Lordi – Liseberg: Finland’s monster rock icons mark 20 years of Eurovision glory in Gothenburg

Twenty years after their Eurovision win in full monster make up, Lordi brought their anniversary tour to Sweden for a show on Liseberg's main stage, complete with a full album playthrough of The Arockalypse, a smoke gun, a Swedish flag hat and a crowd of kids who knew at least every other word of their massive hit.

Photos and words by Jonas Gustafsson

An anniversary fit for monsters: Lordi at Liseberg concert review

Fronted by mask maker and songwriter Tomi Putaansuu, better known as “Mr Lordi”, Finnish heavy metal outfit Lordi has spent over two decades turning Kiss and Alice Cooper style shock rock into family friendly monster theatre, with their foam latex costumes and unapologetically catchy hard rock hooks. Formed as a solo project in 1992 and expanded into a full band a few years later, Lordi built a cult following through early records like Get Heavy before breaking into the mainstream with the single “Would You Love a Monsterman?”.

The band’s defining moment came in 2006, when they became the first ever hard rock or heavy metal act to win the Eurovision Song Contest, taking the trophy for Finland with “Hard Rock Hallelujah” and a then record points total. The song, and the album that housed it, The Arockalypse, turned Lordi into an international touring act and cemented their reputation as Finland’s most recognisable rock export. Musically, the band draws heavily on classic influences such as Kiss, Alice Cooper and W.A.S.P., favouring big riffs, sing along choruses and a theatrical stage show over any passing trend.

On 28 June 2026, that legacy came to Gothenburg as Lordi took the main stage at Liseberg for a special anniversary show, marking twenty years since both The Arockalypse and the band’s Eurovision win.

Fittingly, for a band with a song called “Abusement Park” in their back catalogue, the gig happened to take place in an actual amusement park.

Mr Lordi and Kone on guitar live at Liseberg 2026

Mr Lordi alongside guitarist Kone.

Lordi bassist Hiisi live at Liseberg 2026

The lineup also includes bassist Hiisi.

Lordi drummer Mana live at Liseberg 2026

Drummer Mana — arguably the best teeth in the game.

Lordi keyboardist Hella live at Liseberg 2026

Finally, Hella – the band’s only female member – behind the keyboards.

A double anniversary on Liseberg’s main stage

The Liseberg concert was built entirely around that milestone. Lordi played The Arockalypse in full, alongside two cuts from their 2002 debut Get Heavy, “Devil Is a Loser” and “Would You Love a Monsterman?”.

The double anniversary had already been celebrated elsewhere with a pair of striking collaborations: Lordi teaming up with Johnny Logan for a mutual cover swap, with Lordi and former Battle Beast singer Noora Louhimo (known to fans as “Motherbeast”) taking on Logan’s “Hold Me Now”, while Logan returned the favour with his own version of “Hard Rock Hallelujah”. On paper, Noora and Lordi are a natural pairing, both visually and musically, and it would have been a treat to see her join the band on stage. Neither she nor Logan appeared at Liseberg, however.

Lordi front row fans at concert live at Liseberg in 2026

Dedicated fans holding the front row.

Family show in monster make up

Eurovision has, somewhat curiously, landed Lordi in Sweden’s informal “children’s artist” category, alongside rock and metal acts like Scarlet and Smash Into Pieces. That branding was on full display here: the show was marketed under the “Lilla Liseberg” banner and given a family friendly 4pm Sunday afternoon slot. True to form, the crowd was packed with children, an impressive feat considering the band’s biggest hit is now two decades old. Clearly, the music has been passed down through more than one generation of parents.

Just as impressive was the band’s stamina: performing in full monster costume through a warm midsummer afternoon can’t have been comfortable, yet nobody on stage seemed to be wilting.

The show opened theatrically, with a hooded, executioner like figure walking on stage to rouse the monsters to life. From where I was standing, the significance of the moment wasn’t entirely obvious, though, and it took a while to work out what the mysterious hooded man was actually doing there.

Hooded executioner figure opening Lordi concert at Liseberg in 2026

A hooded figure opened the show, bringing the Finnish monsters to life.

Big on theatrics, modest on production

Visually and musically, the Kiss and Alice Cooper influences are unmistakable, with W.A.S.P. also cited as an important reference point. Lordi’s bassist, in particular, bears a striking resemblance to Gene Simmons in his classic Kiss get up. The band’s sound sits firmly within traditional heavy metal, closer in spirit to the 1980s than to any current trend, and it works: theatrical hard rock remains a formula that draws a crowd, as bands like Ghost and Sleep Token have also proven in more recent years.

