Eurovision 2015

This feels like a week year at the moment, but other years have felt like that at this point and been surprisingly great on the nights so I'm hopeful. Not least because I'm going to all 3 "jury" shows this year unless I can find someone scalping a finals ticket on the streets. Estonia and Georgia are my favourites so far. A bunch of countries passed on better songs - Denmark, Finland and Norway I'm looking at you in particular.

Oh and Ireland. Ireland fucked up big time.

swiss entry isn't bad, in a goth kelly clarkson coaxed out into the world of tedder way

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_n_pXW3p74Q

this song is much better than the entry that won denmark's bid, which is a 'beatlesesque' track by a band called ANTI-SOCIAL MEDIA

anyway i like this track a lot, it's v kylie-in-training
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L92AmzWVinQ

the netherlands are sticking with anouk-penned songs

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eSZwKW3RqT0

georgia's entry is making me long for the return of hi-nrg as epitomized by evelyn thomas

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6jo83OjRw-w

Denmark is always the worst

Julie Bjerre is exactly who I was thinking of when I was saying Denmark passed on a better song. Anti Social Media = "The Way You Do The Things You Do" if it had been written as a collab between one out of McFly, and Mika.

Other than the actual voice, the Dutch entry just sounds like Natalie Imbruglia, but worse. (NB I love Natalie Imbruglia).

My favourites now are Georgia, Iceland, Estonia, Sweden, Spain and (!!!!) Czech Republic. WTF?

Other song I have positive feelings about: Albania, Belarus, Belgium, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Montenegro, Poland, Slovenia.

no love for Israel?

Can Eurovision introduce a music video award so Spain can win it?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9-g92hNNbPQ

he run like he in a atari game

First semis happening, etc.

http://www.eurovision.tv/page/webtv?program=132893

This has yet to take off. Belgium's ok though.

I am all about the Finns.

The part of Stig Rasta appears to be being played by Max Beesley.

I loved how Serbia's tune turned into a house stomper, complete with diva vocals, and the performance was fierce! But Belgium is probably the best objectively the best, sure the guy was channeling Justin Timberlake and MJ, but the tune was such lean and perfectly crafted dancepop number.

<3 Polina

Russia is 8/13 to win this semi final so idk what Scott Mills is going on about dark horses for.

Electro Velvet is such a terrible name

It couldn't be more appropriate.

Serbia has gone from 200/1 to 20/1.

I am all about the Finns

lol

Come on Israel! Come on Latvia!

Israel's basic 2006-era ethnopop is being made to sound great in this company.

I am on board with Latvia though.

Where are all the props this year? People seem to be compensating with shoes.

Most goth Eurovision ever

Cyprus could be a good bet to place in the top 4.

society is in the gutter

Nothing of value was lost.

Fka twigs made it through.

I didn't think Ireland's entry had a hope of winning but I did expect it to get through to the semi finals

I mean final

Okay, Spain, what the hell was that? And Austria, I kind of hated your entry at first... but it grew on me. A little Elton John Lennon thingadoo.

And I love Georgia's entry, but it's not gonna win. The video is fab (if a little cliched). Ditto Romenia.

would have been better if the guys marching out during France had been Michelin men

"But officer, you don't understand! 'As I got outside I smiled to the dog" is the name of my dog!"

http://cdn.newsday.com/polopoly_fs/1.3271542.1319732902!/httpImage/image.JPG_gen/derivatives/feature_416/image.JPG

welcome to tory britain

fuck this is hateful haha

It's like if Heaven was modelled after Butlins.

Fittingly the UK entry included some scat.

whoa @ banjo

I liked the witchcult Armenians. Song nothing special but at least tolerable and they prob sacrifice goats to Satan, so they have my vote.

otm

lithuania kiss trying to hide their 6th rate taytay biting

this rules

Get readyfor the bosh

Would be very happy for this to win.

ok I am just going to vote 20 times for Serbia

serbia always have a good song don't they?

has my multiple votes!

i hate 20s pastiche but i think Electro Velvet's main problem was not so much the song as the fact that they were a bit shit

me and Han were debating whether Ms Electro Swing was wooden and grooveless naturally or whether it was the high tech costume she was wearing but either way tbh

Electro swing not just popular in Europe, festivals in London (Swingfest) and Birmingham (Swingamajig) this year. Maybe the most 'current' a British entry has been in decades.

A guy I used to work with is a near-the-bottom-of-the-bill Electro Swing DJ.

maybe Electro Velvet are just too current for the fuddy-duddies of ilx, will try and console myself with that thought

Read somewhere that every juror who voted for Electro Velvet was over 60.

Electroswing got big at least 5 years ago, it's really not "current", you guys. Also it's only popular amongst reprehensible posh twats.

I'd wager it's more "current" than Eurobosh or power ballads.

Electro Velvet were shit yeah, in an in-your-face kind of way, but the song was also the world's first objectively bad tune.

The UK selectors may exhibit rank cluelessness, but the German ones have got themselves into a row already:

Germany withdraws 'homophobic' Eurovision act

The arguments against Xavier Naidoo paint him as a caricature right-winger, based on a few statements/lyrics from a long career. The truth seems a lot less clearcut. The charges against him are (in German) here. Herbert Grönemeyer defended him, calling Naidoo a "Christian free-spirit", not sure if that's a paradox. The ARD coordinator supported him in an interview. But now they've decided it's better not to bother persisting with it.

Anyway, back to the UK selectors. I'm betting that our 2016 song will contain at least one shout of the word "Selector!".

BUT this dream might be scuppered, if the 'new' selection system can pick something a bit more up-to-date.

There's going to be a public vote at some point, presumably after the experts get rid of anything too interesting. The process isn't well explained, but song entries closed last week.

http://www.radiotimes.com/news/2015-09-30/public-given-back-power-to-choose-uk-eurovision-entry
http://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2015/sep/30/bbc-to-hold-open-talent-search-for-uks-next-eurovision-entry

Eurovision 2016