Lost Society x Hokka downstairs

Finnish metal forces LOST SOCIETY and HOKKA unite in London for MISERIA IS A STATE OF MIND 2027.

Tickets
£20 adv. // 7:00pm

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LOST SOCIETY

LOST SOCIETY are a Finnish Metal band from Jyvaskyla, formed in 2010. The lineup consists of guitarist/vocalist Samy Elbanna, guitarist Arttu Lesonen, bassist Mirko Lehtinen, and drummer Taz Fagerstrom.

On their first two albums, Fast Loud Death (2013) and Terror Hungry (2014), they delivered fast and raw Thrash Metal with aggressive and party-themed lyrics often revolving around alcohol consumption. Their style started to change in their third album, Braindead (2016). While Braindead is still considered a Thrash Metal album, the band started incorporating elements of Groove Metal and Metalcore in their music and most of the lyrics started to shift to other topics rather than partying and binge drinking. This trend became more evident on their fourth album, No Absolution (2020), in which the band completely moved away from Thrash Metal. No Absolution can be classified as a blend of Metalcore, Death Metal, Groove Metal and Nu Metal. The lyrics on No Absolution focus on religion and its negative influence on people and society. Their fifth album If The Sky Came Down (2022) has shown the fans a more modern musical style. If the Sky Came Down is, similarly to No Absolution, a Metalcore album mixed with Nu Metal and Groove Metal. The lyrics on their fifth album have angsty and existential dread themes. This stylistic direction would continue further on their next album Hell Is a State of Mind (2026), which also saw the band incorporate symphonic elements.

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HOKKA

The warrior and the sensei: Joel Hokka and Pauli Rantasalmi form a new band

An orphan arrives at the house of the sensei, worn down by the pain of past struggles, carrying a scar on his face. Under the sensei’s guidance he regains his strength and becomes a warrior - ready to face the world once more.

The warrior is Joel Hokka, former frontman of the nu metal phenomenon Blind Channel. The sensei is Pauli Rantasalmi, longtime guitarist of the beloved The Rasmus, a group he was part of for almost three decades. Pauli is also known for his songwriting and production work - not only for The Rasmus’s biggest hits like In the Shadows but also for artists like Tarja Turunen and many more.

Together with wonderkid drummer Jimi Aslak the two have now created a new band: HOKKA.

None of this was planned. Initially, they met simply to share stories - reflections on losing their respective bands of brothers. But neither the warrior nor the sensei has ever been short on ideas. One chord led to another, and the songs came.

The upcoming HOKKA debut album is a journey into the darkest corners of the heart, where vengeance entwines with the fragile thread of love and the path of suffering leads to unexpected beauty. Each song is like a bloody rose blooming amidst pain - its petals filled with longing, but its thorns remind us of the cost of loss.

The line ’I found a beauty in the pain’ is the heart of the album, a soul’s mass for the broken spirit that finds light in the darkest night. Vengeance is not only hate; it is a path that reveals the truth hidden in the shadows of love. The album is dedicated to those who dare to look in the mirror and see the beauty in their own vulnerability.

The first single In the Darkness offers a glimpse into what’s to come from HOKKA’s debut album. Musically it draws a clear line to the heritage of the global explosion of early 2000’s Finnish rock.

”The early 2000’s was my childhood and The Rasmus of that era was one of my favourite bands. When I saw the gold record of Dead Letters on Pauli’s wall it felt like something had come full circle”, Joel says.

The seeds for the collaboration of the warrior and the sensei were planted long ago. Now’s the time to reap the harvest.

Category: Live Music

Price:
General Admission: GBP 20.00

Artists: Lost Society, Hokka

Last Entry Time: 11:00 pm