The Finnish Metal band Blind Channel won Uuden Musiikin Kilpailu (UMK) Finland’s national selection for the Eurovision Song Contest 2021, with their song ‘Dark Side’.
Blind Channel features Joel Hokka (vocals and guitar), Niko Vilhelm (vocals), Joonas Porko (guitar), Olli Matela (bass), Tommi Lalli (drums) and recent addition Aleksi Kaunisvesi (keyboards), giving the band the perfect number of members for the Eurovision Song Contest stage.
The band was formed in 2013 and in 2014 they were invited to play at Wacken Open Air in Germany, the largest outdoor heavy metal festival on the planet. Soon after they signed their first recording contract.
Blind Channel describe their style of music as “violent pop” and have been likened to British alt-metal band Bring Me The Horizon. Having honed their craft on the Finnish underground scene the band believes the time has finally come for them to bring their sound to the world.
In our interview Joel and Niko tell us how they don’t see themselves “locked” in just a rock category, how they feel about their chances in Eurovision and how they want to give a voice to people, who are feeling bad during these challenging times.
So “Put your middle fingers up, take a shot, throw it up and don’t stop”. It’s time to meet Joel and Niko from Blind Channel:
