Welcome to Tampere - Finland and to the 184th edition of the Forum Song Contest (FSC).
Theme: ‘Finland: A History of Rock and Metal’
Winner FSC May 2024
Congratulations! ^^
The Host city for this FSC #184-edition is Tampere - Finland , a city in Finland & the regional capi
tal of Pirkanmaa region. It is located in the Finnish Lakeland. The population of Tampere is appro
ximately 255.000 while the metropolitan area has a population of approximately 417.000. It's the
3rd most populous municipality in Finland & the 2nd most populous urban area after the Helsinki
Tampere is the most important urban , economic, & cultural centre in the whole of inland Finland.
Tampere & its surroundings , are part of the historic province of Satakunta. The area belonged to
the province of Häme, from 1831 to 1997 ; over time , it has often been considered a province of
Tavastia. Around the 1950s , Tampere and region , established itself as a province of Pirkanmaa.
Tampere is wedged between two lakes, Lake Näsijärvi & Lake Pyhäjärvi , with an 18 m difference
in water level , & the rapids that connect them , Tammerkoski , have been an important source of
power throughout history, most recently for generating electricity. Tampere is known as the "Man
chester of the North" ("ref. nickname "Manse") because of its past as a centre of Finnish industry
Tampere has also been officially declared the "Sauna Capital of the World", because it has the mo
st public saunas in the world. It is often rated as the most popular city in Finland. Although the na
me Tampere derives from the Tammerkoski rapids ( both the city & the rapids are called Tammer
fors in Swedish ), the origin of the 'Tammer'- part of the name has been subject of certain debate.
The earliest known permanent settlements around Tammerkoski were established in the 7th cen
tury , when settlers from the west of the region , began to farm land in Takahuhti , an area largely
inhabited by the Tavastian tribes. The population remained small for many centuries. By the 16th
century, the villages of Messukylä and Takahuhti had become the largest settlements in the area.
In 1638 , Governor-General ordered that 2 markets be held in Tammerkoski every year , in August
and February . The first industries in the Pirkanmaa region in the 17th century were mainly water
mills and sawmills , while in the 18th century other industries began to develop, as several small
ironworks , the 'Tammerkoski' distillery , and also the 'Otavala' spinning school were established.
In the 19th century, Tampere grew into an important market town and industrial centre; the indust
rialisation of Tampere was greatly influenced by the Finlayson textile factory , founded in 1820 by
Scottish industrialist James Finlayson . By 1850, the factory employed around 2000 people, while
the city's population had grown to 4000. Tampere's population grew rapidly at 19th century's end.
At the beginning of the 20th century, Tampere was a city of workers & women. At the same time,
the area of the city increased almost sevenfold , & impressive apartment blocks were built in the
centre of Tampere between modest wood houses . The construction of the sewerage and water
supply networks & the introduction of electric lighting were further steps towards modernisation
‘Finland: A History of Rock and Metal’
‘A Timeline of Music’
Rock and Metal music has become part of the Finnish identity, & if one looks back in time Finnish
rock followed the common trends during the 50s and 60s . Usually Finnish rock bands performed
covers or hit songs translated into Finnish. Love Records was one of the first domestic record lab
els dedicated to Finnish rock . At the beginning of the 1970s new artists emerged . Tampere beca
me at the turn of the 1970s and 80s the most vibrant town in rock culture, spawning "Manserock"
as rock music by the town's artists was called. Hurriganes, fronted by Remu Aaltonen was one of
the bestknown groups in Finland. This 1970s group played hard-hitting boogie-based simple rock
The earliest Finnish rock bands to gain any notoriety, were progressive rock bands like Tasavallan
Presidentti and Wigwam. Hanoi Rocks was a popular Finnish glam rock band who gained an inter
national following. Some modern bands who have achieved some mainstream rock success abro
ad include Leningrad Cowboys , known for performing with the Red Army Choir, surf band Laika &
the Cosmonauts & prog-related rock band Von Hertzen Brothers ( formed in 2000 by 3 brothers ).
Like much of Scandinavia , Finland's main contribution to modern popular music , may be Heavy
Metal and related fields. A heavier type of rock music , it has several sub-genres and the Finnish
music scene , has given rise to many famous Metal bands , not the least famed Nightwish , HIM
(more rock-oriented), Apocalyptica, Sonata Arctica, & Beast in Black . There's a huge abundance
of Finnish bands in addition to these. Finland were also winners of the 2006 Eurovision Song Co
ntest , with one of the first heavy metal bands to enter the competition , Lordi ( formed in 1992 ).
