Finland to issue stamp honoring punk band

Finland will honor its Eurovision song contest entry, the punk band Pertti Kurikan Nimpaivat, on a stamp to be issued May 11.

Advance sales on Finland's Posti online store begins April 28.

In announcing the stamp, Finland's Posti said that Pertti Kurikan Nimpaivat, also known as PKN, "will be challenging discriminatory attitudes towards people with disabilities as they get on stage in the first Eurovision semi-final in Vienna, Austria, to perform their barnstorming hit song Aina mun pitaa.  Many are predicting that the band will sail through into the final."

The band's singer Kari Aalto said of the honor: "Us getting our own stamp definitely feels really excellent, fantastic and cool. The stamp looks great and I think it’s totally punk."

The band was formed in 2009 at a culture workshop arranged by Lyhty, a nonprofit organization that provides housing, education services and workshops for adults with intellectual disabilities.

A quote by bassist Sami Helle on the band's website reads, "The members of our band are four middle-aged, mentally handicapped men. The music is, of course, Finnish punk."

In addition to Aalto and Helle, the band includes guitarist and frontman Pertti Kurikka and drummer Toni Valitalo.

The Eurovision Song Contest is celebrating its 60th anniversary this year. Vienna, Austria, will host the semifinals May 19-21 and the grand final on May 23.