The Big Review (39) United Kingdom

Last but certainly not least, it's my own country, the United Kingdom. Last time Eurovision was in Malmo, the UK team were greeted with a banner which read "Welcome Untied Kingdom". With a referendum on Scottish independence looming, that statement could still stand! After taking a gamble last year with Engelbert Humperdinck, the BBC have chosen another seasoned performer to represent them in Eurovision, Bonnie Tyler. Bonnie is of course a well-known act with massive hits under her belt. Those hits were nearly thirty years ago though. "Believe In Me" is a nice song, I like it a lot and it will certainly do better then "Love Will Set You Free" (it can't do much worse!) I just don't know if this is instant or impactful enough to capture those important votes. In a funny twist of fate, by entering Eurovision, Bonnie follows in the footsteps of Nicki French, who had a big hit with "Total Eclipse of the Heart" and represented the UK in 2000. I'd like to see the UK on the left-hand side of the scoreboard. If "Believe in Me" makes the top ten I'll be surprised (and of course delighted!) If Bonnie flops then I think it's time the BBC had a re-think about what they're going to do in 2014 and also ask themselves what it is that they actually want from the contest. Loreen proved last year that the Eurovision tag is not a barrier to having an international hit (#3 in the UK!) and perhaps we should try and send something a little more relevant to the UK music scene in future. Still, "Believe in Me" is a nice song and I wish Bonnie well. She comes across as a nice lady in interviews and given that I live in Cardiff, it's nice to have a Welsh act representing the UK. Go Bonnie!

A total eclipse of the scoreboard or are we holding out for a zero?

It was meant to be announced on March 18 but hey, never trust the press to keep a secret. Yes Bonnie Tyler is off to Sweden and to Eurovision to fly the flag for the UK! I have mixed feelings about this. I do like Bonnie and I do like her songs. However I can't help feeling that what looks good on paper doesn't necessarily translate into votes.

 

Bonnie is an established artist with a proud career and extensive back catalogue. She's still touring Europe today (she's in Germany just now) and arguably she's a legend. However the same could be said for Engelbert Humperdinck who represented the UK in 2012. It was an inspired choice that didn't quite work. I have a horrible feeling that we're heading the same way in 2013.

 

I do like Bonnie's song, it's nice. However, "nice" doesn't scream winner. I really do hope the UK does well but at the minute it's looking like we're heading for a mid-table finish at best. The UK has a love-hate relationship with Eurovision. Why would a current and contemporary act put themselves up for judgement on the Eurovision stage? Adele doesn't need to. Neither do Take That. Where as Blue and Engelbert had nothing to lose. The same can be said for Bonnie. The difference is that other artists in the contest view the event as "everything to gain". That difference is crucial and has come to really put the UK and the BBC in a bit of a trap.

 

Still, it could have been worse. I was fearing it would be Kimberley Walsh who showed that performing under pressure wasn't her strong point if the National Television Awards are anything to go by! Bonnie does have stage presence and charisma. This is important at Eurovision. You can have a dull song and yet sell it to the viewers in a way which translates into votes. The UK have indeed polished turds! Michael Ball, Sonia and more recently Jade Ewen have shown that it comes down to the performance on the night. In the case of contemporary Eurovision, that includes the Friday night dress rehearsal performance on which the juries cast their vote. Blue and Engelbert just weren't up to it on the Friday night. Let's hope that Bonnie is!

 

A lot of the rhetoric concerning Eurovision in the UK is reflective of wider discourse concerning the EU and Britain's place in Europe more generally; peripheral and distant. Accusations that Eurovision voting is "political" betrays the truth of the matter, bloc voting has always existed and the UK and Ireland are just as guilty as everyone else.

 

Eurovision has changed. The contest is has doubled in size and the truth is that the UK has not kept up with these changes. I applauded the BBC's decision to use an internal selection in 2011, I believed that the public were guilty of choosing songs they thought were "very Eurovision" when in fact Eurovision has perhaps moved on. Yes there will always be novelty songs but there are also some pretty credible acts and entries which is all too often forgotten. Sweden's Loreen proved that Eurovision still has the capacity to generate international hits. It even reached number three in the UK! Where was The Hump? Number 60.

