Discoteque Right At Home In Rotterdam For Eurovision 2021 Final.
Written by Dan Kirwan
Im a big fan of the Gay Mecca that is Eurovision, ever since i was a child. Johnny Logan who won it twice for Ireland is a part of my Generation X, a golden era when Irish culture was popular thanks to U2, The Cranberries, Riverdance and Italia 90.
In my many years as a fan of the contest, I feel this year’s event sees Eurovision come of age, with over 200 million people expected to tune in and watch this year’s event which was cancelled last year due to Covid. In fact the virus has already struck this year’s final as a number of artists have fallen foul of the strict testing routine that organisers are implementing to ensure the competition can take place in front of a live audience of 3500 people.
It’s a huge night for the events industry as this is the first major production to take place since the virus shut down the live music industry. The competition is being held in the modern city of Rotterdam and the Dutch are expected to treat us to a real stage show tonight when they go live at 8pm on BBC 1.
With a massive interactive stage, artistic direction and sharp production, this year’s Rotterdam hosted party promises to be, probably the best Eurovision song contest ever. It being the only show in town right now is sure to peak viewership figures and for the first time in years, two countries from the big 5 nations who gain automatic qualification due to their population size, have entered two classy songs ensuring they will have a big audience watching at home.
The French have a classic Parisian La Resistance style number sung by a black haired Parisian Hobbit who would have benefited from more movement in her act, but expect Voila to do well. The Italians have a really tight rock number with some excellent guitar riffs and they are favourites to win but I feel Finland who have another cool rock anthem in Dark Side will take points away from them as it will also appeal to the Rock fans.
This year I feel people want something light, bright and easy to dance to, after a year of lockdown enforced blues……
The track I am tipping for this years event is the Lithuanian entry Discoteque, which has a Ibiza vibe to it, especially as some commentators feel its a little weird, but that’s what Eurovision is all about and I think Europe is in the mood to relate. With a trendy DJ remix this track would hold its own on some of the trendy Ibiza Discoteque floors and has a lot to reccomend. Its catchy chorus is related to home confinement and having to dance alone due to all the clubs being shut. With its Daft Punk, 4×4 beat undercurrent its sure to appeal to the French and British who can’t vote for their own track but will take to Discoteque, as will much of the Eastern Bloc countries who will vote for this upbeat and cool track from a likeable, artistic bunch of performers. The Roop seem to know what they are doing, and seem well prepared for this contest and their professional approach, networking skills and upbeat energy, has been winning them fans all week in Rotterdam.
They are drawn well in the middle of tonight’s running order and I expect this entry to do well especially in the electronic music loving lowlands of Holland. Its my selection and at odds of 80/1 they are well worth an each way punt with a top four finish returning very attractive return of 20/1 and Yellow happens to be my lucky colour. Their biggest dangers in my opinion are the beautifully crafted and preformed France love ballad and a fun Eurovision ditty from Malta called Destiny. Well worth catching out just for the style of the female artists is Moldova, with its Marilyn Monroe homage, a beautiful young singer from Greece, and a Blonde Diablo from Cyprus. Its a much more Arabic sounding and sexually exotic entry from the Caspian girls of Azerbaijan and there is even a sexy “Mamasita” mentioned somewhere. Also be sure to check out Ukraine for its intresting electronic beat – pity about the lyrics though.
Coverage starts at 8pm and the best place to watch it is on BBC 1 where Graham Norton is sure to be in his element as I would guess that the Irish Diva will not resist bouncing off the wooden and dry Dutch presenters fronting the show.
A number of big names from the world of dance music are involved with Eurovision this year, Afrojack and Flo Rida to name but a few and be sure to catch out rising Dutch DJ star, 16 year old, Peter Gabriel, who will open tonights proceedings with a top secret remix that will be debuted during the Opening Flag parade.
The interval act, Rock The Roof, will feature six past winners performing their remixed winning songs. If that’s not enough Eurovision for one day, then check out BBC Radio 2 as they have a full day of programming devoted to Eurovision. Quality has really shone through this year and if you are at home, be sure to tune in for what promises to be a dazzling show and remember it’s ok to Dance Alone but better still if you have friends or a mamasita.
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