Vision 133 Complete issue

INSIDE: TRIBUTES TO PATRICIA BREDIN AND TOTO CUTUGNO

THE OGAE UK MAGAZINE

www.ogae.uk AUTUMN 2023 3

ISSUE

133

DOUBLE WINNER! IT’S A MAGNIFICENT 7 FOR SWEDEN

STRAPLINE EUROVISION WINNER

STRAP XXXXXXXXX EUROVISION WINNER

CONGRATULATIONS SWEDEN AND DOUBLE WINNER LOREEN Image by Robin Scott

VISION ● AUTUMN 2023 3

AUTUMN 2023 ● VISION

VISION INFORMATION

INSIDE: TRIBUTES TO PATRICIA BREDIN AND TOTO CUTUGNO

VISION ● ISSUE 133 ● AUTUMN 2023/3 CONTENTS

THE OGAE UK MAGAZINE

www.ogae.uk AUTUMN 2023 3

ISSUE

133

DEADLINE All contributions for issue 134 of Vision should reach the Editor no later than Friday, 22 September 2023. OGAE INTERNATIONAL OGAE UK is affiliated to OGAE International with branches across Europe. For details of full and affiliated members please see www.ogaeinternational. org/about/ogae-national-clubs/ affiliated to OGAE International with branches across Europe. For details of full and affiliated members please see www.ogaeinternational. org/about/ogae-national-clubs/ GENERAL DATA PROTECTION REGULATION (2018) For details of OGAE UK’s GENERAL DATA PROTECTION REGULATION (2018) For details of OGAE UK’s data protection and privacy policies please see www.ogae.uk/ ogae-uk-data-protection-policy DISCLAIMER Views expressed in Vision are not necessarily those of OGAE UK or the Editor. EMAILS Due to the high levels of spam, Vision and OGAE UK will no longer respond to emails received from unknown senders who do not include a recognisable subject as part of the message heading. © OGAE UK 2023 EMAILS Due to the high levels of spam, Vision and OGAE UK will no longer respond to emails received from unknown senders who do not include a recognisable subject as part of the message heading. DISCLAIMER Views expressed in Vision are not necessarily those of OGAE UK or the Editor. data protection and privacy policies please see www.ogae.uk/ogae-uk-data-protection- policy DISCLAIMER Views expressed in Vision are not necessarily those of OGAE UK or the Editor. EMAILS Due to the high levels of spam, Vision and OGAE UK will no longer respond to emails received from unknown senders who do not include a recognisable subject as part of the message heading. DEADLINE All contributions for issue 131 of Vision should reach the Editor no later than Friday, 23 December 2022. (Merry Christmas) OGAE INTERNATIONAL OGAE UK is Hassan Yusuf Editor/Designer David Ransted Assistant Editor/Photographer Marcus Keppel-Palmer Senior Contributor and Coordinator Gordon Lewis Regular Contributor Hassan Yusuf Editor/Designer Marcus Keppel-Palmer Senior Contributor and Coordinator Gordon Lewis Regular Contributor Hassan Yusuf Editor/Designer David Ransted Assistant Editor/Photographer Marcus Keppel-Palmer Senior Contributor and Coordinator Gordon Lewis Regular Contributor DEADLINE All contributions for issue 131 of Vision should reach the Editor no later than Friday, 23 December 2022. (Merry Christmas) OGAE INTERNATIONAL OGAE UK is affiliated to OGAE International with branches across Europe. For details of full and affiliated members please see www.ogaeinternational. org/about/ogae-national-clubs/ GENERAL DATA PROTECTION REGULATION (2018) For details of OGAE UK’s data protection and privacy policies please see www.ogae.uk/ogae-uk-data-protection- policy

VISION IS NOW AVAILABLE ONLINE www.ogae.uk

THE OGAE UK COMMITTEE I n alphabetical order: THE OGAE UK COMMITTEE I n alphabetical order: For all general OGAE UK enquiries, please contact ogaeuk@gmail.com MEMBERSHIP DETAILS To update your personal details, check your membership or change your address, please log on to www.membermojo.co.uk/ogaeuk MEMBERSHIP DETAILS To update your personal details, check your membership or change your address, please log on to www.membermojo.co.uk/ogaeuk To update your personal details, check your membership or change your address, please log on to For all general OGAE UK enquiries, please contact ogaeuk@gmail.com For all general OGAE UK enquiries, please contact I n alphabetical order:

DOUBLE WINNER! IT’S A MAGNIFICENT 7 FOR SWEDEN

6-7

Edlines

8-13

Obituary: Patricia Bredin

Treasurer & Secretary Simon Bennett Social Media Coordinator Lisa-Jayne Lewis Events Coordinator Danny Lynch OGAE Contest Coordinator Fin Ross Russell OGAE UK President Vaughan Staples Treasurer & Secretary Simon Bennett Social Media Coordinator Lisa-Jayne Lewis Events Coordinator Danny Lynch OGAE Contest Coordinator Fin Ross Russell OGAE UK President Vaughan Staples Lisa-Jayne Lewis Fin Ross Russell

14-19

Obituary: Toto Cutugno

20-21

Eurovision 2023: The Final Scores

22-43

Eurovision 2023: A Review

44-47

President’s Update

48-61

Eurovision 2023: Voting Analysis

62-63

Juries: A Question Of Balance

64-69

Love And Peacocks

Vision Editor Hassan Yusuf Vision Editor Hassan Yusuf

70-73

Mental Health: Eurovision Together

74-75

Euro Quiz: Luxembourg

76-79

Ten Essentials: Luxembourg

80-83

The Selector

84-85

www.ogae.uk Follow us for updates @OGAE_UK

Stamping On Eurovision Update

86-89

History: Cha Cha Cha Changes

Please check our website for all the news about the club, Eurobash, how to renew your subscription – and much more. Please check our website for all the news about the club, Eurobash, how to renew your subscription – and much more. Please check our website for all the news about the club, Eurobash, how to renew your subscription – and much more.

