Eurovision 2018

yerwanthere123

Greece

Not too bad actually?

Belarus

Sh*te, as it usually is.

yerwanthere123

Dan man wrote: »

Hopefully we will have a decent song this year, it is high time we shook off the loser tag that is very much plastered on our foreheads after years of poor entries. So good luck to Ryan


I listen to so much Irish music these days, there is so much talent out there that there is no excuse why we are enduring year after year of mediocrity.

A sample of Irish music from the last year and the type of fresh, modern music I would love to see us sending......

We've got lots of great people we could send, but Eurovision here suffers from the same problem it does in Britain; nobody 'credible' would go near it. It's such a shame, and a contrast to Eastern Europe who send their biggest stars.

Any word on when Ryan's song is being revealed? It's almost always in February, so I'm assuming it'll be on the Late Late next week?

Dan man

yerwanthere123 wrote: »

We've got lots of great people we could send, but Eurovision here suffers from the same problem it does in Britain; nobody 'credible' would go near it. It's such a shame, and a contrast to Eastern Europe who send their biggest stars.

Any word on when Ryan's song is being revealed? It's almost always in February, so I'm assuming it'll be on the Late Late next week?

Yes, there is little chance Kodaline or the likes would ever opt for Eurovision. But the songs I posted is the type of modern sound we should be sending for a change. It doesn't matter if the artist is well known as long as they are accomplished singers/performers which we shouldn't have a problem in finding.

I'm interested to see Ryan's song, I have a feeling this year we might get something decent.

Amik

yerwanthere123 wrote: »

Saara Aalto has released the first of her three songs that'll contend for Finland's place in the contest. I think it's quite a good song, but I'm not sure it'd work on stage at Eurovision?

Here's Saara's 2nd offering: Domino.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z1csIpENg1Y

So glad this lovely lady is entering as only a handful of songs so far have caught my ear. Lyrics aren't that good just like Monster but I prefer this one (why mention a wrecking ball? That's taken already :P). Let's hope she's saving best for last!

yerwanthere123

Montenegro

Dated balkan ballad, he's a poor mans Željko Joksimović imo.


Amik as you say, I hope Saara's saved the best for last too. Domino isn't great imo.

Amik

yerwanthere123 wrote: »

Amik as you say, I hope Saara's saved the best for last too. Domino isn't great imo.

I read that her team thinks Domino is the weakest song and she is saving best for last. May be time to start looking for hotels in Helsinki for May 2019.

Amik

This lady must win:

https://www.facebook.com/saaraaaltoofficial/videos/vb.166918106070/10155897458681071/?type=3&theater



She's already 9/1 at the bookies. May be worth a punt.

yerwanthere123

Serbia

Utterly unremarkable imo, I think its qualification chances depend heavily on assistance from Balkan neighbours.


Still less than a third of the songs have been revealed. We'll have eight more by the time the week's over, Germany to come on Thursday night, followed on Saturday by Slovenia, Hungary, Moldova, Latvia and Ukraine. Romania and Armenia will follow on Sunday. Still waiting on one huge frontrunner to emerge, the first will probably be La Forza, which is basically just awaiting its coronation on March 3rd. Bulgaria to me still feels like the one to watch out for, they really want the win.

Any word yet on when Ryan's song is being made public? Surely this Friday on the Late Late?

Amik

yerwanthere123 wrote: »

Utterly unremarkable imo, I think its qualification chances depend heavily on assistance from Balkan neighbours.

Even the Only Teardrops flutist rip-off is poorly done...



I'm starting to get depressed. I hope you're right and the weekend will bring some more interesting acts.

It looks like Bulgaria will announce their internal selection on March 12th *marks calendar*

Amik

Saara's Monsters is in the Top 20 on the Finnish music charts:

http://wiwibloggs.com/2018/02/21/saara-aalto-monsters-top-20-finland-official-charts/218236/

Strazdas

yerwanthere123 wrote: »

Serbia

Utterly unremarkable imo, I think its qualification chances depend heavily on assistance from Balkan neighbours.


Still less than a third of the songs have been revealed. We'll have eight more by the time the week's over, Germany to come on Thursday night, followed on Saturday by Slovenia, Hungary, Moldova, Latvia and Ukraine. Romania and Armenia will follow on Sunday. Still waiting on one huge frontrunner to emerge, the first will probably be La Forza, which is basically just awaiting its coronation on March 3rd. Bulgaria to me still feels like the one to watch out for, they really want the win.

Any word yet on when Ryan's song is being made public? Surely this Friday on the Late Late?

