Finland: Punk Rockers Pertti Kurikan Nimipäivät win UMK

Last night over in Helsinki, the final of Uuden Musikiin Kilpailu, or UMK to everyone else, was completed. Over the course of UMK, 18 acts were reduced to 9 for the final, who were:

1. Shava – Ostarilla

2. Satin Circus – Crossroads

3. Solju – Hold Your Colours

4. Järjestyshäiriö – Särkyneiden sydänten kulmilla

5. Norlan El Misionario – No Voy A Ilorar Por Ti

6. Opera Skaala – Heart of Light

7. Jouni Aslak – Lions and Lambs

8. Pertti Kurikan Nimipäivät – Aina mun pitää

9. Angelo De Nile – All for Victory

Finland displayed a wide range of musical styles, from opera, to dance, to punk. This made the show exciting, and as the voting commenced, it was clear it was going to be a close race between the acts. After both jury and public voting, the winner was Pertti Kurikan Nimipäivät. Second was Satin Circus, and third was Opera Skaala.

The winning act is a four piece band who aim to raise awareness of people with learning disabilities. Their punk rock style is definitely not to everyone’s tastes, but their story is sure to inspire others. In an article posted by the Guardian, the band states that “We are rebelling against society in different ways, but we are not political,” he added. “We are changing attitudes somewhat, a lot of people are coming to our gigs and we have a lot of fans. We don’t want people to vote for us to feel sorry for us, we are not that different from everybody else – just normal guys with a mental handicap.”

Will Europe love the punk rockers, or will their message be lost on the Eurovision stage?