90-91

Now... Voyager

92-101

Celebrating Eurovision 2023: Part 1

102-107

www.bearecords.nl A wide range of Eurovision collectable vinyl and CDs available A wide range of Eurovision collectable vinyl and CDs available

Eurofacts

108-109

Small Talk

IMPORTANT! Club Update

110-111

112

Vision Style

Check out the Contact page which allows people to send messages Check out the Contact page which allows people to send messages

VISION ● AUTUMN 2023 5

AUTUMN 2023 l VISION

Hass Yusuf Editor hassan.yusuf@hotmail.com EDLINES

EDLINES

While it’s Vision ’s policy to only have obituaries on UK performers and Eurovision winners - such as Patricia

While our result didn’t go as we expected - I still can’t believe Mae Muller received so few points - I thought I Wrote A Song was a top- notch composition. But it seemed we were hit by the curse of the host city - but Mae did her best so let’s wish her well with her future career.

Bredin and Toto Cutugno - we should also mention the passing of Yvonne Littlewood, the first female television producer and director in the BBC’s light entertainment department. But more than that she was the director of Eurovision 1963 - when we hosted the contest in London.

All aboard the Eurovision express to a ferry across the Mersey!

Welcome and apologies Welcome to this bumper edition of Vision . It is of course very late - so apologies - but quite honestly we’ve had a ‘perfect storm’ of problems. There seems to have been a sense of utter exhaustion after this year’s spectacular in Liverpool! A big rest was needed by all. And unfortunately some of us had to face health and personal disasters which further delayed matters. Condolences to all affected members. Alas, real life sometimes takes over - and please remember that no one gets paid for running the club or producing Vision . We all volunteer for the work - but even though we might sometimes struggle or want to give it up, we still love what we do! You’ve all paid to belong to the club, so you will receive the next edition much earlier. But please enjoy this special edition - and my thanks to all those who have contributed. I hope you feel you’re receiving value for money! Besides the usual suspects, we’ve got articles from Eurovision historian, Chris West - along with other new contributors.

So... what of the contest itself? While I might be biased, I don’t think we’ve ever had a more slick production! I even thought the hosts were great. Let’s be honest, you really can’t beat the BBC when they really try. It’s a shame only 37 countries entered this year’s contest - but we still got some great contributions! And congrats to Sweden and Loreen on their historic wins - for her and her country! However, I have to admit, I was firmly in the Finland and Käärijä camp. The result has opened that old can of worms again - the power of the juries. I’ve never kept my opinion of the juries to myself, but as we see from Simon’s analysis of this year’s voting, elsewhere in the magazine, they still serve their purpose. (I smile through gritted teeth...). But what really mattered is the show itself - and how it was perceived. It seemed like the whole country was in Eurovision frenzy! And the BBC with all its Eurovision-themed shows, did its bit. And as the club’s demographics now shows we had loads of families join and our gender balance is the best it’s ever been. Thank you for all those who answered the call for images of how you celebrated the event.

The hosts

● Our club President, Vaughan Staples, and the head of the Liverpool organising committee, Alasdair Rendall, explain more in this edition about the club’s involvement

● If you were lucky enough to go to Liverpool, you would have found a city that really embraced Liverpool more than any other city in my opinion - and I’ve been to many host cities. And for the first time in years, it was a great excuse to bring out my special Union Jack outfit I had made for me (originally in 2007) in London’s famous Carnaby Street. And how great it was to see so many people wearing the flag! I made good use of my spare time, of experiencing the host city - it was so fab being able to meet up with old - and new - friends in Liverpool. I won’t mention any names, (I’m bound to forget loads) but both the Euroclub and the Eurocafe were both great venues to meet up. On a more personal matter, one of my all-time favourite songs is Gerry & The Pacemakers’ Ferry Across The Mersey - and finally I managed to do just that!

with Liverpool City Council. And one other name we need to mention is Simon Bennett, who was always in the background making sure everything was working perfectly, as he wore his President of OGAE International hat. And the fan club gathering at the Euroclub was a huge success. So congrats to everyone involved with that great event.

The EuroVillage was very popular

● Enjoy this edition of Vision - please write in if you want to participate in some of our regular features - but if you only read one article this issue can I suggest Steve Thornton’s honest experience on how Eurovision has helped with his mental health. As the title suggests - at Eurovision we are all together! ● The Organising Committee hope that all 7,000+ members are enjoying belonging to the club. We still seem to be growing and growing - and hopefully you’ll all stick around for many years to come. Please see Simon’s club news at the end of this edition for important membership info.

One of the most pleasant surprises announced this year is that Luxembourg is finally returning to Eurovision! The country always punched above its weight - for such a small country it’s already won the contest five times! To celebrate this great event, we’ve started the ball rolling with the Euro Quiz and Ten Essentials featuring the country - who I hope will give us more songs in French in the future. Hopefully, next time we’ll start giving you a history of the country in Eurovision.

The night of the Grand Final - the arena was a sea of the best of British! The night of the Grand Final - the arena was a sea of the best of British!

VISION ● AUTUMN 2023 7

AUTUMN 2023 ● VISION

STRAPLINE OBITUARY

STRAP XXXXXXXXX OBITUARY

Golden Dreams of Yesterday Patricia Bredin 14 February 1935 – 13 August 2023

that Patricia was invited back time and time again. Her luck changed in the mid-1950s when, following a successful audition, she found herself joining the cast of Wedding In Paris at London’s Hippodrome Theatre. At the start of 1957, the BBC was looking for a female singer to perform All at the Festival of British Songs, and Patricia always said that she was discovered while performing in Free As Air . However, as the heats to choose the first United Kingdom entry for Eurovision commenced in January 1957,

while Free As Air did not open until June that same year, Patricia must have been mistaken unless, of course, the producer’s secretary who discovered her had access to either auditions or rehearsals. Whatever the truth of this situation, Patricia found herself performing All in the British final which, in a 2016 interview with the BBC, she claimed “nobody wanted to sing that terrible little song.” Winning the show, she was swiftly flown to Frankfurt where she competed alongside nine other acts although, when writing for Vision back in 2007,

Patricia Bredin, who held the honour of being the first singer to represent the United Kingdom at the Eurovision Song Contest, has died at the age of 88. Born in South Wales but growing up in Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire, Patricia’s early life was one that included music. Attending the local Methodist Chapel, where she would learn to sing and become a member of the choir, her mother also made sure that the young girl attended piano lessons. Looking back on her life while writing My Fling On The Farm (1989), Patricia describes

attending these lessons for “seven long years” which her piano teacher probably felt was “seven thousand years”! Nonetheless, for most of her long life, she admitted to never being far from a piano, frequently playing classical and music hall favourites. After joining an amateur dramatic society, Patricia found that she could combine singing and acting within musical theatre and, soon after, won the Golden Voice award.The prize was her own radio broadcast appearance, with producers so impressed with her vocals

