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The 69 Eyes, The Return of the Lost Boys

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When the sun goes down in Helsinki, a certain kind of darkness rises.

A darkness dressed in black with a sound of a gothic love, commanding bassline. The 69 Eyes have been the greatest ambassadors of "Goth ‘n’ Roll" for over three decades, balancing between the melancholy of ’80s gothic sound and the true energy of glam goth and dark rock.

The Party shoud go on!
The 69 Eyes formed back in the summer of 1989. As said in their documentary, the band wasn’t something they were planning. They were just a group of cool guys, who were spending most of their time into some bar in Helsinki. Jyrki 69 (vocals), Bazie (guitar), Timo-Timo (guitar), Lotto (drums) and Archzie (bass) wanted to find a way to keep the party going and have fun. In 1992, Jussi 69 (drums) joins the gang, replacing Lotto, which was meant to be the only line-up change. And The 69 Eyes have managed to keep this party going until today!

In their early days, they were an “80s band living in the 90s”, as they admin in their interview at Rockpages.gr. While the world and the music was going straight into grunge rock, the quintet kept dressing in black leather and polishing their nails black, influenced by the legendary Hanoi Rocks, the raw romanticism of Lords of the New Church and the drama of The Sisters Of Mercy.

The Gothic romance takes over!
Over the years, the darkness took the place of the glam lights that faded. The shadows of gothic literature and cinema replaced the shining. This change was established with Wasting the Dawn (1999), where Ville Valo (HIM) participated in the video of the same name, marking the explosion of Finnish goth rock.

The album's hit single, the title track "Wasting the Dawn", lyrically paid tribute to The Doors' Jim Morrison and was released as a digipak CD single. Jyrki 69 developed a concept video for this track which featured longtime friend and collaborator Ville Valo posing at a snowy cemetery as the ghost of Jim Morrison. (source: Wikipedia)

Under the guidance of producer Johnny Lee Michaels, who is known as the "6th Vampire", the band created their iconic era, including the Blessed Be released in 2000 with the gothic rock classics "Gothic Girl" and "Brandon Lee". In 2002 they release Paris Kills, perhaps, their masterpiece, and the one that established The 69 Eyes worldwide, followed by Devils (2004) & Angels (2007) wher Hollywood meets The 69 Eyes, with the iconic "Lost Boys" directed by Bam Margera.

Back to Athens
The 69 Eyes live performances are known for their streongth, the emotions and the energy. For the Greek audience, the upcoming live show at Gazarte Ground Stage is a a "renewal of vows, as it marks the return of the Vampires to Athens after 16 years. Their first "bite" happened alongside Korn (Terra Vibe and Theatro Gis) in 2005, while their second coming and first headlining performances were back in 2010, at Gagarin 205 and Block 33, with support from The Illusion Fades.

Thirty Years of Blood and Ink
The 69 Eyes survived all this time, not by drinking blood, but by staying loyal at their attitude, their beliefs and their style. They did not become more commercial, at any point, and they kept their dark core. West End (2019) and Death of Darkness (2023, including the beautiful "This Murder Takes Two" featuring Kat Von D) are their two latest albums, showing The 69 Eyes are have always been the meeting point of dark romance and goth'n'roll. Standing on the line between glam and goth rock, The 69 Eyes have released 13 studio albums, while in June 2026 they are releasing their new EP, "I Survive", including a Thin Lizzy cover on the amazing "Cold Sweat"!