After the success of the Preview Party last year, we were all expecting a good evening of entertainment when fans of the Eurovision Song contest gathered at the Scala in London on 17th April. EuroVisionary bring you a report from the party.
After the success of the Preview Party last year, we were all expecting a good evening of entertainment when fans of the Eurovision Song contest gathered at the Scala in London on 17th April. EuroVisionary bring you a report from the party.
A near full house had travelled from far and wide to see a host of Eurovision stars past and present, under the capable hands of presenters Paddy O’Connell and Nicki French. The evening kicked off with the UK’s representative from 1998, Imaani. She gave a near perfect performance of her runner-up song, despite being heavily pregnant. Were there any doctors in the house, just in case?
During the rest of the night we saw various other singers for this year’s festivities in Moscow. Krassimir from Bulgaria opted against the medieval garb he’d been seen in before, and went for a crisp dark suit. This was a song which had only a few fans before tonight, but he converted a few people with his powerful performance.
Lidia was next on. She gave a slightly subdued rendition of I Don’t Wanna Leave. And then she did! Christina gave a slightly nervy performance of her song. She did eventually realise she was performing to a sympathetic crowd, so by the end you could tell she was enjoying herself.
Rock chicks Sinéad and Black Daisy took the stage with a guaranteed floor-filler of a number. In the crowd, there were one or two sceptics as to whether this stood a chance in Moscow. But they soon had the crowd singing and dancing away. Many a video was taken too.
Unaccompanied Yohanna from Iceland gave another very good performance, even getting the crowd to sing along with her. Many of the crowd already tip her song to do well in Moscow, and a solid performance reinforced this. The Balkan girl Elena did a couple of songs, including her hit from Romania Te Ador. She looked a natural on stage.
In addition to some of this year’s participants, we were treated to some more alumni of Eurovision. We couldn’t have Nicki French on stage without her singing her perennial classic Don’t Play That Song Again. Everyone in the crowd – well oiled at this point – were singing along with her. It was the sort of atmosphere she loves, and everyone could tell. There was even a rumour of her joining the party after all the acts had performed.
Jessica Garlick gave a very good rendition of Come Back. Not so much a foot stomper, but it was very good to see her. It made us all feel old when we realised it was 2002 when she represented the UK, finishing 3rd. What the UK would give for a similar result these days. She also sang her forthcoming song, Hard Not to Fall.
Friðrík Ómar from Euroband continued the Icelandic theme. As we all remember, they were one of the most popular acts ever to take to the Eurovision stage. Unfortunately Regina couldn’t make it, as like Imaani she is heavily pregnant. However, Friðrík did a short set of crowd pleasers, including of course This is My Life, which arguably received the biggest cheer of the night so far.
Last, and most certainly not least, Svetlana from Ukraine rounded off the show. We all wondered if her giant cog wheel would make it onto stage. Indeed, in many people’s eyes, this song hadn’t been a favourite. But using the old adage of leaving the best ‘til last, she gave an amazing performance of Be My Valentine. She assured us that she was the one and only anti-crisis girl. Ukraine always manage to polish up a song when the occasion demands, and many now do give this a chance in Moscow. At around 40/1 in the betting, it may be worth an each-way flutter.
All in all, a very entertaining night. The right mix of live performances and floor-filling disco. And judging by the sore heads the next day, it’s the best party people have not been able to remember for some time.