VISION l AUTUMN 2023 9

AUTUMN 2023 ● VISION

OBITUARY

A scene from Desert Mice

Eric Robinson conducts All for Patricia

Patricia added that the conductor, Eric Robinson, got the orchestra to play at his tempo rather than hers. This resulted in a performance lasting one minute 52 seconds, and a record that was only beaten by Finland’s one minute 27 seconds in 2015. Despite a valiant effort by Patricia, All came seventh out of ten songs. Unfortunately, Patricia was never given the opportunity to record her Eurovision entry, but sheet music was released with her image and proudly bore the announcement that it was “The Winning

Song of the B.B.C.Television “Festival of Songs”. Sadly, when crooner Robert Earl released his version of the song a few months later, the sheet music was reprinted with his image to promote the

in the 1959 films Left Right & Centre , The Bridal Path and Desert Mice , although it was a cameo appearance as herself in Make Me A Million t hat ironically reflected her Eurovision appearance. Starring several comedy greats, including Sid James, Arthur Askey, Bernard Cribbins and Barbara Windsor, the film parodied the stuffiness of the BBC during the 1950s and the effect of television advertising. Thankfully, no offence was taken and Patricia was one the headliners in the 1959 Christmas edition of the BBC’s popular light entertainment show, The Good Old Days . Broadcast on Boxing Day that year, a young Morecambe & Wise were also on the bill, while the complete episode was shown again on Boxing Day 2016 (BBC 4). Performing Till The Right Time Comes from the film Desert Mice , Patricia then led the costumed audience in the singing of traditional British songs. For those seeking some old-fashioned music hall nostalgia and to hear more of Patricia’s vocals, the programme can now be found on YouTube. After a short-lived marriage in 1955 to Stuart Murray, which Patricia

record. It failed to chart! Comedy giants

Within the years immediately after her Eurovision appearance, Patricia appeared in an episode of the TV series Ivanhoe , alongside the programme’s leading man and future James Bond, Sir Roger Moore.This led to her being cast

VISION l AUTUMN 2023 11

AUTUMN 2023 l VISION

OBITUARY

Performing on the Frankfurt stage in 1957

Performing on The Good Old Days

many cows as she herself once said, the money ran

rarely spoke about, she married Ivor Emmanuel, a Welsh singer and actor, in 1963 but the couple divorced within two years. Describing Emmanuel as a “singer, drinker and womanising buddy of Richard Burton” in her 2007 article for Vision, Patricia was not sorry when the relationship ended and, it seemed, her own acting career alongside. In 1970, while onboard Cunard’s new flagship cruise liner, Queen Elizabeth 2, Patricia met and fell in love with Canadian businessman Charles MacCulloch. It was a chance meeting while playing games on deck and he was described as the “perfect man”. Challenges Following their marriage, the pair settled in Nova Scotia where Charles had his home, but tragedy struck when, on a delayed honeymoon cruise, Patricia’s husband died unexpectedly and without any warning. Returning to Canada, she then found herself having to deal with legal challenges to the estate and, to bury her grief, she decided to invest in cows! For almost a decade from 1979, she managed a successful farm but, with too

carers to look after her and provide company. Sadly, this did not stop or even delay the onset of dementia, which caused her to have good days and bad days. Sometimes she could not even remember being born in the United Kingdom, but on other occasions she could talk about past performances as if these had been yesterday. Above all, listening to music continued to give her much pleasure right up until her final days. All may not be the most recognised or remembered Eurovision entry, while its singer never found chart success, but Patricia Bredin will always be known as the singer who preceded “All” other United Kingdom entrants right up to Mae Muller earlier this year, as well as those that will follow in the years to come. In summing up Patricia’s life it is, perhaps, appropriate to use some of the words she sang on the Frankfurt stage all those years ago. All we’ve shared throughout the passing years All the laughter, all the sighs, the tears All the joy of living, loving and forgiving These are all to me GL

out and she had to give up. Her only

book, published in 1989 under the name Patricia Bredin MacCulloch, describes with subtle humour the ups and downs of this period in Patricia’s life. Money well spent During the past 30 years, Patricia continued to surround herself with music, if not cattle, and occasionally appeared on television and stage across her adopted homeland.When speaking to former Vision Editor-in- Chief, Gordon Lewis, in the early 2000s, she made no secret of the fact that she had paid for facial treatment to retain her youthful looks.“If it’s good enough for Joan Rivers, then it’s good enough for me” was her simple justification for what she added was “money well spent”! As Patricia’s health started to fail in recent years, she employed full-time

VISION l AUTUMN 2023 13

AUTUMN 2023 l VISION

STRAPLINE OBITUARY

STRAP XXXXXXXXX OBITUARY

Insieme United Together Toto Cutugno 7 July 1943 – 22 August 2023

One of the most successful Italian singer- songwriters, who also won the 1990 Eurovision Song Contest,Toto Cutugno, has died almost seven weeks after celebrating his 80th birthday. Salatore Cutugno, who became affectionately known as Toto, was born in Tuscany but, while he was still young, his parents moved to the region of Liguna where he spent his childhood. His early life was not without personal tragedy and, at the age of five, he witnessed the death of his seven-year-old sister, Anna, who died from choking. Another sister,

Rosanna, developed heart complications and became the first child in Italy to successfully receive heart surgery.Toto also had a brother named Roberto. Always interested in music,Toto learned to play the drums and started the band Toto e i Tati.This was followed by another band, Albatros, together with Lino Losito and Mario Limongelli. Known for its disco style, Albatros entered the Samremo Music Festival in 1976 and came joint third with Volo AZ 504 ( Flight AZ 504 ). Part spoken and part sung, with the incorporation of electronic synthesised

sounds that would become more commonplace during the late 1970s and early 1980s, the song was about two people saying goodbye as one of the couple boarded Alitalia Flight 504.The following year, Albatros failed to qualify with Gran Premio ( Grand Prize ). By the mid-1970s,Toto was also making his mark as a songwriter, working with French-American singer, Joe Dassin, on hits such as L’été Indien ( Indian Summer ), Et Si Tu N’existais Pas ( What IfYou Didn’t Exist ) and Le Jardin Du Luxembourg ( The Garden Of Luxembourg ). This

