Eurovision Song Contest 2023

Amik

I don't believe it but there's some chatter that Loreen's staging isn't do-able in Liverpool. They overdid it with the smoke in that final performance. :P

This is the first Eurovision year ever where I don't have a song stuck in my head already. Nothing stands out to me!

France is growing on me. La Zarra is captivating and charismatic with a powerful voice. I expect some excellent staging for this.

RoTelly

You'd wonder about the Irish Video and what they were thinking? So I have take a look at the youtube "my top eurovision songs" and most years when I take a look Ireland is around mid-way and I almost always disagree and think they should be further down the list and over the last few years Ireland has indeed ended up at the bottom. But this year they are putting us straight to the bottom of their lists, if this is correct this could be the worst year for Ireland, but then I don't think it is as bad as other Irish Entries and having not heard the rest of the Eurovision songs is this just a very good year for songs at the eurovision causing Ireland to be push so far down. Or is it just a really bad generic song. (I do think it is generic).

gmisk

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120353008#Comment_120353008

Austria

yerwanthere123

Azerbaijan

https://youtu.be/5dvsr-L3HgY

Nothing to get too excited about here I think. Just two songs to go, Armenia will reveal their song on Wednesday followed by Georgia on Thursday.

Meanwhile, Ukraine have drawn 19th in the final whilst the UK will close the show in 26th. Good draws for both, but even better for Ukraine.

yerwanthere123

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120355555#Comment_120355555

It's just a really bad, generic song. Also, it's so disappointingly transparent in what it's trying to so. Wild Youth have been around for years and have a pretty clearly defined sound at this stage, yet they entered Eurovision with a song that they deliberately sought out a Swedish songwriter for. It's as bland, mundane and 'written for Eurovision' a song as they could've come up with.

Why didn't they enter one of their own songs? Modern Colleseum came out only last October, imagine how great that would've sounded in Liverpool?! Would've been right up there near the top of my ranking of this years songs.

Welsh Megaman

Didn’t know Sam Fender was representing Greece.

:D

Jordan 199

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120359741#Comment_120359741

Apparently he's changing his name to Sam Ibanez 😉

yerwanthere123

Armenia

https://youtu.be/Co8ZJIejXBA

Bit of an usual song structure I think. Either way it's not really doing much for me on a first listen.

Just Georgia to go, and we'll finally have the complete class of 2023.

yerwanthere123

And here's Georgia!

https://youtu.be/E8kO-QPippo

Nothing to get too excited about here I think. Have listened twice and can't remember how it goes. Will try and make a stab at predicting the qualifiers later.

So who's winning? I think the four contenders right now are Sweden, Finland, Norway and (unfairly) Ukraine, although all things considered I reckon Sweden are probably the likeliest winners. Norway will do well but probably not quite well enough on both sides of the vote to challenge. I think Finland could possibly win the televote but the jury vote is a big question mark. The Ukrainian song is obviously very weak but as we saw last year outside factors can decide the winner.

So that leaves Sweden as the likeliest winner almost by default. I don't think the song is great but the juries will lap it up, can easily see it scoring 350+ there. I don't think it's a televote winner at all, Cornelia only managed 180 points with a superior song, so I think Loreen will likely score somewhere in a similar range. So 350 + 180 = 530, which is usually enough to win. Wouldn't be happy with a Swedish win, but better than a potential Ukraine one.

delboy85

Have been looking at the bookies odds. Re: Sweden, has there ever been an entry with such short odds this far out from the competition (apart from Ukraine last year)? It's 4/5 or 5/6 on most sites I've checked. I think it's a likely winner but those odds are crazy.

I don't see Norway as a contender. I think they'll finish in the top 10 but I'd be shocked if they were top 5.

I think the top 3 will be Sweden/Finland/Ukraine but not sure in what order. Hoping for Finland for the win but I'd be happy with Sweden too.

gmisk

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120371821#Comment_120371821

I honestly don't get the Sweden hype.

If it was another country would it get the same hype? If it wasn't Loreen would it be favourite? It's good but not amazing.

The love for the Norway song is bizarre, poor and most years would struggle to get into top 10.

Austria are dark horses for top 5 for me.

jaffa20

https://www.rte.ie/entertainment/2023/0319/1364083-wild-youth-eurovision-performance-to-be-big-and-bold/

Big and bold at 200 to 1 odds.

highgiant1985

I listened through all the entries (link below) and of them, I really like the Swiss and Estonia songs. I don't believe either will win but its what I like!