The Irish song doesn't seem to be ready yet and besides Ryan is still in the US on tour.

I think the first airing of it might simply be on radio or uploading a music video.

Amik

Saara's 3rd song "Queens" is available on The Sun's website (need to scroll down a bit to find it):

https://www.thesun.co.uk/tvandshowbiz/5637293/bbc-axes-porridge-poor-ratings-kevin-bishop/

This is the best choice according to my ears. Best lyrics of the three and can imagine it being a radio hit.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xKLadiN4yrc

gmisk

Amik wrote: »

Saara's 3rd song "Queens" is available on The Sun's website (need to scroll down a bit to find it):

https://www.thesun.co.uk/tvandshowbiz/5637293/bbc-axes-porridge-poor-ratings-kevin-bishop/

This is the best choice according to my ears. Best lyrics of the three and can imagine it being a radio hit.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xKLadiN4yrc

Definitely the best lyrics of the three for me too....but there is something about Monsters....I would go for it

yerwanthere123

Hmm, I think Queens is by far the worst actually. Having head all three I think I'd go for Monsters. It's not a winner, but I think it could get Finland back to the top ten for the first time since Lordi, ironically.

An tUasal C

Personally I’d do monsters before this, and then domino. I feel this and monsters has the potential to finish left hand side in the final, top 10 even.

Deutschland:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GxP3WlahA_g

It's......grand, I guess. Bit plodding and overly-sentimental for my taste but it's decent enough to (probably) avoid finising in the bottom two, which is all that's required to count as an improvement for Germany!

So far none of the selected songs have blown me away but there's nothing that's irredeemably, unspeakably awful chosen either. I'd probably rank Greece, France and Italy as my top 3 so far. (Though Belarus is something of an earworm/guilty pleasure!)

yerwanthere123

That German song is terribly bland. It's really weird, after the 2010-2012 period it seemed that Germany had really turned a corner and they were becoming a country we could expect a great song from. Methinks it'll be another year of misery for them.

Anyway, still no frontrunner yet. Looking forward to what Belgium, The Netherlands and of course Bulgaria will have to offer.

Amik

gmisk wrote: »

Definitely the best lyrics of the three for me too....but there is something about Monsters....I would go for it

Saara's Queens up on YouTube now...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3HmPFIfLTFA

With the right staging and live vocals this could do very well. I must admit I do have Monsters stuck in my head though.

Good for her for doing this 3 song approach, I've really enjoyed it. Looking forward to Waylon from The Netherlands' 5 days of songs soon.

UPDATE:

Waylon's playing his first song tonight!

http://esctoday.com/159832/netherlands-waylons-song-reveal-week/

Amik

yerwanthere123 wrote: »

It's really weird, after the 2010-2012 period it seemed that Germany had really turned a corner and they were becoming a country we could expect a great song from. Methinks it'll be another year of misery for them.

I'm puzzled too as the Germans take Eurovision very seriously, just look at the complexity and efficiency of their national selection voting process. This isn't a bad song but not a winner like Satellites.

Slovenia:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6oc5mlkyeHk

Best part of this is the intro. For the first ten seconds or so you watch thinking"oh this looks interesting, something big is gonna happen"....then it turns into what is effectively a Slovene-language version of Taylor Swift's "Look What You Made Me Do". >_<;

Still, despite not being groundbreakingly original, it is at least competent. And definitely an improvement on their last two entries! All Slovenia really needs to do is make the final to be considered a success, and they've given themselves a decent shot with this. Possible mid-table finisher.

And now for something completely different! :eek:

Behold Hungary:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TcWC7XOBZIE

Remember your early-00's Kerrang! phase? It's back, in Hungarian! :pac:
I have absolutely no idea how this will fare. Or if I like it or not. But it's certainly gonna stand out!

Can't help notice they even threw in an unnecessary key change to make it more Eurovisiony!!

EDIT: This tweet pretty much sums it up!

https://twitter.com/eurolemur/status/967514832172998657

Mahony0509

Is yer man Ryan O Shaughnessy still representing Ireland? His video was removed from Youtube. Can't find it anywhere.

yerwanthere123

Moldova

Yeah.. they won't be troubling the top three this year


Ukraine

Feels like it has the most potential of anything picked tonight


Latvia

Competently performed, but dull. I think the juries may like it?


Slovenia and Hungary are just

Amik

Ukraine and especially Latvia are my favourites from this weekend.

What's with all the seizure inducing staging in the performances?

Moldova is dreadful. Worst song selected so far imo.
Ukraine is fairly underwhelming. Feels like it's half-finished or something and he's just going "owah woah yay" until a proper chorus gets added.
Latvia is decent but doesn't scream "vote winner" to me.