VISION ● AUTUMN 2023 15

AUTUMN 2023 l VISION

OBITUARY

A scene from Desert Mice

would lead to him being recognised by other well-known acts, and Toto found himself writing and composing songs that went on to be recorded by established performers, including Johnny Hallyday, Mireille Mathieu, Domenico Modugno, Claude François, Gigliola Cinquetti and Gérard Lenorman among others. Number One Choosing to develop a solo career, Toto left Albatros in 1978 and, two years later, found himself at Samremo once again where his song, Solo Noi ( Only Us ), took first place. However, this did not lead to Eurovision participation at that time. In 1983, Toto returned to Sanremo , and a song co-written with Cristiano Minellono entitled L’Italiano . Despite only coming fifth, many now consider this song to be Toto’s greatest achievement, achieving gold record status and reaching Number One in Italy, France, Switzerland and, perhaps more surprisingly, Portugal. Including being part of Albatros, Toto entered the Sanremo Festival on 15 occasions, but failed to repeat his first place successes of 1976 and 1980. Coming second in 1984, 1987, 1988 and 1990, this led to many describing

him as ‘l’eterno secondo’ (‘the eternal second’), although he did manage to win the Classic category in 2005 when he performed Come Noi Nessuno Al Mondo ( No One Else In TheWorld Like Us ) with Annalisa Minetti. In 1990, after the winners of Sanremo , Pooh, refused to accept the honour of representing Italy at the Eurovision Song Contest, second-placed Toto was approached by RAI. Rather than perform Gli Amori ( Loves ), which was covered by Ray Charles as Good Love Gone Bad ,Toto wrote and composed Insieme: 1992 ( Together: 1992 ) especially for Eurovision. Seen as an outsider by many, the politically-themed song spoke of a united Europe that would appear once the Maastricht Treaty was ratified to create the European Union in 1992. Fierce The competition was fierce, but Toto managed to win the contest for Italy, scoring17 points more than the joint- second placed entries from France ( Black &White Blues by Joëlle Ursull) and Ireland ( Somewhere In Europe by Liam Reilly). Insieme: 1992 was not the chart success that many Eurovision winners have been, and only managed to reach number 14

VISION l AUTUMN 2023 17

AUTUMN 2023 l VISION

OBITUARY

at the number of 12, 10, 8 etc., points the two top countries had received, Sweden’s Carola was declared the winner with Fångad Av En Stormvind ( Captured By A Lovestorm ), while Amina, who had represented France, was left in second place with the ethnically haunting Le Dernier Qui A Parlé... ( The Last To Have Spoken... ). Ten years ago,Toto was back at the Samremo Festival but, on this occasion, it was to receive the festival’s Lifetime Achievement award. He continued with his singing and songwriting, regularly performing at concerts in New York and Atlantic City.Toto also built on his popularity that had become evident in Germany, Russia, Romania, Spain and Turkey, as well as his native Italy. Surgery In 2007, he was diagnosed with prostate cancer which had affected his kidneys. Choosing to have one kidney removed, the surgery was a success and allowed Toto to return to the stage. He even took part in the Samremo Festival in 2008 and 2010, but failed to have any impact on the competition. Four years ago,Toto was invited to perform in Kyiv, but some member of the Ukrainian Parliament accused him of being “a Russian war supporter”. Explaining that he had refused to perform in Crimea following the region’s annexation by Russia in 2014, it was then agreed that the concert could proceed and was held on 23 March 2019. Sadly,Toto’s prostate cancer returned and, unlike his previous battle with this terrible disease, surgery was of no consequence this time. Admitted to Milan’s San Raffaele Hospital,Toto Cutugno’s life quietly ended on 22 August 2023. He is survived by his wife, Carla, who he had married in 1971, and his son, Nico, who was born in 1990 following an extra-marital affair between Toto and another woman. GL

Toto hosting Eurovision 1991 with Gigliola Cinquetti. Tensions?

Flirting away in Rome

Toto wins Eurovision 1990

in the Italian charts. Its highest placing was in Portugal and, surprisingly, neutral Switzerland, with the song reaching number two in both countries. Mr Naef, Mr Naef! Tasked with organising the 1991 Eurovision Song Contest, RAI had intended to hold the event at Sanremo but, following the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait, Rome was considered to be a much more secure location. Hosted by what was then the only two Italian winners, Gigliola Cinquetti and Toto Cutugno, there appeared to be some onstage

tension between the pair in what has become something of an infamous event. Added to Toto’s flirtatious, but innocent, approaches directed towards some of the female singers, while introducing Spain’s Sergio Dalma as a younger Toto lookalike, no one will forget Toto’s cries of “Mr Naef, Mr Naef” as the voting procedure descended into near chaos, with France and Sweden both receiving 146 points. The solution, as EBU co-ordinator Frank Naef attempted to explain, was far simpler that it appeared from Toto’s own narrations. Using a process that looked

VISION l AUTUMN 2023 19

AUTUMN 2023 l VISION

EUROVISION 2023

EUROVISION 2023 LIVERPOOL UK

THE FINAL SCORES

Semi-Final 1 The Top Ten went through to the Grand Final Rank Country Participant

Song

Points

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

Finland Sweden Czechia Moldova Norway Israel Croatia Portugal Switzerland

177 135 127 110 109 102

Cha Cha Cha

Käärijä Loreen

Tattoo

Unicorn

Noa Kirel

My Sister’s Crown Soarele Si Luna Queen Of Kings

Vesna

Pasha Parfeni Alessandra Remo Forrer

97 76 74 37 34 10

Watergun Mama ŠČ! Ai Coração

Let 3

Mimicat

10 Serbia 11 Latvia 12 Ireland

Samo Mi Se Spava

Luke Black

Aijā

Sudden Lights

The Grand Final Rank Country

We Are One

Wild Youth

Participant

Song Tattoo

Points

13 Netherlands 14 Azerbaijan

7 4 3

Burning Daylight

Mia Nicolai and Dion Cooper

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

Sweden Finland Israel Norway Ukraine Belgium Estonia Italy Australia Czechia Lithuania Cyprus Croatia Armenia Austria France

583 526 362 350 268 243 182 168 151 129 127 126 123 122 120 104 100 96 93 92

Loreen Käärijä

Tell Me More

TuralTuranX The Busker

Cha Cha Cha

15 Malta

Dance (Our Own Party)

Noa Kirel

Unicorn Due Vite

Also voted: France, Germany, Italy

Marco Mengoni

Alessandra

Queen Of Kings Heart Of Steel Because Of You

Semi-Final 2 The Top Ten went through to the Grand Final Rank Country Participant

Tvorchi Gustaph

Song

Points

Alika

Bridges Promise

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

Australia Austria Poland Lithuania Slovenia Armenia Cyprus Belgium Albania

149 137 124 110 103

Promise

Voyager

Who The Hell Is Edgar?