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLmWYEDTNOGUIr757MlL8s9iyvYx-0lToh

The Irish song there also sounded better than what I had remembered so I'm hoping for a strong performance on semi final night and we make the final which is prob the best we can hope for.

yerwanthere123

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120378009#Comment_120378009

I agree with you about the Irish song, it sounded better in the recap above when surrounded by some of the dross other countries are sending. I mean, I wouldn't totally rule out it somehow scraping ninth or tenth, it may sound at its best in an arena, but it's still a tall order. Would stand a much better chance in the second semi final.

yerwanthere123

Running orders!

Ireland 6th in Semi-Final 1.

https://twitter.com/Eurovision/status/1638606616705605632

I think that's about as good a draw as we could've hoped for to be honest, following two weak songs. Of course we run the risk of being memory-holed following the batshit craziness of Croatia, but I think we ran that risk wherever we were placed in the running order.

walterking

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120378009#Comment_120378009

No matter what, it is still middle of the road boring drivel. No character to it at all.

Why Ireland continues to send rubbish like this is a mystery.

We are a nation of music, Europeans flock here to listen to music - and we send this rubbish to Eurovision.

The girl that came second had a decent song. It was identifiable as Irish. She lost because the winner had a public profile and she didn't.

Next year they should state that every entry must be identifiably Irish and then we might get past semi finals.

But this entry has no chance of qualifying as it's simply not good enough.

delboy85

I see VUE Liffey Valley are showing the grand final live.

I recall The Lighthouse Cinema have shown the final previously.

I wonder what it would be like seeing it in the cinema?

Joni89

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120326130#Comment_120326130

This should be more transparent. Sometimes closer to event days of a ‘sold-out’ event there are ‘extra tickets released’.

Deeper Blue

I would be absolutely astounded if Ireland qualify, there's nothing memorable about the song at all, it'll be forgotten instantly by most people watching.

yerwanthere123

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120404416#Comment_120404416

Yeah, Ireland seem to be amongst most people's bottom three for SF1. The general perception is we haven't a hope.

Speaking of Wild Youth, apparently they and San Marino didn't go down well with the crowd at the Barcelona pre-party last night and even get some heckles, leading to Rylan speaking out about it.

https://twitter.com/Rylan/status/1639955957726736385?t=ik5EC4MFsxZ-Nj22fhrxoA&s=19

As great as Eurovision is, there's quite a toxic element to some of the more hardcore fans.

Welsh Megaman

Sad Eurovision-related news…John Lydon’s wife Nora has passed away - their song ‘Hawaii’ was written about her.

RIP

https://twitter.com/pilofficial/status/1643999656966492161?s=46&t=eh7lccySoxsl0lrdbQAmig

Strazdas

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120448730#Comment_120448730

Ah, that's a shame :( He clearly loved her a lot.

Probably for the best that the song didn't go to Eurovision....would have been far too upsetting for him to sing so soon after her passing.

yerwanthere123

Sad news.

I wonder what he would've done had Hawaii been selected for Liverpool? Was obviously never going to happen, but it's possible we'd have been looking at an Ireland withdrawal.

Rip Nora, john got the song and the message out there before she died at least

Welsh Megaman

Still don’t get all the love for Noreen - for me, nowhere near the best (cough, Finland) - most streamed on Spotify so far.

https://twitter.com/esc_charts/status/1645898272349757440?s=46&t=Ul7BkfUQXDc1ZR_Jc1f8aA

One of these days we'll do away with all the gimp mask bollocks and send another Eimear Quinn.

Enchanting woman standing on stage accompanied by a bodhrán, a fiddle and a tin whistle.

Loreen was always on a hiding to nothing as whatever she performs is always gonna be compared to Euphoria, but that latest effort is by any standard...eesh...

Czechia is my personal favourite.

yerwanthere123

I've grown to like Tattoo a lot and it's my clear #2 now, but Finland is still my #1 by a long margin. Would love to entertain the notion that Finland can win, but think the juries will scupper any chance it has.

Welsh Megaman

Sounding good (showing no favouritism whatsoever!)…

https://twitter.com/wiwibloggs/status/1647340887075110912?s=46&t=Be7E8a6nyocTn7kcOkSnjA

Welsh Megaman

Go_A and Verka - yes, VERKA - to appear!!

Good to have you back, my son!

https://wiwibloggs.com/2023/04/17/eurovision-grand-final-go_a-and-verka-serduchka-lead-flag-parade-with-mahmood-and-dadi-freyr-in-liverpool-songbook-interval-act/276950/