Eppu Normaali

Eppu Normaali is, without doubt, the most popular band in Finland. The band was formed in 1976 in the small town of Ylöjärvi, near Tampere. The core of the band consisted of brothers Martti Syrjä and Mikko "Pantse"

Eppu Normaali is, without doubt, the most popular band in Finland. The band was formed in 1976 in the small town of Ylöjärvi, near Tampere. The core of the band consisted of brothers Martti Syrjä and Mikko "Pantse" Syrjä, their parents were Kirsi Kunnas and Jaakko Syrjä, both accomplished writers. Pantse's and Martti's cousin Aku Syrjä was also an important member. Juha Torvinen and Mikko Saarela were soon invited to the band. In 1977 the band named themselves Eppu Normaali, and participated a rock music competition. Finnish folk/pop legend Juice Leskinen immediately saw the bands potential and demanded that they must win, but the judges were unimpressed. The band started sending demos to various companies, and soon POKO Rekords signed them. They released various records of Ramones type of punk pop which gained good reviews, but did not break through until 1984, with their more AOR-oriented new style. "Rupisia riimejä karmeita tarinoita" was released in 1984 and it was followed by "Kahdeksas ihme" in 1985 and "Valkoinen kupla" in 1986. The three albums were all hits, and sold very well. The three albums combined to over 300.000 copies sold, a huge amount in a country with just 5 million people. The following albums all sold well, but in 1989 the band decided to take a break after intensive tours around the country. In 1993 they published "Studio Etana", the band almost broke up because of lacking inspiration. In 1996 a collection of their greatest hits was published, it sold over 200,000 copies. After releasing their collection, the band stopped touring or performing live almost completely. Fans thought the band was taking its last breaths, but in 2004 the band announced they would start recording a new album. The new album, "Sadan vuoden päästäkin", was another great triumph.