Teya and Salena

10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26

Vesna

My Sister’s Crown

Solo Stay

Blanka

Monika Linkytė Andrew Lambrou

Stay

Monika Linkytė

Break A Broken Heart

Carpe Diem Future Lover

Joker Out Brunette

Let 3

Mama ŠČ! Future Lover

99 94 90 83 74 44 33 14

Brunette

Teya and Salena

Who The Hell Is Edgar?

Break A Broken Heart

Andrew Lambrou

La Zarra

Évidemment

Because Of You

Gustaph

Spain

lanca Paloma Pasha Parfeni

Eaea

Duje

Albina and Familja Kelmendi

Moldova Poland Switzerland Slovenia

Soarele Si Luna

10 Estonia 11 Iceland 12 Georgia 13 Greece 14 Denmark 15 Romania 15 San Marino

Bridges

Alika Diljá

Blanka

Solo

Power

Remo Forrer

Watergun

Echo

Iru

78 76 59 30 24 18

Joker Out

Carpe Diem

What They Say

Victor Vernicos

Albania Portugal Serbia

Albina and Familja Kelmendi

Duje

6 0 0

Breaking My Heart D.G.T. (Off And On)

Reiley

Mimicat

Ai Coração

Theodor Andrei

Luke Black Mae Muller

Samo Mi Se Spava

United Kingdom

Like An Animal

Piqued Jacks

I Wrote A Song Blood & Glitter

Germany

Lord of the Lost

Also voted: Spain, Ukraine, United Kingdom

VISION l AUTUMN 2023 21

AUTUMN 2023 l VISION

SEMI-FINAL 1 EUROVISION 2023: A REVIEW ALBAN I A

ALBAN I A

SEMI-FINAL 1

Liverpool rocked! What a contest! What a city! Last time they previewed all the songs giving you the facts, now our reviewers are back giving you their opinions and what really happened. Images for all the 37 entries are by Alex Storer - rather than our usual close ups of the performers, this year we’re presenting a view from a seat in the arena - showing you the vastness of the great set. Sit back and enjoy!

ALBAN I A Images on these opening intro pages are by Alexa Dubreuil-Storer showing you how Liverpool embraced the contest - from the Euroclub to giant Liver Birds! SEMI-FINAL 1

ALBAN I A

SEMI-FINAL 1

VISION ● AUTUMN 2022 23

AUTUMN 2022 ● VISION

AUSTRAL I A

ALBAN I A

GRAND FINAL

Song: Promise Performers: Voyager Songwriters: Daniel Estrin, Alex Canion, Ashley Doodkorte, Scott Kay, Simone Dow AUSTRALIA Semi-Final 2 Televote total: 149 points 1st place Grand Final Total: 151 points Juries: 130 Televote: 21 9th place • Despite winning their semi-final, the voting public seems to have abandoned them in the Grand Final, though the juries helped them achieve a Top Ten position, with 12 points coming from Iceland and Portugal..

ALBANIA Semi-Final 2 Televote total: 83 points 9th place Grand Final Total: 76 points Juries: 17 Televote: 59 22nd place • After missing out on the Grand Final last year, the Balkan state scraped through from their semi. However, the Swiss public awarded them 12 points in the Grand Final. Song: Duje ( Love It ) Performers: Albina & Familja Kelmendi Songwriters: Eriona Rushiti, Enis Mullaj

Carrying the weight of over 20 years’ ambition with what may potentially have been Australia’s final participation in the contest, Voyager clearly had a lot resting on their shoulders. Having pulled it out of the bag and won Semi-Final 2, there would be no stopping Danny and the gang, and indeed, there wasn’t. Wheeling a real Toyota MR2 on to the stage is one way to do it, and Voyager packed the explosive energy of a full concert into the duration of Promise , culminating with a guitar vs keytar solo and slow, synchronised headbang. Voyager were on fire! The entire arena sang along with the song’s anthemic chorus and looking at the elation on Danny, Simone, Scott, Alex and Ash’s faces by the climax, they knew they’d done their country proud. Alex Storer

You can’t beat an old-fashioned Balkan romp! I didn’t expect this to go through to the Grand Final - I thought its appeal might be limited, but was delighted to be proved wrong. While its Grand Final result wasn’t great, at least it qualified from its semi. Albina and her family gave it their all - the siblings obviously inherited their lung power from their parents. And what made the performance work was the ‘good feel’ factor of the family singing together - you could sense how proud they all were. Of course helped by excellent chemistry as you would expect. The performance made good use of the stage with the family standing together at various stages while the mainly black and red lighting adding to the passion of the song. I especially liked the use of the waving red hankies. Hass Yusuf

ARMEN I A

AUSTR I A

GRAND FINAL

Song: Who The Hell Is Edgar? Performers: Teya & Salena Songwriters: Pele Loriano, Ronald Janeček, Selina Maria Edbauer, Teodora Spiric AUSTRIA Semi-Final 2 Televote total: 137 points 2nd place Grand Final Total: 120 points Juries: 104 Televote: 16 15th place • The voting public didn’t turn up for them in the Grand Final as they did in their semi-final. Though the Belgian jury gave them a 12.

Song: Future Lover Performer: Brunette Songwriter: Brunette ARMENIA Semi-Final 2 Televote total: 99 points 6th place Grand Final Total: 122 points Juries: 69 Televote: 53 14th place • After a comfortable semi-final result, it was a somewhat disappointing outcome in the Grand Final. But the public in France and Georgia awarded Brunette 12 points each. Nice neighbour and diaspora?