And here's Armenia:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rRpSpPdW4L4

As Eurovision ballads go, it's not too bad. If nothing else it's a powerful vocal performance that shouldn't go unrewarded by juries.

yerwanthere123

Armenia... I can't think who'll pick up the phone and vote for it outside of the diaspora

Romania

One of the most competent entries so far.

Can't believe with 21 entries revealed how bad the standard is. Czech Republic is the only one that sounds like it could make the top ten.

gmisk

I just listened to the favourite for Sweden....Benjamin Ingrosso....its isnt great, in fact a fairly weak year for their entries I thought....I would probably go with Mariette over him.

Amik

yerwanthere123 wrote: »

Can't believe with 21 entries revealed how bad the standard is. Czech Republic is the only one that sounds like it could make the top ten.

And of course it's the year I picked to go see Eurovision in-person for the first time. It better be sunny.

yerwanthere123

Romania isn't bad. They should get rid of the masks and "dress reveal" gimmicks at the start though - totally unnecessary when it's otherwise a "serious" entry.

yerwanthere123 wrote: »

Can't believe with 21 entries revealed how bad the standard is.

Don't people say this every year though? :pac: I agree the standard isn't amazing but (with the possible exception of Moldova) there's nothing yet that makes me cringe and think "oh dear God no" either. So that in itself is an upshot!

Anyway there's a good chance we haven't heard the winning song yet. And who knows; maybe Ryan O'Shaughnessy has something amazing up his sleevel?!

Amik

Deleted User wrote: »

Don't people say this every year though? :pac: I agree the standard isn't amazing but (with the possible exception of Moldova) there's nothing yet that makes me cringe and think "oh dear God no" either. So that in itself is an upshot!

Thank goodness we have positive fans like you, Homer! I guess you're right. I do like Romania's entry (a bit 90s-ish but well done), Ukraine has caught my ear, still a big fan of France's entry, Saara will be there for Finland 100% just need her song. I'm sure once all the songs are picked and Eurovision goes into full promo mode all will be good in the music world again!

Amik

Ryan has posted a snippet of his song on Instagram (thanks Eurovision Ireland)!

https://twitter.com/IrishEurovis15/status/968029679570575362

Does have a gospel feel to it.

yerwanthere123

Deleted User wrote: »

Romania isn't bad. They should get rid of the masks and "dress reveal" gimmicks at the start though - totally unnecessary when it's otherwise a "serious" entry.



Don't people say this every year though? :pac: I agree the standard isn't amazing but (with the possible exception of Moldova) there's nothing yet that makes me cringe and think "oh dear God no" either. So that in itself is an upshot!

Anyway there's a good chance we haven't heard the winning song yet. And who knows; maybe Ryan O'Shaughnessy has something amazing up his sleevel?!

Oh almost for sure :pac: But it does feel strange that we're almost into March and there hasn't been a single song picked yet that sounds like it could win. Obviously I know that'll change, there's lots more to come. But the way things are going right now if Ryan's song is anyway decent he could have a chance... :pac:

Amik

Looking forward to Poland's national final this weekend. Three songs stick out for me:

Gromee - Light Me Up ft. Lukas Meijer
Very contemporary song that you'd hear on the radio. He has a huge fan base that could help him win (they're attacking Eurovision en masse). Skeptical on how this will translate into a live performance. We'll have to wait and see.

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

Ifi Ud - Love Is Stronger
Sound as unique as her look (Polish/Nigerian mix). I can imagine the audience singing the catchy chorus with her. This is my pick.

Tiny hands a reference to Trump? :P

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uTMq7HyW14Q

Isabell Otrebus – Delirium

Great vocalist but just don't like this song at all. She is getting a big push from the national broadcaster.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y3L3jRvvtzM

yerwanthere123

As Eesti Laul approaches, here's our annual reminder of what Estonia came reasonably close to picking back in 2013

yerwanthere123

First two songs of the nine being picked this weekend.

The Netherlands

Well it's no Calm After The Storm anyway, but I think it's among the better songs picked so far.


Cyprus

¯\_(ツ)_/¯


Finland, San Marino, Estonia, Iceland and Poland to come on Saturday, with Azerbaijan and Portugal to come on Sunday.

Amik

yerwanthere123 wrote: »

Well it's no Calm After The Storm anyway, but I think it's among the better songs picked so far.

Thank you, Waylon! I knew he would deliver. Minimum Top 10 finish to my ears.

Also impressed with Cyprus. Got a feeling this could be a good weekend!

