Monster crafters win Eurovision
Europeans voted Lordi, a monster heavy rock band from Finnish Lapland as the winner of the 51st Eurovision song contest last night in Athens. Lordi's song Hard Rock Hallelujah got record-high points.
There are videos of the performance on YouTube.
Like the other competitors, Lordi competed with looks at least as much as music. Unlinke all the other competitors, however, Lordi made an effort to look as bad as possible. This strategy paid off. “Kids love us. We look like their toys” said Lordi in a Eurovision interview.
Take a look behind the masks of the monsters and you'll discover that the Lordi group are actually a bunch of passionate crafters. Lordi a.k.a. Tomi Putaansuu and his team make their orc-like outfits by hand. Putaansuu explained to Helsingin Sanomat:
"Our flat is one big Lordi workshop. The kitchen table is used for sewing dresses and casting plaster masks. Sometimes if there is a good TV program on while we are working, there is latex and acryl paint all over the sofa."
Lordi's Eurovision success means that Putaansuu and his team will get to craft monster outfits at an increasing pace. Every new album requires new costumes.
“We have the same aesthetic as horror films,” says Putansuu, who has studied at a film school. “The scarier the film, the more fun it is. And rock music should be all about fun.”
Photo by Sami Kero / Helsingin Sanomat. More pics
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