Luckily Brunette held her balance - always brave to sing on a slope, but everyone wants to be different. You certainly got your money’s worth here - Future Lover was essentially three songs in one spread across four acts, one of which seemed like a dance interval. It sort of worked. You could tell Brunette was loving it. There she was lying down with pink marbling lighting engulfing her, then suddenly she erupts in rather dramatic fashion with stark black and white lighting - making good use of her shadow and hair extensions. And she wanted us to know that she could dance as well (with fab thigh-length boots). The country has a good track record of getting through to the Grand Final, and this was yet another worthy effort. Hass Yusuf

Having sailed through the second semi-final in second place, any chance Teya & Salena, the ghost of Edgard Allen Poe and their multiple figures on the LED screen behind them, had vanished when the producers sacrificially chose the girls to open the Grand Final. This led to a finish in 15th place with 120 points. Even with its coruscating criticism of streaming royalty rates, following the contest the song had been streamed enough times to reach number 48 in the UK charts. While in Liverpool, both girls, who met on the TV programme Starmania , revealed they had been inspired to take to the stage when watching Molitva win for Serbia in 2007. The girls also discovered that Edgar Allen Poe had cropped up in a song by The Beatles, I Am The Walrus . Marcus Keppel-Palmer

VISION ● AUTUMN 2022 25

AUTUMN 2022 ● VISION

CROAT I A

AZERBAIJAN

GRAND FINAL

SEMI-FINAL 1

Song: Tell Me More Performers: TuralTuranX Songwriters: Tural Baghmanov, Turan Baghmanov, Nihad Aliyev, Tunar Taghiyev AZERBAIJAN Semi-Final 1 Televote total: 4 points 14th place • This was by far Azerbaijan’s worst ever result with only three countries awarding it any points. Azerbaijan only failed to reach the Grand Final only once before.

Song: Mama ŠČ! Performer: Let 3 Songwriters: Damir Martinovic, Zoran Prodanovic CROATIA Semi-Final 1 Televote total: 76 points 8th place Grand Final Total: 123 points Juries: 11 Televote: 112 13th place • The last time Croatia reached the Grand Final was in 2017. The difference between the jury and televote was vast. Though Let 3 only achieved one 12 and that was from its neighbour, Slovenia.

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but I am so glad the group stopped stripping once they reached their underpants. Yes, this was a fun act trying to tell a serious story. It will no doubt go down in Eurovision history as a novelty act. But maybe a bit unfair - as many would describe the act as ‘pure Eurovision’. Visually, you couldn’t really fault the performance. They told their anti-war story in a brash but fun way. Great outfits and props - and even better special effects. This is one act no one will probably forget, though the juries would probably like to. The public obviously ‘got’ it and appreciated the spectacle. Well done to Croatia for taking a chance with this act - at least they got noticed! And equally well done to the voting public who gave two fingers up to the boring juries! People power rules! Hass Yusuf

With a strong Merseybeat influence which was given a McFly twist, TuralTuranX should have done much better with Tell Me More . Although the recorded voice intro was somewhat off putting and the rap section added little to the song, the twin brothers from Azerbaijan still managed to give a simple but effective performance at the first semi-final. The rapport with the audience did come across as somewhat muted, which may have affected the televote, but the song should not have ended up second from last on the Tuesday night. This is only the second time since making its debut in 2008 that Azerbaijan has failed to qualify for the Grand Final, but hopefully Azerbaijan will soon return to its former qualifying success before too long. Gordon Lewis

BE LG I UM

CYPRUS GRAND FINAL

GRAND FINAL

Song: Because Of You Performer: Gustaph Songwriters: Gustaph, Jaouad Alloul BELGIUM Semi-Final 2 Televote total: 90 points 8th place Grand Final Total: 182 points Juries: 127 Televote: 55 7th place • Gustaph achieved 12 points each from the juries in Australia, Georgia and Greece. The highest it got in the televote was a ten from the Netherlands. Clearly the jury vote helped the country achieve a Top Ten placing.

Song: Break A Broken Heart Performer: Andrew Lambrou Songwriters: Jimmy Jansson, Jimmy ‘Joker’ Thörnfeldt, Marcus Winther-John, Thomas Stengaard CYPRUS Semi-Final 2 Televote total: 94 points 7th place Grand Final Total: 126 points Juries: 68 Televote: 58 12th place • Andrew only got three points from the Greek jury but normal service was restored by the Greek public with a 12.

After missing out last year, Cyprus were back in the Grand Final thanks to all its Scandi songwriters and the barefoot Australian singer, Andrew Lambrou. He proved to be the perfect performer with a decent vocal range for this angst-filled ballad. The imagery also helped tell the story of Break A Broken Heart - it starts off all in blue with mist and rain and erupts into red with flames galore. Andrew was able to command the stage on his lonesome, but there wasn’t really much to the song to make it really stand out. There was nothing ethnic Greek about it at all, which was a shame. Nevertheless, it was a decent result for the country - which is still waiting for a win! Hass Yusuf

This is how Eurovision should be done and the audience were on Belgium’s side from the very first note. Experience shows and Gustaph did not disappoint. Having already achieved almost 25 years in the music industry, the young looking and energetic 42 year-old (what’s his secret?) was guaranteed a place in the Grand Final from the moment Because Of You was first made public. Mixing Motown sounds with disco, the staging was truly inspired, with Gustaph wearing white and pink while the projection and lighting effects cleverly used black and white to enhance the overall performance. The dancer added a moment of cheeky genius to the production which certainly helped with the song’s qualification, not that it needed any assistance. Gordon Lewis

VISION ● AUTUMN 2022 27

AUTUMN 2022 ● VISION

ESTON I A

CZECH I A

GRAND FINAL

Song: My Sister’s Crown Performer: Vesna Songwriters: Kateryna Vatchenko, Patricie Kaňok, Tanita Yankova, Adam Albrecht, Michal Jiráň, Šimon Martínek CZECHIA Semi-Final 1 Televote total: 110 points 4th place Grand Final Total: 129 points Juries: 94 Televote: 35 10th place • In the Grand Final, the Swiss jury awarded 12 points to Vesner, but the televotes from the semi didn’t seem to materialise. Still, it was a Top Ten finish for Czechia.

