Eurovision 2025: Basel Calling

[Lorne Malvo]

I really don't like our song and I'm not entirely sure why but the lyric where they go 'went on the roof, jumped in the pool, you should do it too!' like a 'wacky' sixth-former really annoys me.

[TheBurningRed]

Can’t wait for this. I’ve got the night off work, takeaway and beers on the cards. As with every year when I watch with my missus and mates, we don’t listen to any of the songs until the night. The element of surprise. We also have score cards with different categories. One of the best nights of the year. 

[johnnyboy]

40 minutes ago, TheBurningRed said:

Can’t wait for this. I’ve got the night off work, takeaway and beers on the cards.

I'm struggling for a Swiss main course at the minute.  Obviously you can sort pudding with a giant Toblerone or slab of Milka, maybe a Ricola at a push.  I may cheat and have a burger with Swiss cheese in.

Edited May 12, 2025 by johnnyboy

[Lion_of_the_Midlands]

14 minutes ago, johnnyboy said:

I'm struggling for a Swiss main course at the minute.  Obviously you can sort pudding with a giant Toblerone or slab of Milka, maybe a Ricola at a push.  I may cheat and have a burger with Swiss cheese in.

Fondue JB. Cheese one for main course, chocolate one for dessert. 

[johnnyboy]

Lena not only gave us the 2010 winner "Satellite", she also reworked it for the German version of Sesame Street as a Bert searching song.  You are very welcome.

 

 

[Merzbow]

So we've got a really shit Sabrina Carpenter wannabe group this year? What a shame we never got the chance to have SOPHIE to produce a real euro-pop banger.

God, I loved Lena, she seemed so awkward and that strange British twang she tried to put on somehow worked for her.

[johnnyboy]

2 minutes ago, Merzbow said:

God, I loved Lena, she seemed so awkward and that strange British twang she tried to put on somehow worked for her.

Even her weird cover of Salt-N-Pepa's Whatta Man couldn't stop me loving her.

[johnnyboy]

Tonight's the night!

BBC One - 8pm
 

(Insanely this attempt at Derren Browning all of Europe came sixth)

Semi-Final 1 Tunes

Fifteen countries are competing in this semi-final for ten final spots.  (16 into 10 for SF2)

Switzerland as hosts plus The Big 5 (France, Germany, Italy, Spain, and the UK) automatically go through to the final, due to winning it and financial contributions respectively.

Tonight there will be the fifteen competing countries, plus Italy, Spain, and Switzerland who will be performing in a getting eyeballs on our act capacity.

Sweden are heavily fancied with their rousing sauna banger*.

*With "Bada Bada Bastu" KAJ beat previous Eurovision winner, and devilishly handsome bastard Mans Zelmerlow, at Sweden's Melodifestivalen.  He wasn't best pleased.  I'm not going to go all TMZ with his divorce stuff, but never meet your heroes (or heroooooooohoooooohes in this case?) and all that.

I think Italy might be a dark horse.  Not my cup of tea, but it might scratch a schmaltzy itch.

Estonia, singing in Italian, have a cracking coffee themed number.

San Marino, also singing in Italian, have a DJ delivering a pasta sauce recipe (from my understanding).  So bad it's good, or so bad it's bad?

Netherlands, singing in French and English (I know, right), is NOT a reworking of B*Witched's song of the same name

Switzerland are channeling a bit of Celine with a delicate number.  I love it.  No one has won back to back since the Irish 3peat of the 90s.  I think this and the French song (showcased in SF2) might split the lovely songs sung in French vote.

I can't claim this, but my daughter said that the Cypriot act looks like all of the Jonas Brothers at once, which is fairly astute.

I promise that the second semi is better overall.

[FLips]

I heard Malta’s rework and they’ve snuck a little stuttered “Ka” in after “Serving”. Definitely going to get the audience in on it and stands every chance of going far.

In terms of SF1 I think Sweden’s has grown on me but I don’t think much of any other competing act tonight. 

