Eurovision ventures into the unknown
As the nights draw in, a highlight for many is the annual music extravaganza that is the Eurovision Song Contest.
This year’s event will be held further east than ever before in Baku, the capital of the former Soviet republic of Azerbaijan, on the shores of the Caspian Sea.
Despite initial concerns about human rights and the country’s ability to host Europe’s biggest live TV event, plans are now in place. The 42 delegations from across Europe will start arriving in Baku this month to compete in the newly built Crystal Hall Arena.
Thousands of international fans, including a growing band of Australians, will also be in attendance to cheer on their favourites.
As always, there is a complete mix of styles and entries ranging from Europop to waltz-inspired ballads and from ethnic turbo rock through to songs that can probably only be described as bizarre.
The hot favourite is a modern dance track called Euphoria from Sweden’s Loreen. Close behind her in the betting are Buranovskiye Babushki, or the Russian Grannies, a group of senior Russian ladies with their folk/disco number Party for Everybody. They were surprise winners of the Russian selection, beating a former Eurovision winner in the process, and have already gained global media coverage so could go on to lift the big one.
Their inclusion in the contest must have been a bitter blow to the UK which stole the early headlines by sending 76-year-old Vegas crooner Englebert Humberdinck. Now they cannot even claim to have the oldest singer in the contest!
At the other end of the scale, Belgium and Slovenia have both chosen 16-year-olds to represent them. Familiar names will return for Serbia, Iceland, FYR Macedonia and Ireland with former entrants returning for all four countries — in Ireland’s case, last year’s attention-grabbing twins Jedward.
Other serious contenders are expected to be from Italy, Spain and Denmark while one song that has attracted a lot of recent support is sung mainly in Spanish, features bagpipes and has a video filmed in Dubai — where else but Romania?
Of course often it’s the really different entries that are the ones remembered in years to come. The Russian Grannies aside, there are again plenty of stand-outs.
San Marino, with cheesy pop number The Social Network Song (Oh Oh Uh Oh Oh) controversially had the deadline for submissions extended so they could change the lyrics as the original title, The Facebook Song, contravened the organisers’ advertising rules.
Montenegro returned after two years’ absence with the bizarre Euro-Neuro. Disappointingly, the donkey from the video will not appear on stage.
Austria’s intriguingly named Trackshittaz define their style of song as “tractor gangster party rap”. It’s called Woki mit deim Popo which roughly translates as ‘shake your ass’ and could well stir things up in the voting. Things could have been different though as Trackshittaz only just sneaked through to qualify ahead of a bearded lady named Conchita Wurst.
If you prefer your Eurovision more mainstream, there are strong pop numbers from Cyprus, Malta and Norway, all of whom will be pleasing on the eye, and credible contemporary numbers from Germany, Hungary and Switzerland. Slovakia is going for soft metal and Turkey has gone indie-ethnic.
No matter who wins, there will no doubt be the usual dodgy outfits, desperate dance routines and claims of bloc voting but for most fans it will just be one big party where the spectacle itself is the winner.
The Eurovision Song Contest semi-finals will take place on May 22 and 24 with the final on May 26. SBS will broadcast all three shows on the weekend of May 25 – 27.
By COLIN HYDE
INFO: www.eurovision.tv
