Eurovision recap

tarist Brent McSwiggan and bassist Oliver Burdett cooked up a cyclone of distortion, simultaneously reinforcing and contrasting against Mercedes’ supercharged and yet also delicate guitar leads. A particularly blistering guitar solo from McSwiggan amassed a fantastic response from the crowd. Softcult proved exactly why they are a force to be reckoned with throughout the performance. The complex nature of their music prohibits them from being categorized into any particular genre, and this fluidity serves as one of their best assets when navigating sounds and tones that traverse between anger, sadness and solitude. The musicianship of every member was excellent, as these genres and emotions were engaged with in an effortless manner. Crucial to all of this, and ultimately the component that enhanced Softcult’s set the most, was the sincerity of their message. Their declaration of war against misogyny and gender inequality shone through brilliantly, and it was fascinating to witness an already superb shoegaze band serving as such a revitalizing vehicle for positive change.

Megan Ballantyne, Editor, reviews the competition's first time in the UK in 25 years

THE path to Eurovision 2023 was a long one. Since Ukraine's Kalush Orchestra won last year's final with their song ‘Stefania’, debates around where and how the contest would take place have dominated the discussion over the last year due to the ongoing war in Ukraine. While Ukrainian authorities had hoped that the contest could take place in the “newly rebuilt” Ukraine, the contest ended up taking place in Liverpool, the first time the competition has been held in the UK since 1998. President Volodymyr Zelensky said that he would have preferred it if Ukraine had been able to host Eurovision in a country nearer to Ukraine “where our people could travel to and be very close,” but that “the main thing is that the contest is taking place. Let the people show their talent.” petition with her power ballad ‘Tattoo,’ previously also won the competition in 2012 for her song ‘Euphoria’ which became a Europe-wide hit. The audience favourite, and highest on the popular vote, Finland, came a close second with their song ‘Cha Cha Cha,’ which saw lead singer Käärijä performing in a neon green top with four cha cha dancers running around the stage and contorting their body wearing bright pink outfits and eerie and shiny white smiles. The audience in Liverpool were heard chanting the name of the song repeatedly while voting was being announced, but in the end they received 526 votes, 57 below Sweden’s 583.

The UK’s entry ‘I Wrote a Song’ didn’t meet the heights of last year’s second place ‘SPACE MAN’ and sent the UK firmly back to the bottom half of the leaderboard, with Mae Muller’s ‘I Wrote a Song’ coming second to last with 24 points overall.

The UK Eurovision commentator for the last 16 years, Graham Norton, hosted the show alongside actress and presenter Hannah Waddingham, musician Alesha Dixon and Ukrainian singer Julia Sanina.

This year, the announcers of the jury votes were even more eccentric than usual. The UK’s Catherine Tate appeared drunk and swaying on the screen, (as I expect many of us were by the end of the show) while Iceland’s presenter was wearing a mask much like that you might expect a Marvel villain to wear. The jury’s votes went overwhelmingly to Loreen’s Tattoo, giving her almost double as many points as the second place competitor, Finland.

Now that the final has come and gone, however, we have been able to focus on all the usual things we love about Eurovision, and not only the difficult circumstances leading up to it; the strange mix of political and humanitarian statements and weird musical acts is once again over for another year.

Sweden’s Loreen, who won the 2023 com-

There was decent parity between Ukrainian and British representation in the show. Tributes were paid to Liverpool’s musical history, but key Ukrainian sites of interest were celebrated alongside British monuments in between the acts of the Saturday evening show. Ukraine’s song ‘Heart of Steel’ also offered a fitting tribute to Ukraine and its resistance to the Russian invasion, with band member Andrii Hutsuliak taking inspiration for the song from the resilience of Ukrainian forces during the siege of Mariupol.

The show overall managed to strike a delicate tone between commemorating and recognising the tragic circumstances under which the show was taking place in the UK, while also uplifting the campy joy we have all come to expect and love from Eurovision.