Blind Channel is a band from Oulu, Finland. Formed in 2013, the five-piece plays what they describe as "violent pop"; heavy music with pop elements. Now three albums into their quest to "deal with our demons and express ourselves unlike anywhere else", we caught up with the band to discuss the Finnish scene, influences, and plans for 2020.
Photo: Press.
With Covid 19 many bands have become used to working and creating remotely -removed from the traditional band dynamic, some of them seem to agree this works well, is this true for Blind Channel?
Partly true! We're always making new music and coming up with ideas to help our band grow and that is possible via whatsapp or any communication service. But we also spend a lot of time together and some of us are quarantined together, so luckily we we're able to keep grinding as a pack despite the situation with covid 19.
The Finnish scene seems really vibrant, if in future we head to Finland, where should us rockers head for a great night out?
As soon as it's possible, you should come to Helsinki and go to see a rock show at Tavastia or On The Rocks. and if you really want to make the night unforgettable, head to The Riff for the after party - that's where the crazy stuff happens!
Which other Finnish artists to you recommend we listen to?
There are lot of great artists in Finland. Nightwish, Sunrise Avenue and Alma are some you may have already heard of. You should check out Lost Society, Shiraz Lane and Arion. They are amazing rock bands from our generation and they're gonna make it big.
Your third album came out this year, including your recent single, Gun. Can you tell us which songs you are most proud of and why, and describe some of the lyrical and musical themes of the album?
We're proud of all the songs! Gun was a special one - it ended a cycle that started from the first album with a song called Bullet, continued on the second album with a song called Trigger, and ended with Gun. That song proved to us we finally had combination to create perfect violent pop music - the way we like it. We also love Over My Dead Body. It was one of the first songs we wrote for the album, and it's probably our most successful song to date. You should check it out if you haven't already.
Which bands influenced you collectively and individually?
We're influenced very collectively and that's probably the reason we're all playing in Blind Channel. We mainly got together because all of us loved Linkin Park and that's the one influence you can still hear in our music. In the beginning we also listened to 30 Seconds to Mars and Enter Shikari. Our first show as a supporting artist was with Enter Shikari - which was awesome. After that, Bring Me the Horizon and Twenty One Pilots became a huge deal for us. We also spend a lot of time listening to pop music, Billie Eilish and Post Malone have been our favourites. You have to know pop music if you wanna make violent pop!
You posted a new track on your social media, a cover of Anastacia's 2004 superhit Left Outside Alone – which sounds amazing! What inspired you to choose this track and has she heard it at all?
During the lockdown, our singer/guitarist Joel and our guitarist Joonas were listening to some nostalgia playlist on spotify and Left Outside Alone started playing. We all remembered that awesome tune from the noughties and decided to do a cover, which right now seems to be going viral in Finland. We're still hoping Anastacia hears it! and maybe invites us for coffee!
The future of live venues and live shows right now is a huge concern, what are your thoughts on the future of live music? have you attended or made any live streams during lockdown?
We want to get back on tour as soon possible. The past few months have been really rough, since playing live is how we deal with our demons and express ourselves unlike anywhere else. We did one livestream in our hometown, it was fun but different. We'll probably do more streaming if this situation continues, but all of us are hoping to get back on the road.
Hopefully we can see blind channel in the UK at some point in the future?
Definitely! we toured UK in 2018 with Sevendust and All That Remains, but it feels like a lifetime ago. We'll come back asap and that's a promise.
Blind Channel's new single, GUN is out now.
Partly true! We're always making new music and coming up with ideas to help our band grow and that is possible via whatsapp or any communication service. But we also spend a lot of time together and some of us are quarantined together, so luckily we we're able to keep grinding as a pack despite the situation with covid 19.
The Finnish scene seems really vibrant, if in future we head to Finland, where should us rockers head for a great night out?
As soon as it's possible, you should come to Helsinki and go to see a rock show at Tavastia or On The Rocks. and if you really want to make the night unforgettable, head to The Riff for the after party - that's where the crazy stuff happens!
Which other Finnish artists to you recommend we listen to?
There are lot of great artists in Finland. Nightwish, Sunrise Avenue and Alma are some you may have already heard of. You should check out Lost Society, Shiraz Lane and Arion. They are amazing rock bands from our generation and they're gonna make it big.
Your third album came out this year, including your recent single, Gun. Can you tell us which songs you are most proud of and why, and describe some of the lyrical and musical themes of the album?
We're proud of all the songs! Gun was a special one - it ended a cycle that started from the first album with a song called Bullet, continued on the second album with a song called Trigger, and ended with Gun. That song proved to us we finally had combination to create perfect violent pop music - the way we like it. We also love Over My Dead Body. It was one of the first songs we wrote for the album, and it's probably our most successful song to date. You should check it out if you haven't already.
Which bands influenced you collectively and individually?
We're influenced very collectively and that's probably the reason we're all playing in Blind Channel. We mainly got together because all of us loved Linkin Park and that's the one influence you can still hear in our music. In the beginning we also listened to 30 Seconds to Mars and Enter Shikari. Our first show as a supporting artist was with Enter Shikari - which was awesome. After that, Bring Me the Horizon and Twenty One Pilots became a huge deal for us. We also spend a lot of time listening to pop music, Billie Eilish and Post Malone have been our favourites. You have to know pop music if you wanna make violent pop!
You posted a new track on your social media, a cover of Anastacia's 2004 superhit Left Outside Alone – which sounds amazing! What inspired you to choose this track and has she heard it at all?
During the lockdown, our singer/guitarist Joel and our guitarist Joonas were listening to some nostalgia playlist on spotify and Left Outside Alone started playing. We all remembered that awesome tune from the noughties and decided to do a cover, which right now seems to be going viral in Finland. We're still hoping Anastacia hears it! and maybe invites us for coffee!
The future of live venues and live shows right now is a huge concern, what are your thoughts on the future of live music? have you attended or made any live streams during lockdown?
We want to get back on tour as soon possible. The past few months have been really rough, since playing live is how we deal with our demons and express ourselves unlike anywhere else. We did one livestream in our hometown, it was fun but different. We'll probably do more streaming if this situation continues, but all of us are hoping to get back on the road.
Hopefully we can see blind channel in the UK at some point in the future?
Definitely! we toured UK in 2018 with Sevendust and All That Remains, but it feels like a lifetime ago. We'll come back asap and that's a promise.
Blind Channel's new single, GUN is out now.
