The next Eurovision entry our team will review is the song ‘Dark Side’. ‘Dark Side’ will be sung by the band Blind Channel, they will be representing Finland at this years Eurovision Song Contest. To hear what our team has to sad about ‘Dark Side’ please watch our video below:
A look into Blind Channel’s career
Blind Channel formed in 2013 describe their sound as ‘violent pop’. The band released their debut single ‘Calling Out’ in 2014 followed their debut album ‘Revolutions’ in 2016. In 2021 they won the Finnish national selection UMK by a landslide therefore winning the prestigious right to represent their country on the Eurovision stage.
Our opinions on ‘Dark Side’
Jazzi
Opinion: This song is right up my street, its fun to listen to, it’s loud and I like that. I do think the general public will enjoy this song especially due to where it is in the running order, as prior to this song the second half is a bit slower. This will certainly wake Eurovision fans up when it comes on. I do however have my concerns over how well jurors will respond to this, some may see it as shouty or messy. I think the televote will be enough to see it into the final but after that I am unsure at how far this song could go and whether its accessible enough to the masses to do well.
Overall Ranking: 2nd
Prediction: 8th-11th in the semi final, 18th-23rd in the final.
Rory
Opinion: UMK this year was incredibly strong and with such a wide range of genres available, it was anybody’s game how the final results would turn out. We know Finland loves a rock/metal entry, so I wasn’t entirely surprised to see this storm the public vote. However, I am just not into this style of music at all. As a rock song, it ticks all the boxes – and it shows off how well-versed Blind Channel are as a band. But the heaviness of the instruments and the violent energy it gives does put me off the song. The “27 club” line is also a little unnerving, but if you don’t know the context of the term, I guess it will just fly over your head. If they put a good stage show together, I can easily see this qualifying. In the final however…..I’m not sure.
Overall Ranking: 33rd
Prediction: 7th-12th in the semi-final. 16th-19th in the final, if it qualifies.
Rosie
Opinion: I never quite know how to take this song, and while I enjoy it, there are definitely interpretations of it that I enjoy more than others. As a straight rock violent pop song, it’s a fun song which makes use of typical genre conventions that we have come to know and love from Finland. As a more wry, knowing commentary on the tropes of the genre, I find it much more interesting and enjoyable (and gives a little more context to the “27 club” line which has been the source of so much discourse recently). I’m almost certain this will qualify (unless something goes very wrong), but like many rock songs in recent years, worry it might not reach the heights of the scoreboard in the final. It’s still a very solid entry from a very strong national final.
Overall Ranking: 29th
Prediction: 5th-11th in the semi-final, and middle of the right-hand side in the final.
Let us know your thoughts
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Photo Credit: YLE/ Mona Salminen
