Mad bad and irresistible
EUROVISION: HIGHLIGHTS PAST AND PRESENT
Nothing but your will sets you on fire and fire lasts for ever MELOVIN OF UKRAINE ON THE INSPIRATION FOR HIS ON STAGE PYROTECHNICS
LOVE it or love to hate it, this year is the 63rd Eurovision and it promises to be magical, mad and bad in equal measures.
The UK joined for the event’s second year in 1957 and has missed just one since.
Up to and including 1998, we only twice finished outside the top 10. But it is a very different picture 20 years on.
Our entry SuRie, singing Storm, hopes for a respectable finish but is 100-1 to take home the glass microphone trophy.
British viewers are more likely to recognise Finland’s Saara Aalto, singing Monsters, as she was the runner-up on the X Factor in 2016. Saara said: “I have lots of fans in the UK so I really hope they will vote for me.”
This year’s contest is being held in the Portuguese capital Lisbon after Salvador Sobral won last year’s contest with his song Amar Pelos Dois – remember it? No? Me neither.
As usual, Eurovision 2018 features a repertoire of weird and wonderful acts. Among the favourites is Israel’s Netta Barzilai, who has already been compared to Bjork. Her song, Toy, features clucking chicken noises.
Hungary has sent metal band AWS, who will grunt their way through a number called Viszlat Nyar. It is one for the moshers. Singer Ors Siklosi says: “Grunting has been kind of natural for me. This is just the way my voice is.”
Then there is Ukraine’s entry, Melovin’s Under The Ladder. It features a staircase catching fire on stage as well as a piano.
It looks utterly bonkers but you will not forget the tune. He said: “The inspiration behind the staging is actually in the lyrics of my song, ‘Nothing but your will sets you on fire and fire lasts for ever.’” Hmm...
Cyprus have gone all out for the win by getting Eleni Foureira, a superstar in Greece, to represent them.
The routine features a high intensity sexy dance, blasts of flames and more hair flicking than singing. It will do well. ●Eurovision is on BBC1 and Radio 2 tonight at 8pm.