Eurovision 2025: Basel Calling

[lanky316]

I wouldn't necessarily put it down to "bots", something that was massive last year - I've not seen if it's been the same this year - has been a lot of people on the right have been doing a big rallying cry and been running huge campaigns and there are voting patterns linked to people "sticking it to the libs" and voting blindly at their request. There has been some "unusual voting activity" reported last year but nothing really came from it.

The open manipulation of the broadcasts though has been a thing again, crowd reactions for other acts have been lessened (which screws over an "audience participation" song like Australias was without the call and response, or Malta and everyone shouting "KANT!"). At the same time Israel have got essentially complete fake crowd noise over their track, while I can sort of "get" trying to lessen boos and other signs of discontent the fact that they pump up the volume to give much louder cheers and celebration effects are comical. Especially if there's any larger crowd shots showing people just looking at their phones and being indifferent at best.

[Harry Wiseau]

I'm stupidly tired after having the worst sleep and being up since 4 with the 3 year old, so much so that for only the second time I'm my life I've had an energy drink to try and perk me up (Michael Buffer sour apple, bloody horrible) we've had a busy old day so the Eurovision buffet seems like it'll just be Italian pizza, French bread and cheese, Irish stout, a swiss toblerone (white) and polish crisps (mushroom lays, I got them in the Polish shop so it counts) 

The UK song has slightly grown on me but the videos of Andrew Lloyd Webber delivering a message from the Phantom saying to vote for them and the Royal Guards playing it today has put me off somewhat.

Hoping for a good showing for Finland as I appear to have put money on them in March. Sweden will most probably will but I'm all in for the ride.

 

Enjoy it everyone, let the Eurovision Song Contest begin!

 

EDIT - I just went on skybet and I could cash out my £3 Australia bet for £2.52, even though they're not in it tonight. So I did!

 

Shit, it was the bet underneath I cashed! Curses!

Edited May 17, 2025 by Harry Wiseau
Cash out king! Or not.

[The Gaffer]

All over Sissal. She puts her foot through that vocal and the music's the best kind of full on Kevin & Perry Go Large cheese trance. Something about her seems very unassuming and lovely, too. She looked like she was legitimately going to pass out when she was voted through in the semi final. 

Edited May 17, 2025 by The Gaffer

[MungoChutney]

Wow, that was close to being an absolutely terrible outcome!

[TheBurningRed]

Nice to see Aleister Black make an appearance for Montenegro to give the scores out.

[johnnyboy]

9 hours ago, johnnyboy said:

BOLD PREDICTIONS

Austria top 5 with the juries, but bottom 5 with the televote.

Israel win the RoW televote.

UK in the 50-75 points range, putting them in the high teens on the scoreboard.

Cyprus will not be the only country to give Greece 12 points.

No one gets the 0-0 from the jury and televote combined.

1. Half right.

2. I'm going to take that as a given.

3. Mostly right.  0 points from the public felt a bit harsh.

4. Good on the glasses.

5. James Newman remains undefeated.

Thank you Austria!

Europe is fucking hard for operatic numbers.  What's Rhydian up to these days?

[FLips]

Thank god for that. Diabolical they almost got away with it.

[Just Some Guy]

I voted for Switzerland.

Nil points from the televote is totally inexplicable to me.

Until the EBU grow a pair it's anyone but Israel for me.

[Rob Lowe]

My heart was pounding out of my fucking chest at that end. Could have got a bit nasty in the arena if the result was different.

UK televote gave Israel 12 points!? As did many others. They need to get this brigading cleaned up. Israel would be lucky to get in the top 10 usually. Joke.

Switzerland getting 0 in the televote was crazy, do you think because they were the host country people just refused? I loved that song. 0 for UK was also harsh. It wasnt great but not close to the worst. It was nice of the crowd to give them a big cheer though.

Edited May 17, 2025 by Rob Lowe

[lanky316]

Israel will continue to mobilise "certain sections" for an audience vote until they win but generally they were better behaved this year, aside from picking a fight with the Spanish broadcaster it certainly wasn't the complete shambles that we had last year which came fairly close to getting the show pulled. The EBU had a big sigh of relief at the end, they were getting ready to hit the "canned audience" button and avoid showing any crowd shots for the finalé but Austria just about got enough to avoid having a nightmare year ahead for the organisers.

I don't think it'll be remembered as a classic year musically but I think overall it was "fine" in general, a lot of forgettable stuff, but I didn't find myself thinking "please, just make it stop" either.

[Chili]

Austria winning just means regardless of the other vote, everyone is anti-semetic. Don't complain, it's the law you pathetic fucks.

[MungoChutney]

I'd agree with that. It wasn't awful but very few that I'll remember in a year or so. There seemed to be a lot more of going back to the hosts this year, which killed some of the momentum at times. 

[garynysmon]

Every single year I’m agog at what people seem to think is good.

Luxembourg, Germany and Denmark were my top three for instance.

Austria was a bleedin’ racket.

Its almost like a 40 year old straight man who removed Radio 1 from their car radio the Monday after Chris Moyles left isn’t representative or something…

Edited May 18, 2025 by garynysmon

[TheBurningRed]

Iceland were great fun. Judges clearly miserable bastards. And also the public as the only got over 30 points in that vote.

Luxembourg were in my top 3 also. I was genuinely shocked at how poor they did in the votes. 

[Vamp]

I'm not entirely convinced the Israel result was entirely for cynical reasons. It was an emotional song sung by someone who played dead, hiding under dead bodies while gunmen murdered 40 other people hiding in a shelter. It's not inconceivable that people around the world would connect emotionally with that even if they do hate what Israel itself is doing. 

That said I imagine everyone involved is relieved they didn't win. 

Both the jury vote and public vote were baffling at times. 

That said, I thought there was good variety and some really nice songs. I'm a bit wary that we'll get quite a few similar songs next year since the winner seemed quite similar to Nemo's song last year. 

I felt sorry for the UK entry. Not because they got 0 from the public, I don't think that's surprising, but they were good singers that were let down by the song, staging and choreography.