The stage show featured a flaming skull, as well as a handful of costume changes for Mr Lordi, or perhaps more accurately, accessory swaps: a wolf’s head pelt early on, later a silvery mask worn over his usual mask that gave him the air of a video game final boss, and, inevitably, a Swedish flag hat for the closing stretch.

Production wise, things were fairly modest for a self styled monster rock band. There was no pyrotechnics, somewhat surprisingly, with the closest equivalent being a smoke gun that Mr Lordi pulled out during “Who’s Your Daddy?” to blast smoke out over the crowd.

Smoke gun at Lordi concert at Liseberg in 2026

No pyro this time – but definitely a smoke gun.

Lordi in mask at concert at Liseberg in 2026

Plus a few props, like this flaming skull.

Mr Lordi also wore this additional mask briefly.

Not to mention a wolf’s‑head pelt – as if it wasn’t already hot enough.

Humour, banter and a Pantamera punchline

What Lordi lacks in pyrotechnics, it makes up for in charm. Mr Lordi peppered his between song banter with a mix of Swedish and English, delivered with an easy self deprecating humour, at one point simply rattling off a string of random Swedish words he knew, which, with no context whatsoever, was funny in itself.

A recurring theme was the band’s recent appearances in Sweden’s “Pantamera” recycling adverts, with Mr Lordi joking that he hadn’t quite grasped just how often the commercial had aired until spending time in the country. When someone in the crowd shouted a request for “Pantamera”, the answer came first in English, then repeated in Finland Swedish just to make sure it landed: “Pantamera, my ass!”, followed by “Pantamera, min rumpa!”, a line that of course sent the many children in the audience into fits of laughter.

Lordi drummer Mana carrying drum sticks in his nose live at Liseberg 2026

Drummer Mana has his own way of carrying drumsticks – patent pending.

A lineup that’s changed, except for the voice

Lordi began life as Mr Lordi’s solo project in 1992 before becoming a full band in 1996, and the lineup has shifted considerably over the years. The line up that most casual fans associate with the Eurovision win has since been completely replaced, bar the singer himself.

For anyone who hasn’t followed the band closely, it’s genuinely difficult to know who’s behind each mask, or how old they are. The guitarist stood out in particular, alternating between flashy squeals and dive bombs on the guitar and near splits and two footed jumps around the stage, athleticism that suggests he’s likely one of the younger members of the group.

The current line up beyond Mr Lordi consists of:

Mana – drums
Hella – keyboards
Hiisi – bass
Kone – guitar

Lordi guitarist Kone in near split live at Liseberg 2026

Lordi guitarist Kone jumping live at Liseberg 2026

Guitarist Kone showing off both flexibility and stamina on stage.

A crowd-pleasing finale

Despite releasing a steady stream of albums over the years, none has quite matched the popularity of the band’s Eurovision winning single, with “Would You Love a Monsterman?” coming closest. That song had the crowd fully warmed up ahead of the inevitable finale.

As expected, “Hard Rock Hallelujah” closed the set, with a little Swedish flag hat sitting neatly on Mr Lordi’s head, and the audience, children very much included, belted out the chorus at full volume. Most only knew the opening line, “Rock ‘n’ roll angels, bring thine hard rock hallelujah”, so as the chorus went on, kids around the crowd started peeling off into the song’s harmony line instead, an “aaaaaaah” that follows the melody, howled with more enthusiasm than pitch. It’s a genuinely impressive thing to witness a crowd of kids who know a twenty year old song well enough to fumble their way into the harmonies, a fair indication of just how deep an impression it has left.

The band left the stage at 17:05 to the strains of “Pantamera”, with no encore. Iron Maiden played over the PA afterwards, a fitting choice for a band so clearly rooted in classic heavy metal.

Lordi in Swedish flag hat live at Liseberg 2026

Mr Lordi closing the set with “Hard Rock Hallelujah” in style.

A delighted crowd raising their horns for Lordi.

An unusually open band

One more thing worth mentioning: Lordi let photographers shoot freely from both the photo pit and the crowd, a notably generous policy. Instinctively, I left the pit after the first three songs to join the audience anyway, but it’s still a marked contrast to several of the international stars who have played Liseberg recently and imposed strict no photography rules on press and media. It made for a refreshing change: a band that, despite the fearsome costumes, doesn’t take itself too seriously and is happy to share the moment.

Ahead of the show, Liseberg had also run a competition offering one winner tickets to the concert plus a backstage meet and greet with the band, later sharing a photo of the delighted winner with the group. It’s a nice reminder of just how friendly a bunch of Finnish ogres can actually be.