Helsinki: Freddy Lim, Taiwan’s representative to Finland, has successfully built connections with local politicians through a joint heavy metal concert with Finnish bands in Helsinki on Thursday.

According to Focus Taiwan, the event, named “F:F:F-Formosa:Finland:Fest,” took place at Tiivist¤m¶ and featured Lim and his band Chthonic, along with Taiwanese bands Crescent Lament and Flesh Juicer. They were joined by three Finnish heavy metal or folk-metal bands. The concert event has drawn significant attention online, with a Reddit post of Lim’s performance amassing 52,000 likes and over 800 comments within 16 hours.

Lim expressed surprise at the strong participation from Finnish politicians, many of whom had previously shown little interest in Taiwan-related activities. He noted that past attempts to engage these politicians often resulted in declined invitations or no responses. However, the concert saw many previously disinterested politicians attending, and some even inquired about bringing additional guests.

Taiwan’s General Association of Chinese Culture organized the event, with support from the foreign and culture ministries. Lim, who co-founded the New Power Party and later joined the Democratic Progressive Party in November 2023, has been using innovative strategies to broaden diplomatic outreach. The representative office conducted detailed research on guests’ interests to tailor invitations, aiming to appeal to a wider audience beyond traditional diplomatic circles.

Despite initial concerns about his lack of diplomatic experience, Lim has adapted to his role since assuming the post in late July, finding common ground with local politicians through shared musical interests. His strategy of leveraging heavy metal music as a tool for diplomacy has proven effective in what he describes as the “heavy metal capital of the world.”

Samy Elbanna of Lost Society, one of the Finnish bands at the event, remarked on the unique blend of heavy metal and diplomacy, noting that Finland might be the only place where such an approach could be successful.