FINLAND

The Finnish Final was held on February 28th at the YLE TV Studios in Helsinki, hosted by Roope Salminen & Rakel Liekki. Before the final there were 3 semi-finals, with 3 sings qualifying from each. The winner was chosen by televoting (90%) and public juries (10%) and going to Vienna will be the band Pertti Kurikan Nimipäivät singing "Aina mun pitää" (I always have to).

Finland kept the successful Uuden Musiikin Kilpailu (UMK) format that has selected entries since 2012. The standard of entries in this selection process was generally good but also varied - from pop to punk to opera to bhangra to reggaeton. This meant it was a very entertaining final but also one that kept you watching and wondering who was going to win. That said, Pertti Kurikan Nimipäivät easily won the televote which accounted for the majority of result.

The song, written by the band, is a repetitive punk song with shouty lyrics. The song's lyrics go on about the things they have to do such as washing the dishes and going to work but also some of the things they are no allowed to do, like go on the computer or see friends. Many may see this as seeing life through the eyes of someone with a learning disability although many might empathise with their list full stop! It is not exactly the catchiest of tunes but has a very repetitive structure. As it stands though, this will be the shortest Eurovision song ever performed at only 85 seconds long - but that's punk for you!

Pertti Kurikan Nimipäivät are quite a well known band in their native Finland. They were formed back in 2009 through a Finnish charity project but then the band was featured heavily in a documentary film in 2012 called "The Punk Syndrome" which looked at their life in a group home and how they use their music to funnel their frustrations with life and how they are perceived. There is not much in terms of performance quality or show but I would guess most people would say their being there is show and purpose enough.

Very little about this is going to change. What they have got is a very raw very in your face, very punk performance and one cannot say this is not being authentic to their cause and to their lives. I can see the stage performance being almost identical on the Eurovision stage. I can also imagine the words of the song being projected onto the back wall or even pictures of the band doing the things they are talking about in the song.

This has caused a lot of divisiveness amongst ESC fans mainly due to the fine line many blur between liking or not liking the song and liking or not liking the band. Either way, this has garnered a lot of publicity which can only be a good thing for the cause of people with mental disabilities. In more forward thinking countries they will get support, even some sympathy votes. However will the televoters (or even juries) of less forward thinking countries even give this the light of day? Can you imagine certain ex-soviet countries giving this votes? It will get 'backlash' and 'support' votes like Lordi and Conchita have gained in the past but I feel there will be lots of bigger voids and silences to go with it.
This is a very challenging song - and so it should be. If this makes you confront your own prejudices and makes you change your mind just a little bit then they have done their work. As for Eurovision, even though they are the most publicised band this year I have a feeling it won't be going very far.

ARTIST - Pertti Kurikan Nimipäivät

SONG - Aina mun pitää (I always have to)

MUSIC - Pertti Kurikka, Kari Aalto, Sami Helle, Toni Välitalo

LYRICS - Pertti Kurikka, Kari Aalto, Sami Helle, Toni Välitalo