 

The risk this year is that we're entering an act and song which again is out of sync with not only the UK charts but also the European music scene. Eurovision is first and foremost a television show. The BBC want viewers. Does it matter if the UK does badly? Not really. However as long as this attitude continues the less chance there is of popular, current acts coming forward to take part in the contest. Perhaps it's time for a re-think.

 

Germany have shown that it's possible for a Big Five country to win. Germany aren't exactly the most popular country in Europe! I hope I am proved wrong, I hope Bonnie does well for the UK and of course I'll be cheering her on with word and gesture. In a nice twist of fate, the first UK entrant I met, Nicki French (UK 2000) scored a massive global hit with a dance version of "Total Eclipse of the Heart" and yet here is Bonnie, the original singer of that song, following in Nicki's footsteps. As Terry Wogan said of Nicki in 2000, "let's cheer her on with word and gesture".

 

You've got a friend

People often ask me why I like going to Eurovision and why I'm interested in it. It's funny, when you think long and hard, what is it that appeals? The music? Sort of. The excitement of visiting new places? Absolutely! The low costs? Absolutely not! The friends made along the way? Bingo! It's funny, Eurovision really is an exciting and interesting world. I managed to do a whole load of research for my PhD on the back of my attendance at the Song Contest. It's not just about that for me though. Yes it was a site of fieldwork, it was also a hobby, a bit of fun, an excuse to visit countries that perhaps I might not have otherwise. I do like a lot of the songs of course. However it's not really about these things when it comes down to it. It's really about the company. If I didn't have such fun with the people there, then I doubt I would enjoy it really. It's not about where you are, but who you're with. 

Eurovision is changing. The EBU have hinted that adjustments to the format may well take place in the future. To put it bluntly, Eurovision has grown too big for it's boots. Whilst the number of countries competing will undoubtedly still remain large, the length of rehearsal time (two weeks at present) and the scale & cost of the event (Baku will have that record for a while) look likely to be curtailed. This may well have an impact on the level and amount of media accreditation available for the contest as well. It looks like the days of lavish welcome receptions for all, aftershow parties and dare I say it, Georgian parties, are numbered.

2011 already saw a different approach to the party circuit at Eurovision. Accreditation did not guarantee entry to the Euroclub and certainly not to the official welcome reception. Many fans and journalists felt disappointed and at times, because of the actions of others who would have sold their grannie to get to the ball, I too felt a little frustrated. At the end of the day did it really matter? Not really. Having been one of the fortunate few to have attended the opening reception, as lovely as it was, I didn't have the usual banter with those around me, the vast majority of people I know were not there. Dusseldorf showed that it doesn't really matter what party you attend, it really is who you're with that counts. 

In July I was honoured to attend the civil partnership of Diarmuid and Willie, Irish friends of mine who held their celebration in Waterford castle. It just shows you that Eurovision really does unite people. It was a truly special occasion and I felt humbled to be a part of it. On the Friday the main reception was held with over three hundred guests. So many of the Eurovision gang were there and what a blast! I have honestly not had that much fun or laughed so much in a long time. A week later my throat was still sore from all the laughter. Of course it wouldn't a be Eurovision wedding without Eurovision stars performing! Niamh Kavanagh was the compere for the evening and what a fine host she made. Of course the lovely Nicki French was there and put on a superb set that had everyone on their feet. It was so lovely to see people outside of the Eurovision bubble, have conversations about real life and to meet so many of Diarmuid and Willlie's family and friends. It truly was a special event and the memories of which will last for a long, long time.

So basically going to Eurovision is really like going on a trip with a hundred mates. If you're with your friends, you'll have a good time. What's the point in being at a party with nobody to talk to when you could be down the pub enjoying the craic? As people turn their attention towards Sweden 2013, that might be worth remembering. When it comes to Eurovision, you've got a friend...