“Works like a sledgehammer”
First and foremost, 45 Special is a live rock club so the drinks list is pretty basic. Best-sellers are beer, cider, and gin. The food menu is similar, offering snacks like pizza by the slice.
Cocktails aren’t much in demand here. The most popular mixed drinks are based on Koskenkorva (or kossu), the Finnish hard liquor, although a drink called Grateful Dead (created by local musician Köpi Kurikka) has attracted a cult following. It’s made of gin, Fernet Branca, and Schweppes Russchian tonic water. “A rocker’s drink. Works like a sledgehammer,” says Ilpo Sulkala, restaurateur and promoter.
“We’ve been involved in the music business since forever. There’s nothing much else we can even think about. We just do the things we know how to do,” he adds.
Established in Oulu in 1990 by Sulkala, Esa Harju and Keijo Salmirinne from the band Zero Nine, 45 Special is one of the oldest rock clubs in Finland and it just keeps on rolling. In the beginning, the owners were quite adamant about maintaining their “strictly rock” image but have since embraced diversity with some style. Today the bar has club nights for everything from rock to reggae, hip hop to techno. As a live venue, 45 Special has always has its finger on the pulse, offering up-and-coming acts as well as established favorites.
Over the years, it has expanded to three floors and the interior design is appropriately “rock”. The basement is covered in cobwebs, the windows of the prison-inspired ground floor in bars, and the top floor is dominated by a huge wall painting by Jaakko Mattila called Detail of Cosmos 45 Remix.
The ideology here is strictly democratic and all customers get the same treatment; everyone is comfortable and no one has any special privileges. “We have never approved of VIP customers,” Sulkala says. “If some band from outside of Oulu is throwing a concert here, we’ll put them in front of the line. That’s how we show our appreciation to rock’n’roll workers.”
45 Special
Address Saaristonkatu 12, 90100 Oulu
Tel. +358 8 8811845
Website www.45special.com
Seats 320
Open 20:00-04:00 daily
Restaurateurs Esa Harju, Keijo Salmirinne,and Ilpo Sulkala
Restaurantmanager Ari Jokinen
Location In downtown Oulu, a stone’s throw from Rotuaari pedestrian street.
Shoptalk
“The best thing north of southern Helsinki.” / “Despite the fact that 45 is owned by a buddy, they’re number one on my list. Three floors with different styles prove that rock can be a diverse and tolerant phenomenon. The Sunday Jam Sessions, summer clubs, and Open Deck nights are great for having a beer and enjoying yourself. Peace is guaranteed by the most famous doormen in town.” / “Over the last 15 years a renowned rock club has grown into a multipurpose music venue. The staff is stuffed with quite some characters.”
