismies, and Kuka viljelee Vilppulaan. English lyrics were briefly attempted in a song called Carolise, but the experiment was abandoned before the track was finished.
A legendary live recording from this era, Live at Lyly, has survived. Rattus also played shows at Virtain Kisapirtti (opening for Eini) and at Hiekkaranta (opening for Kollaa Kestää).
In 1979, Rattus used smoke effects for the first time at Korkeakoski. Jari had “acquired” fire department training smoke powder, which the band decided to test during a gig. Midway through the set, the powder was ignited, smoke rose straight to the ceiling, and during attempts to control the situation, Jari’s shoe caught fire. The organizer was about to call the fire brigade when driver Pasi Viskari intervened. At first, the smoke seemed disappointing, but within minutes it descended so thick that the gig had to be stopped. The organizer was more concerned about the next day’s movie screening than the show itself.
Another legendary early performance took place at the Multia Workers’ Hall, where a clash between the band and local musical tastes led to a knife chase—without injuries. At the end of the night, security escorted the band safely through the “downtown” of Multia.
Around the same time, a Mänttä-based “manager” known as Pastori Pohjalainen took Rattus under his wing, remarking during an audition that “in this rock business, the guys should be good-looking boys,” and colorfully criticizing one member’s appearance. Rattus toured as the opening act for Defiers and occasionally filled in their lineup, until one gig fee reached a staggering 15 Finnish marks and the collaboration was deemed a success. Joint shows were humorously advertised in newspapers as “Evenings of the 50s–60s.”
In 1979, the band searched for a second guitarist through a small ad in Soundi magazine. Risto “Mutu” Murtosaari from Mänttä responded and impressed the band with his long playing experience. Mutu’s playing was captured on cassette recordings Väntas på lite and Bara för några kronor.
In 1980, the lineup returned to a trio as Viri and Mutu pursued solo paths. With original material now strong enough, Rattus decided to release a self-financed single. For this, the band traveled to Ylöjärvi to record at Mika Sunqvist’s MSL Studio. The result was the Khomeini Rock / Muotipunk 7” single (RAT-1), pressed in 200 copies under the band’s own Hilipili-records label.
Due to budget constraints, the record sleeves were handmade using children’s printing tools borrowed from Matias Koivisto. Each sleeve was unique, stamped and drawn by hand. Paper for the project was “donated” by Vilppula Nuoret Kotkat ry—unwittingly. The records were mostly sold hand to hand to people who were not particularly interested in the music but bought them out of support or pity. Years later, the single spread worldwide and has fetched prices as high as 3,600 Finnish marks on American eBay.
The first larger gig after the single was in Seinäjoki, opening for Ratsia at Törnävän saari. In late summer 1980, Rattus was officially evicted from the town hall rehearsal space for the stated reason of “smelly carpets”—the real reason remains lost to history. A new rehearsal space was built on Vilpunkatu with the help of Leena Hyvärinen.
At the end of 1980, Rattus returned to the studio to record the Fucking Disco EP, released in 1981. The record gained significant attention, reached England, and led to a collaboration with Poko Records. Soundi magazine named it Single of the Month.
In 1981, Rattus released its first official label release, Rattus on rautaa. At this point, the band’s sound began shifting from punk rock and new wave toward rawer hardcore, influenced by bands such as Discharge, Exploited, Minor Threat, and MDC. Rattus toured Finland with Exploited and encountered both admiration and hostility at shows—often simultaneously.
Recorded in December 1981, the Rajoitettu ydinsota EP marked Rattus’ true breakthrough in underground circles. Short, fast songs, radio airplay, and foreign releases brought the band international attention. This was followed by WC räjähtää (1983) and a collaboration with the legendary Pushead, who designed several of the band’s record covers.
Touring expanded across Finland and abroad. Rattus performed at venues such as Lepakkoluola during the Propaganda festivals, played international shows, and firmly established itself as a cornerstone of Finnish hardcore punk.
Recorded in January 1984 and finally released in summer 1985 via Ann & Archie Records, the Ihmiset on sairaita EP brought an end to Rattus’ early, exceptionally intense era.
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