Blind Channel

Blind Channel's blend of post-hardcore muscle and alternative-rock melody made the Finnish band a popular draw in its homeland, where the album Lifestyles of the Sick & Dangerous reached Number 1 in 2022. The band formed nearly a decade earlier in Oulu, Finland, where Joel Hokka, Joonas Porko, Olli Matela, and Tommi Lalli held their first band rehearsals in 2013. Their debut single, "Save Me," was released that October, with the full-length debut album Revolutions following in October 2016. The album reached Number 26 in Finland, while its biggest single — a cover of Ed Sheeran's "Don't" — received international attention. Blood Brothers, the band's second album, arrived in 2018 and reached Number 30 on the Finnish charts. A third record, Violent Pop, was released in 2022, but both its promotional cycle and accompanying tour were marred by the COVID-19 pandemic. One year later, Blind Channel topped the Official Finish Charts with "Dark Side," a new single that was chosen to represent Finland in 2021's Eurovision Song Contest. "Dark Side" also reached Number 1 in Belgium and Number 3 on the UK Rock & Metal chart, and its success helped usher in a new era for Blind Channel. "Balboa" and "We Are No Saints," the band's next two singles, both became Top 20 hits, with "Bad Idea" reaching Number 5 in 2022. All four songs appeared on Lifestyles of the Sick & Dangerous, which was released in July 2022 and became the band's first chart-topping album.