Throughout the Finland and Scandinavian countries there has been an uprising of 80s era "Glam
Metal" bands heavily influenced by bands like Mötley Crüe & Guns N' Roses with a modern twist
like Finnish bands Reckless Love, Santa Cruz. Finland, like its Scandinavian neighbours also has
a vibrant Black Metal / Extreme Metal & especially Death Metal scene. Some of the most famed
Finnish bands in these Metal sub-genres are Amorphis, Children of Bodom, Beherit , & Archgoat.
Tampere was the 1st Nordic city to introduce electric lighting for general use in 1882. The railway
connection to Tampere , from the extension of a Helsinki-Hämeenlinna line (now part of the Main
Line) via Toijala was opened to the public on 22nd June 1876 . The world-famous Nokia Corporat
ion , a multi-national telecom-company , also had its beginnings in the Tammerkoski area (1865).
Tampere was the centre of many important political events in early 20th century. After Finland ga
ined its full independence Tampere played an important role in the 1918 Civil War. During the Win
ter War (1939-40), Tampere was bombed several times by the USSR. After the Second World War
Tampere municipality was enlarged by the incorporation of some neighbouring areas , & villages.
At the turn of the 1990s , Tampere's industry underwent a major structural change ( trade having
been based on bilateral agreements with USSR ). But although the change left a huge amount of
vacant industrial space in the city centre, in the early 2000s it was gradually put to other uses , &
Tampere cityscape is mainly characterised by big IT companies , most notably Nokia's Tampere.
Tampere has buildings from several architectural periods. The Old Stone Church of Messukylä is
the only example of medieval architecture . Neoclassicism from the early 19th century is represe
nted by the Old Church of Tampere , & its bell tower . The Renaissance Revival buildings are Hata
npää Manor , Tampere City Hall, Ruuskanen House and Näsilinna (a stylish neo-baroque palace).
Tampere is known for its active cultural life. It is a strong media city . The Tampere Film Festival,
an annual international short film event, is held every March . Tampere is also home to the Tamp
ere Philharmonic Orchestra (Tampere Filharmonia). There's also Manserock, rock music from Ta
mpere, with Finnish lyrics. Tammerfest, Tampere's popular urban rock festival, is held every July.
Tampere has a lengthy tradition of theater . The city too has the Tampere Opera founded in 1946
It also has many churches of different dominion (state religion is Lutheran). There are museums
incl. the Vapriikki Museum Centre , Hatanpää Manor , Tampere Art Museum , and Tampere Lenin
Museum . Ratina Stadium , is a multi-purpose stadium in Tampere used for sports and concerts.
City sights: Särkänniemi amusement park, Tampere Cathedral, Tampere City Hall, Tampere Centr
al Library , Kaleva Church, Tampere Hall, Tampere Market Hall, Pyynikki observation tower. Ice ho
ckey is the city’s prime sport. Tampere also has modern amenities ref hotels, restaurants (a local
food speciality is 'mustamakkara' by the way), shopping centres , and a public transport network.
The Host venue for FSC #184 June 2024 is : the Nokia Arena in Tampere , Finland . Nokia Arena,
also known by its non-sponsored name, Tampere Deck Arena , is an indoor , multi-purpose arena
which hosts ice hockey games and large cultural events . It is the home arena of Ilves and Tappa
ra of the SM-liiga . Construction was approved by the City Council of Tampere on 19th May 2010
and it was officially opened on 3rd December 2021. The capacity is around 13.500 for ice hockey
games and 15.000 for concerts. They have arranged many music concerts by artists such as Nig
htwish , Eric Clapton , Evanescence , Queen, Iron Maiden, Robbie Williams, and Andrea Bocelli. On
10th February 2024 this Tampere venue hosted Uuden Musiikin Kilpailu (UMK) the Finnish selecti
on for the Eurovision Song Contest 2024. They are proud to host this evening’s edition of the FSC
Our wonderful Hosts this evening are:
Ilkka Uusivuori and Marja Hintikka
Ilkka Uusivuori is a Finnish tv presenter . He is the host of the Masked Singer Suomi program and
has also previously worked as a radio host on the YleX Aamu and YleX Iltapäivä programs . Toget
her with Anne Lainno he hosted Finland's Eurovision qualifiers in 2013 & 2014. He was host of Yle
2016 OG Rio studio. He's married to Marja Hintikka. He is proud to co-host this edition of the FSC
Marja Hintikka is a Finnish radio, and TV presenter . She has co-hosted the KromosomiX program
on YleX and the YleX Today program . She has also been a presenter on Yle TV2's Musiikki-tv. She
participated in the Dance with the Stars show in the fall of 2018. In the years 2019–2021 she host
ed more tv shows. She's married to Ilkka Uusivuori. She is proud to co-host this edition of the FSC
And we are now pleased to announce
The Opening Acts
Exclusive International Guest Appearances
Silia Kapsis (ESC 2024 Cyprus )
Eden Golan (ESC 2024 Israel)
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’Liar’
’Hurricane’
sent 
