Vrid Upp – A Swedish band with strong roots and a big heart for Finland

The Swedish rock band Vrid Upp has Finnish roots and a deep love for Finland. The band features two musicians who are very familiar to Finnish audiences: Gyp Casino and Dan Lagerstedt. Gyp is the original drummer in Finland’s great heroes Hanoi Rocks and both Dan & Gyp have teamed up with Andy McCoy during a few tours and recordings.Of course, they both have had extensive careers beyond these highlights, and they are highly respected musicians in their home country of Sweden.

Lagerstedt says that Vrid Upp is, in many ways, more Finnish than Swedish – partly because he prefers to spend his free time at his summer cottage on Kimito Finland. According to Lagerstedt and Casino, every visit to Finland has been more than just memorable – especially when thinking back to the tour following the recording of Andy McCoy’s “Building on Tradition album”! In fact, the song “Love & Hate” from that album is credited to McCoy, Lagerstedt, and Casino.

A few years ago, Lagerstedt and Casino resumed their collaboration, digging into musical treasures from the archives while also creating brand-new material. This project gradually evolved into Vrid Upp, which has already released two albums. The band’s music is a mix of punk, power pop, and a touch of Jackson Browne. Adding even more experience to the lineup is bassist Peder Andersson, who has played with names like Johnny Thunders and Jerry Nolan. The current lineup also includes two slightly younger musicians on drums and keyboards: Preben Sporre (Gyp Casino’s youngest son) and Linus Wallin.

Vrid Upp has so far played occasional live shows in Sweden, including in Stockholm, Gothenburg, and Halmstad. They’ve also performed in Norway and Finland. Unfortunately, the band’s planned spring show in Finland had to be cancelled, but Vrid Upp intends to return as soon as possible, saying that “good things are always worth the wait”. While waiting for their next visit to Finland, make sure to check out their latest album, “På pickalurven”, released in April.

Learn more about the band on Facebook and Soundcloud.