It's that time of year again! The time when Europe puts forward their biggest, best and frankly weirdest musical acts to represent them in a competition that's over 60 years old and watched by an average of 250 million people each year! We may have a Eurovision super fan here in the ROR office *cough me cough* - so what better way to cheer up your Thursday than to read our guide to Eurovision 2017!
So, the bad news is, you've already missed the first semi final which was held in Kiev (last year's winning country) on Tuesday night. Luckily for you I'm here to guide you through what you missed (there were some good ones!) and to let you know who to look out for in the grand final on Saturday! Eurovision is well known for some weird and wondeful acts. Although noteably less "out there" than previous semi-finals, there were still a few corkers that stood out. Montenegro was not only the bookies favourite, but ours too! Slavko represented his country by swinging around his metre long braid, sporting sequined jeans and a see-through mesh top; Eurovision heaven! The crowd loved him and everyone thought he would be through to Saturday...unfortunately, they didn't make it through to the final, so we definitely recommend checking it out on youtube!
One country that did make it through was Azerbaijan, who's act involved old school, low tech chalk boards and a guy stood at the top of a ladder wearing a horse head. Yep, we're not joking. Although quite creepy, the song was actually quite good, although not a winner, it definitley adds so gothic atmoshpere to the final!
Another strange one to keep an eye out for on Saturday, is Portugal's entry. A jazz inspired tune, which on it's own would have been quite standard. Add in Salvador, who people decribed as "a member of the Adams family" and it instantly becomes one of the most talked about entries! With his strange hand movements and creepy looks to the camera, this one is definitley one to stay tuned for!
A personal fave has to be Moldova's entry. With the return of 'epic sax guy' and an easy (and addictive) dance routine, we really hope they get more than nil points on Saturday! One for the mums now; Sweden! Sweden have a pretty good history with Eurovision, and have been in every final for the past 10 years (not to mention Abba and pop hit Eurpohira!). Robin and his equally handsome backing dancers, dance to their catchy tune, whilst walking on running machines...which makes for an exciting/nervewracking watch, trying to see if one of them falls off...
Australia have been allowed to enter out little contest since 2015. Controversial, yet enthusiastic, who can blame them for campaigning tirelessly for the past 10 years for the right to enter. Eurovision is huge in Oz, and in a world where we should just want to get a long, I personally think that they are a great addition! This year, Isaiah represents Australia with a power ballad. Not that entertaining, but with a great voice and yet another running machine involved, we hope he does well (although it should be noted, if the won, it would still be held in Europe!).
On to the girls! And firstly on to our entry, performed by Lucie Jones (who some of you may recognise from The X Factor). Never Give Up On You, is a classic euro-ballad. Simple, and with no gimmicks, it's actually selling very well in Europe right now, so you never know! We don't have great history with points, with most people saying that it is very poilitcal voting, but we stand a good chance at being taking seriously with this powerful song!
Another bookies fave is Beligum. Admittedly, not a fave (a tad boring) we can definitley see the appeal. Blanch creates an eerie atmosphere, with her deep, yet soft voice and simple staging. Some people have compared her to Adele; we wouldn't go that far, but she does have a good voice!
And finally, another one to watch on Saturday is Greece! With a catchy upbeat tune, and easy to follow lyrics, you can't beat a good sing-a-long during Eurovision! Also, we can't complain with the topless male dancers, writihing around in water behing her. I mean, there's something for everyone!
You can catch the 2nd semi-final tonight at 8pm on BBC4 and the grand final on Saturday at 8pm on BBC1!