[Lion_of_the_Midlands]

I'm surprised the scaffolding lads didn't get through, and I'm surprised Albanian Jesse J did. Sweden and Estonia with proper mad novelty songs and Poland threw the kitchen sink at it. Justyna is the same age as me but I'm not sure I'm up to all that dancing about. 

[FLips]

Edge of the seat stuff watching Portugal and Ukraine go through so late. A little surprised the cancer sob story one and the red one didn't get through.

Rylan and Scott are great at being sassy and snarky without being too mean. Ripping the piss out of the host having to talk about snacks to waste time really made the best of a boring situation.

 

[lanky316]

Watching them two last night made me release how much I would prefer them to Norton presenting the main show. Not particularly a fan of either of them but there were some good laugh out loud moments. It came across as two people watching who genuinely enjoy it all but are fully aware of some of the ridiculousness and not afraid to joke about some of the absurdity. Found it far more enjoyable than Norton usually is in the main show.

[FLips]

7 minutes ago, lanky316 said:

Watching them two last night made me release how much I would prefer them to Norton presenting the main show. Not particularly a fan of either of them but there were some good laugh out loud moments. It came across as two people watching who genuinely enjoy it all but are fully aware of some of the ridiculousness and not afraid to joke about some of the absurdity. Found it far more enjoyable than Norton usually is in the main show.

I really like Graham Norton, not just as the host of ESC but in general. I grew up watching "So Graham Norton" on Friday night's when Channel 4 had that absolutely scorching hot streak during the late 90s/early 2000s. I'm sure someone will ruin it for me but he seems like just a nice bloke.

That being said, Rylan and Scott bring a constant energy he doesn't and I wouldn't be too sad to see them replace him, even if eventually.

Also Espresso Machiatto has been jammed in my head all morning and I wasn't even a fan of it.

Edited May 14, 2025 by FLips

[johnnyboy]

40 minutes ago, FLips said:

A little surprised the cancer sob story one and the red one didn't get through.

I couldn't decide if the Slovenian one was touching or milking it.  The music video for it has a long "you got cancer" monologue which up against oompa sauna tunes really jars.

Glad Azerbaijan didn't go through as I thought that was the worst this year, but I held the Norwegian song in similar regard and that's in the final.

Some acts really seem to be struggling to fill that stage.  The runway to the T piece seems very hard to do anything with apart from stationing some dancers down there and then having a key change sprint.

That said, of the competing acts I thought that Ukraine's staging was excellent with the Liberace Captain Kirk outfit for the lead singer, light cuts, lights and projections for wings, the backing singers having lights on their hand motions and the big heart tailcoat.

The simple Italian staging, especially the ANDY on the sole of the shoe, really enhanced the song as I wasn't sold on it from the music video.  On stage it really worked.

[FLips]

1 minute ago, johnnyboy said:

I couldn't decide if the Slovenian one was touching or milking it.  The music video for it has a long "you got cancer" monologue which up against oompa sauna tunes really jars.

Glad Azerbaijan didn't go through as I thought that was the worst this year, but I held the Norwegian song in similar regard and that's in the final.

Some acts really seem to be struggling to fill that stage.  The runway to the T piece seems very hard to do anything with apart from stationing some dancers down there and then having a key change sprint.

That said, of the competing acts I thought that Ukraine's staging was excellent with the Liberace Captain Kirk outfit for the lead singer, light cuts, lights and projections for wings, the backing singers having lights on their hand motions and the big heart tailcoat.

The simple Italian staging, especially the ANDY on the sole of the shoe, really enhanced the song as I wasn't sold on it from the music video.  On stage it really worked.

I think it was too much on the milking it side for me. Not to say ESC isn't without it's personal and political statements, but mostly I don't want to watch it to be reminded of cancer. They may as well have put a "For only £5 a month" donation scroll at the bottom.

I went into it liking Italy's song and he killed it on the night. Like you said, the Andy on the shoe was cool and I think the performance had a bit of the Bowies about it. The lyrics translated on the screen was a good touch too, I hope it goes far.