Amik

My Finnish isn't the greatest but it looks like Monsters is way ahead in the fan voting:



Do they also get to pick Saara's outfit? I'm a sucker for the Domino one. :P

yerwanthere123

I like Monsters, but it feels a bit too repetitive. It could've done with a an extra verse, or the chorus could pack more of a punch, hope they rework it slightly if it gets chosen. It'll still be one of the best songs picked if they go with it though.

Amik

yerwanthere123 wrote: »

I like Monsters, but it feels a bit too repetitive. It could've done with a an extra verse, or the chorus could pack more of a punch, hope they rework it slightly if it gets chosen. It'll still be one of the best songs picked if they go with it though.

+1 It's ultra catchy though. I prefer Queens but keep humming Monsters.

With the detailed approach the Finnish are taking I wouldn't be surprised if they spent an hour reworking the song as a nation. :P I'd throw in a few of the good lyrics from Queens.

Looking forward to seeing the staging for Monsters. Blue lipstick monster and glitter beard monster better be in it. :P

yerwanthere123

No surprises in Finland and Estonia tonight.

Finland

Live performance here. Not very convincing, far too much choreography for Saara which affected her vocals. I think the fluorescent colours are all wrong too, I think a darker theme would work better, but they've got plenty of time to sort things out by May. Overall though I think it'll qualify. But after all the initial hype, I'm thinking right hand side of the board is as good as things will get for Saara.


Estonia

National final performance here. The staging is stunning, as are her vocals. Contender to win imo, surely top 5 is a lock?

Amik

Poland

Much tighter race than expected but the favourite won by 1 point tonight: Gromee feat. Lukas Meijer - Light Me Up

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0LEeptT0YkY

Didn't look as bad on stage as I thought it would. Has Top 10 potential to my ears.

Need to get myself a black fedora for Lisbon!

Amik

The surprise of the night was Happy Prince - Don’t Let Go, which won the jury vote. Didn't hear too much chatter about them earlier but it was a beautiful performance. They were just 2 points shy of tickets to Lisbon and worthy of it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZnTB73dWRtk

My favourite Ifi Ude - Love Is Stronger also got lots of praise from the jury and televoters. I hope she'll try again.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cjh43L7gGH4

An tUasal C

Been behind, catching up tonight.

Mixture of good and not so good songs. No clear winner in my eyes so far.

mailburner

yerwanthere123 wrote: »

things will get for Saara.


Estonia

National final performance here. The staging is stunning, as are her vocals. Contender to win imo, surely top 5 is a lock?

8/1 four places 1/4 odds
I like those odds and have just backed it ew

Since no-one posted them yet:

Iceland

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Z_QQGCaoRs

Ugh. I may have a new last place.

San Marino

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r2RYiKUb9Uk

Needs major work to stand any chance of qualifying. If they lose the rap and ramp up the staging, they may salvage something out of this but it's unlikely.

Azerbaijan

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

Unspectacular but well-produced tune. But, even by Eurovision standards, the lyrics are atrocious! :eek:

yerwanthere123

Poland is definitely one of the better songs so far, top ten contender I'd say.

Iceland is just... there?

San Marino is a total mess, not a hope it'll qualify in its current form.

Azerbaijan is generic, but ok I guess.

Portugal to come later tonight.

Belgium

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6DGf9TMehi0

There's always at least one "Bond theme" entry, isn't there? :pac:
It's not bad by any means but it doesn't reach the heights of "City Lights" or "Rhythm Inside". There's a chance the live performance may elevate it though, so we'll see.

yerwanthere123

Think Belgium's song is quite good actually, although as above it's not anywhere near Loic or Blanche. Definitely one of the best so far though, and sounds like another top ten finish for Belgium. Think this is the kind of song that a great live performance would elevate it a lot.

Portugal

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9EUvKaT3Rqk

I like it. Definitely more "modern" sounding than Amor Pelos Dois but has a similar woozy, almost hypnotic quality.
I don't think it's going to give them a second victory but it should get a respectable finish (at least I hope it does!)

gmisk

Deleted User wrote: »

Since no-one posted them yet:

Iceland

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Z_QQGCaoRs

Ugh. I may have a new last place.

San Marino

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r2RYiKUb9Uk

Needs major work to stand any chance of qualifying. If they lose the rap and ramp up the staging, they may salvage something out of this but it's unlikely.

Azerbaijan

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

Unspectacular but well-produced tune. But, even by Eurovision standards, the lyrics are atrocious! :eek:

The lyrices to that Azerbaijan song are hilarious...they are like something out of a random sentence generator!