This is a very difficult one. Finland’s entry this year has already received a fair bit of publicity, due to the fact that the members of the band Pertti Kurikan Nimipäivät (PKN) all have developmental disabilities.
The band has a wonderful backstory and it is truly heartwarming to see Eurovision embrace acts of all backgrounds. PKN’s backstage video interviews are particularly great, and they’ve shot up in the betting rankings thanks to all the pre-contest media coverage.
However…the song is just terrible.
That is absolutely nothing to do with the abilities of the performers, but everything to do with the fact that it is impenetrable Finnish punk rock. The Finns have always had a predilection for heavy, dark music (their only winning Eurovision entry was the rubber-faced monsters from Lordi), and while that can sometimes have wide appeal, more often than not punk fans at Eurovision are a very niche group. Perhaps the best thing about the song is that it’s the shortest ever entered in the contest, clocking in at under 90 seconds.
So I’m afraid it’s nul points from me for the song – but douze points for inclusivity and acceptance. Well done Finland.
