A row has erupted in Finland after a magazine printed a picture of Eurovision winners Lordi's lead singer's face without a mask.
The rockers, who triumphed at the ceremony in Athens last month with their song ‘Hard Rock Hallelujah’, never appear in public without their extravagant outfits.
Now the magazine Seiska’s decision to unmask ‘Mr Lordi’ - real name Tomi Putaansuu – has led to outrage in the band’s native country. Such has been the storm that the publication was forced to apologise for the decision.
The BBC reports that a host of readers have cancelled their subscriptions, and at least two companies cancelled their advertising campaigns.
The Finnish public also expressed their anger via the internet, with one website collecting more than 200,000 signatures against the magazine’s decision.
Putaansuu himself had appealed for calm.
‘Hard Rock Hallelujah’ is released as a single in the UK next week (June 5).
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