On April 08, Blind Channel gave a concert at the Machine du Moulin Rouge in Paris as part of their 'Exit Emotions Tour'.
Blind Channel, a rising star
For some years now, the Finnish band has been climbing the ladder of fame. First with their debut albums, but their breakthrough came when they took part in the Eurovision Song Contest to represent their native country.
On this occasion, the Finns faced bands likee Maneskin and The Black Mamba, with a fiery rendition of their song 'Dark Side', later featured on the album 'Lifestyles of the Sick & Dangerous'.
On March 1, 2024, the sextet released the album 'Exit Emotions', which was eagerly awaited and well received by fans. Some songs even made the rounds on the networks, notably 'Phobia', which made the rounds on the TikTok platform.
Blind Channel in Paris
In honor of this new album, the band embarked on a European tour the month of its release, starting in Oberhausen, Germany, on March 21. A few days later, on April 08, they're back in sweet, sweet France, bringing a little melodic chaos with them.
Fans had been waiting outside the venue since late morning, and the line only grew longer throughout the day, in front of this mythical venue in Paris's Place Blanche. At 2pm, we met up with Joel and Alex for a short interview, which you can find here :
But the real magic happens around 7pm, when the doors open. The crowd enters and the venue is already almost completely filled before the arrival of the opening act, Rock Band From Hell, another Finnish band. With a debut album entitled 'Music For Late Night Activities' released on September 1, 2023, the under pop-punk trio arrived with energetic tunes to get the crowd jumping and succeed in their mission to open the ball and warm up the room.
The setlist includes 'Fed Up' and 'Cloud9'. A setlist during which singer Jani Tillman interacted with the audience, while Jere Siivikko delivered some killer solos and riffs, accompanied by poses that photographers loved. But they didn't steal the spotlight from Mikko Nykänen, the band's drummer, who displayed indomitable energy.
They left the stage, thanking France, to make way for the second act, Ghostkid. Highly anticipated by most of the audience, the band arrive on stage with make-up and extravagant outfits, bringing a heavy atmosphere but strong character.
This band with a strong personality, formed in 2020 by Sebastion 'Sushi' Biesler, former lead singer of Electric Callboy after his departure, set the room alight and got the crowd screaming. Right from the second song, the guitarists descended into the middle of the pit to strum their strings until their fingers bled, while the crowd ran in circle pits around them.
The set design was simple but effective, the music loud and heart-pounding, but the lights were sometimes too low, although this was made up for by a band who were happy to be playing on the French stage, and who didn't fail to interact with their fans.
After nearly an hour on the Machine stage, the band greeted the crowd, thanked them and left the stage. The lights come back on, and the audience sings along to every song on the venue's playlist, which mainly consists of Metallica and Linkin Park.
The lights go down again, and the crowd starts screaming even before 'DEADZONE' begins.
The band unleash a superb performance, complete with dance steps (especially on 'FLATLINE'), audience interaction and a few surprises.
The crowd gets into the act from the very first notes, and starts a huge moshpit after just a few minutes. Crowdsurfing is also on the agenda, much to the amusement of Joel Hokka, who even goes so far as to shake hands with fans arriving on stage, carried by their fellow fans, while Niko encourages the rest of the crowd to do the same. Some of the fans put their feet up on the stage for a few seconds before jumping back onto the cheering crowd.
Blind Channel is already a perfect mix of boyband music and metal, but it's a mix we also find live. Fans jump up and down, sing along, bring out the flashbulbs and enjoy the moment, throwing themselves on top of each other in a super wall of death that amused the band to no end.
For this Exit Emotions Tour concert, we find almost the entire Exit Emotions album, but also some older ones, and even one out of the ordinary when the band leaves the stage to let Niko start the next song alone on stage with his microphone and his rhymes coming out in an impressive fast rap.
The band made a point of thanking and waving to the audience before exiting the stage after a set lasting almost two hours.
It was a concert not to be missed, and ended with smiles on all faces, fans and musicians alike. We could find some of them at the merchandising stand, cheerful and happy to be there, taking photos together and exchanging a few phrases that fans won't forget, just as they won't forget this evening.