Monster metal band Lordi have been hailed as heroes in their home country of Finland after winning the Eurovision Song Contest on Saturday night. The country's president Tarja Halonen sent the band a congratulatory telegram, whilst hundreds of Fins celebrated by taking to the streets of Helskinki to sing, wave flags and honk their horns.
As previously reported, the band had sparked controversy in the run up to Eurovision, with many people in Finland accusing Lordi of being devil worshippers, and fearing that the group would damage the country's reputation in Europe if allowed to appear at Eurovision. It would seem those fears were unfounded, given the ease with which they appear to have captured the imagination of the European voters on Saturday with their rendition of 'Hard Rock Hallelujah'. The band appeared dressed in horror costumes, as is usual, accompanied by a pyrotechnical display.
Finnish newspaper Helsingin Sanomat ran with the headline: "It's official: Hell has frozen over. Finland has won." In the article that followed, the publication wrote: "Years of humiliation, frustration, and 'zero points' were wiped away as the Finnish entry blew everyone off the stage in Athens. When the United Kingdom voters gave Finland 12 points, one knew somehow that nothing would ever be quite the same again."
Prime Minister Matti Vanhanen has said that the government will help finance the production of Eurovision when the country hosts it next year. "There are quite a few of us listeners of heavy and rock music, and for once there was the possibility to vote for a piece that differed from the general Eurovision line," he said.
Elsewhere, UK entrant Daz Sampson only made it to nineteenth place, which is not unexpected, given the UK's recent record at the event. He told the BBC: "There were some very good songs in it this year. I thought mine was one of them - obviously Europe didn't agree."