Finland’s Eurovision act leaned into danger, spectacle and precision on Tuesday night in Vienna. Pete Parkkonen and Linda Lampenius performed as Liekinheitin with the song “Liekinheitin” in the first semifinal of the 70th Eurovision Song Contest, bringing jets of flame, a valuable 18th-century violin and a team of “ninjas” meant to avert disaster.
The performance put Finland firmly in the conversation as one of the favorites at this year’s contest, where the difference between a memorable act and a meltdown can be a matter of timing. Lampenius and Parkkonen said they had discussed getting special permission to play live violin for the number, which is staged around fire effects and built around the instrument they carried into the spotlight.
That detail mattered because the violin is not just part of the show. It is an 18th-century instrument, and the act’s choreography is designed around protecting it while the flames go off around the pair. The result is a performance that asks the audience to watch for both the music and the mechanics, with the “ninjas” working in the background to keep the whole thing from going wrong.
Parkkonen and Lampenius were interviewed by The in Vienna on Thursday, two days after the semifinal, and later sat in a Finnish sauna after the conversation ended. The image fit the story as neatly as the stage act itself: a high-risk Eurovision entry followed by a quiet reset, away from the pyrotechnics and the pressure of the competition.
The unusual combination of live violin, fire effects and onstage protection efforts is what has made Finland’s entry stand out in Vienna. Special permission for the live violin was part of the challenge, and the act’s success now rests on whether that mix of showmanship and control can carry it through the rest of the 70th Eurovision Song Contest.