Song: Bridges Performer: Alika Milova Songwriters: Alika Milova, Nina Sampermans, Wouter Hardy ESTONIA Semi-Final 2 Televote total: 74 points 10th place Grand Final Total: 168 points Juries: 146 Televote: 22 8th place • While Alika just scraped through to the Grand Final her Top Ten finish was due to the juries who seemed to have loved Bridges - unlike the televoters. The difference between both voting groups was staggering.

The bookmakers weren’t certain about Alika with many suggesting that she wouldn’t qualify from a televote-only semi -final. Not only were they proven wrong but once she qualified, Alika’s self-playing piano became a hit with the juries ranking fifth among them to take an eighth place finish overall. Alika didn’t change much from her performance at Eesti Laul , but the song’s haunting elegance stood out as a beautiful ballad in a banger-heavy contest. Next year in Sweden, Estonia will be looking to qualify for the Grand Final for the third consecutive year for the first time since 2013. Fin Ross Russell

I absolutely loved this going into the contest but had no idea how they were going to stage and, boy oh boy, did they stage the heck out of it. It was sleek, sophisticated, pointed and, well, brilliant! The song of female empowerment and standing up for all women (seems to be one every year or so) this year was utterly fabulous. Czechia are on a good roll, if they can keep this up then surely a contest in Prague is coming isn’t it? Lisa-Jayne Lewis

F I NLAND

DENMARK

GRAND FINAL

SEMI-FINAL 2

Song: Cha Cha Cha Performer: Käärijä Songwriters: Aleksi Nurmi, Jere Pöyhönen, Johannes Naukkarinen FINLAND Semi-Final 1 Televote total: 177 points 1st place Grand Final Total: 526 points Juries: 150 Televote: 376 2nd place • In the Grand Final only two juries (neighbours Norway and Sweden) gave Käärijä 12 points, while he received 12 points each from 18 televoting countries! He was clearly the public’s choice.

Song: Breaking My Heart Performer: Reiley Songwriters: Bård Bonsaksen, Hilda Stenmalm, Rani Petersen, Sivert Hjeltnes Hagtvet DENMARK Semi-Final 2 Televote total: 6 points 14th place • All six points from the semi were awarded by Iceland. Denmark has never received so few points since the semi-finals began.

Wow!! This is a true winning song by far! A favourite with the majority of the Eurovision fans and rightly so. Many predicted that Käärijä should have won the contest but he was so close and yet so far. What a crushing experience to have victory snatched away in these circumstances. As expected it won the public votes and came fourth in the juries. It’s been months since we all saw that performance, but it feels like yesterday. I’m still having trouble moving on but can’t help thinking how great Cha Cha Cha was and still is to this day. Also, who would have thought that an artist from Finland would one day change the whole perspective on how non Finns listen to songs in the Finnish language? It’s crazy! It’s party! Shau Chan

Reiley received a plum spot in his Semi-Final 2 running order, opening up the show and setting the bar for the following acts. The staging saw some upgrades on the national final performance with a Rosa Linn-esque rotating house and some cool camera filters brought in to both build the connection to TV viewers while energising the Liverpool arena. Unfortunately some pitchy vocals let down the TikTok star with only the Icelandic public giving the Faroese singer any points. The result marks Denmark’s third consecutive non-qualification, the first time this has happened in the Scandinavian country’s history at the contest. Fin Ross Russell

VISION ● AUTUMN 2022 29

AUTUMN 2022 ● VISION

FRANCE

GERMANY

GRAND FINAL

Song: Évidemment ( Obviously ) Performer: La Zarra Songwriters: Benny Adam, La Zarra. Banx & Ranx

Song: Blood & Glitter Performer: Lord Of The Lost Songwriters: Anthony J. Brown,

Chris Harms, Pi Stoffers, Rupert Keplinger

FRANCE Grand Final Total: 104 points Juries: 54 Televote: 50 16th place

GERMANY Grand Final Total: 18 points Juries: 3 Televote: 15 26th place • Since 2015 the country has been out of the bottom two only once (in 2018)! This year only the juries in Czechia and Iceland thought it worthy of points - but at least the televotes of its neighbours, Austria and Switzerland, liked Blood & Glitter , as well as those hard rockers in Finland.

I never really got the hype around this. It’s a decent enough song and La Zarra clearly performs the socks off it, but I just can’t see how people were calling it as a dark horse winner. For me the beginning of the song is far more interesting than when the beat kicks in - it sort of becomes a bit something and nothing after that. I managed a lovely interview with La Zarra and she’s clearly a clued up and switched on artist, but something about this just didn’t click with me. France did give us the only fire curtain this year though, credit to them for that! Lisa-Jayne Lewis

Someone has to come last and for the second year running it’s Germany. I don’t think Lord of the Lost and this song deserved that dreaded last place in the Grand Final. Blood And Glitter was such a great entry as one of the stand-out songs that brought so much adrenaline and energy to the Eurovision stage. Probably this was one of the best performances on the night, but I don’t understand how the best songs always end up in last place - and hard to tell why it didn’t score as well as expected. Chris Harms, the lead singer, has a pretty extensive vocal range, and as expected there were good special effects with pyros and flashing lights. After the contest they signed up for a headline tour around Europe as well as supporting heavy metal band Iron Maiden on their UK tour. Shau Chan

• The highest jury points the country got was a 10 from Sweden - and the same amount of points from the Armenian televoters. The country has yet to capitalise on its runner-up ranking in 2021.

GRE ECE

GEORG I A

SEMI-FINAL 2

Song: What They Say Performer: Victor Vernicos Songwriter: Victor Vernicos Jørgensen GREECE Semi-Final 2 Televote total: 14 points 13th place • Only two countries voted for Greece this year, Armenia and Cyprus - and naturally the viewers in the latter awarded 12 points. Nevertheless the country still has a decent record of qualifying for the Grand Final.

Song: Echo Performer: Iru Khechanovi Songwriters: Beni Kadagidze, Iru Khechanovi, George Kukhianidze GEORGIA Semi-Final 2 Televote total: 33 points 12th place • The country hasn’t made it through to the Grand Final since 2016. Though the televoters of its neighbour, Armenia, awarded Georgia its only 12 points this year.

