Amy Smithers, a 20-year-old Music Journalism student from Liverpool, UK.

During my time here in Finland I have often noticed (amongst many other things about the Finns of course) that the ‘alternative’ lifestyle really is booming. Wherever you look there are tattoos, piercings, beards, and men with longer hair than the women and I think it’s great! Personally I am quite a fan of people dressing or acting a little different to the mainstream, but here it practically is the mainstream! Even though Finland is already well known for its great love of metal and the gothic movement being pretty big here, I was still taken aback by the extent they go to show it.

The young (and old come to think of it) people here really do pull out all the stops when it comes to their outfits for such occasions as music festivals or a night out in the city. I was amazed at the time, dedication and care that is taken for these people to achieve their desired ‘look.’ The hair, the makeup, everything just makes me smile. However the gas masks that come out for special occasions do scare me a little.

Just walking down the street I have spotted young people dressed in huge platform boots with tight fitting corsets, strange goggles, men in long skirts and kilts, PVC and leather outfits galore! And that’s not even getting started on the hair – never before have I seen more dreadlocks then I have in here Finland, and a lot of people generally just seem to have rainbow colours in their hair.

One couple I spotted walking through Helsinki train station really made my day though, he was wearing a top hat and tails, complete with waistcoat, cane and pocket watch.  Whilst his girlfriend (well I presume it was) wore a long, corseted red dress, fishnet stockings, very high black platform fetish shoes and was wearing a black vale over her head. They looked magnificent in their Victorian inspired attire. Makes me wish I had the guts to go out and wear something as unusual and fascinating as that all the time.

Obviously there are exceptions in other countries, such as the UK for example when you will see people who have gone for the ‘Extreme Goth’ look – but it is very much a rarity (if you aren’t looking in the right places) and it most definitely isn’t as socially acceptable as it is here. Finland is just ‘so’ metal that they take regular things and make them metal! For example: Opera + metal = Nightwish. Love + Metal = HIM. Cellos + Metal = Apocalyptica. Eurovision Song Contest + Metal = Lordi (and not forgetting Finland as a whole winning competition with record votes because of that of course!) All these things probably wouldn’t work as well or at least be as successful I don’t think, if they weren’t all Finnish.

Around this time every year Tampere hosts Lumous Gothic Festival, which just sounds really bizarre, I think I might have to go one year! Just imagine hundreds of Finnish Goths and Metallers having a ‘Gothnic’ picnic (as it is known) in Näsinpuisto Park. I wonder if they cut the sandwiches up into skulls and pentagram shapes? I’d like to think they do.