No one can deny that Iru was a striking figure on that stage. She looked like a dangerous vestal virgin - all helped along with, literally, striking special effects. There certainly was a storm brewing - but yet again the country failed to make it through to the Grand Final. Clearly the song, Echo , failed to make any impact - its key changes were maybe too awkward and probably too shouty. And was it wise to just let Iru stand on a small little round stage? Maybe a bit of movement and adding more people to the act might have been a bit more memorable. As it was it just got lost in the mix - which is a shame as the country, year after year, tries hard to impress. Let’s hope for a bit more oomph next year. Hass Yusuf

All credit to 16 year-old Victor Vernicos who represented his country with the self-penned What They Say . This is a great contemporary song in the style of James Arthur, but it just didn’t work on the Eurovision stage. Victor was struggling to overcome his nerves as he began to sing and, unfortunately, he didn’t really recover his composure from thereon. Hopefully he will have a successful career ahead of him but, for now, his inexperience of major live performances was his downfall. The choreography appeared awkward and, perhaps, the song would have had more impact had Victor not run around the stage while doing Busted- style jumps. A brave effort and, in a few years from now, it would be good if Victor could be given another chance. Gordon Lewis

VISION ● AUTUMN 2022 31

AUTUMN 2022 ● VISION

I CE LAND

I SRAE L

SEMI-FINAL 2

GRAND FINAL

Song: Unicorn Performer: Noa Kirel Songwriters: Doron Medalie, May Sfadia, Noa Kirel, Yinon Yahe ISRAEL Semi-Final 1 Televote total: 127 points 3rd place Grand Final Total: 362 points Juries: 177 Televote: 185 3rd place • Third in its semi and third in the Grand Final, Israel were back after not qualifying last year. In the semi it achieved four 12s from the televoters as was the case in the Grand Final - but the televoters went one further with five 12s.

Song: Power Performer: Diljá Songwriters: Diljá Pétursdóttir, Pálmi Ragnar Ásgeirsson ICELAND Semi-Final 2 Televote total: 44 points 11th place • The country just missed out qualifying for the Grand Final, but it still got 12 points from its old mate, Denmark.

Noa certainly put on a show in Liverpool highlighted by her exhausting dance routine to finish off the performance; and it worked. Noa finished third in Semi-Final 1 and then went on to finish on the podium in the Grand Final, taking bronze with 362 points. Benefiting from a good draw in the Grand Final Noa channelled inspiration from Dana International in her performance to edge out Italy into third place. Since Eurovision, Noa has met Israeli Premier Benjamin Netanyahu and started working on a new album. Will it contain her version of The Unicorn written and performed by Donovan and Paul McCartney in 1968? Marcus Keppel-Palmer

What an amazing and energetic performance from Dijia, providing a profound message of finding inner strength, and embracing new beginnings along with a flawless song and choreography on the stage. Such strong, powerful vocals give POWER to all who will listen. Iceland normally send great entries in the past but hard to know where they went wrong with this entry and whether it was the staging. I thought the running around the stage was confusing and I wasn’t sure if taking off the jacket partway through the performance was a good idea. That said, I really loved this song when it won the national final but was very disappointed that it didn’t qualify for the Grand Final coming 11th in the second semi-final. Shau Chan

I TALY

I RE LAND

SEMI-FINAL 1

GRAND FINAL

Song: We Are One Performers: Wild Youth Songwriters: Conor O’Donohoe, Edward Porter, Jörgen Elofsson IRELAND Semi-Final 1 Televote total: 10 points 12th place • The highest points achieved this year were three points each from Malta and Norway. The last time the country qualified for the Grand Final was in 2018.

Song: Due Vite ( Two Lives ) Performer: Marco Mengoni Songwriters: Davide Petrella, Marco Mengoni, Davide Simonetta

ITALY Grand Final Total: 350 points Juries: 176 Televote: 174 4th place

Nobody was entirely sure which version of Wild Youth were going to turn up to the Liverpool stage for Semi-Final 1. Their national final performance showcased all-black outfits while their music video introduced the band in sparkly hoods and finally Conor O’Donohoe walked into the arena on Tuesday night with a gold sparkly outfit reminiscent of something Elvis might have worn towards the end of his career. Wild Youth’s 12th place finish is Ireland’s best since Ryan O’Shaughnessy qualified for the Grand Final in 2018 but has still sparked a public inquest regarding their trajectory at the contest. Fin Ross Russell

Marco Mengoni singing Due Vite for Italy was another artist making a return to Eurovision after finishing seventh in 2013. He is a big star in Italy and seemed relaxed and confident throughout the week and even found time to make some social media videos with his friend and fellow Italian Eurovision veteran, Mahmood. It was a classy performance with strong vocals and understated staging that allowed the music to take centre stage. The background trampoline artists were rather lost on the audience in the arena but looked good on TV against a backdrop of the Earth from space. Mengoni himself looked a little nervous particularly towards the end of the song and seemed very relieved to get through a vocally challenging number. Simon Bennett

• Italy are making a habit of being in the Top Ten - and this year they got near identical votes from both the juries and televoters. Five juries gave the country 12 points, though only two 12s from the televoters.

VISION ● AUTUMN 2022 33

AUTUMN 2022 ● VISION

Page 1 Page 2-3 Page 4-5 Page 6-7 Page 8-9 Page 10-11 Page 12-13 Page 14-15 Page 16-17 Page 18-19 Page 20-21 Page 22-23 Page 24-25 Page 26-27 Page 28-29 Page 30-31 Page 32-33 Page 34-35 Page 36-37 Page 38-39 Page 40-41 Page 42-43 Page 44-45 Page 46-47 Page 48-49 Page 50-51 Page 52-53 Page 54-55 Page 56-57 Page 58-59 Page 60-61 Page 62-63 Page 64-65 Page 66-67 Page 68-69 Page 70-71 Page 72-73 Page 74-75 Page 76-77 Page 78-79 Page 80-81 Page 82-83 Page 84-85 Page 86-87 Page 88-89 Page 90-91 Page 92-93 Page 94-95 Page 96-97 Page 98-99 Page 100-101 Page 102-103 Page 104-105 Page 106-107 Page 108-109 Page 110-111 Page 112

Made with FlippingBook Annual report maker