JUST HOW CAMP WAS EUROVISION 2023

Then there were the usual landmines, and these include those off-the-wall numbers where the performers, for whatever reason need to dress & look like demons, I guess its that Game of Thrones kind of vibe that is trending these days, or the heavy metal numbers, which, whilst possibly perfect in their genre do not necessarily have a broad appeal, especially for the camp audiences, wildly waving their rainbow flags, that Eurovision attracts.

The winner, and an early favourite for the title was Sweden’s Loreen with her performance of Tatoo. Having won the Eurovision Song Contest before, in 2012 with the song Euphoria, she is the second performer and the first female artist to achieve this accolade. The electro-power pop ballad , which opened with reminiscences of Aviici and then ABBA, those mega Swedish performers, was a triumph and it wouldn’t be Eurovision if she wasn’t one of us … In early 2017, Loreen came out as bisexual.

The runner-up and controversially the people’s vote choice was the charismatic, Käärijä, a Finnish rapper best known for his song “Cha Cha Cha.” His OTT energetic performance with the “Incredible-Hulk” green shoulder pads was without doubt the public choice … The song will become an anthem in gay clubs this summer and Käärijä will cement himself in the LGBT music scene …

So just how gay was this year’s Eurovision.

Serbia’s Luke Black (Luka Ivanović) is one of the contest’s openly gay performers…

Norway’s Alessandra Mele reported in a Eurovision interview that she is bisexual, with her song “Queen of Kings” representing her experiences as a bisexual woman.

Then there’s Let 3, Croatia’s, entry – a rock group who are clearly off the charts as far as their costumes go … they apparently originally wanted to perform naked!!! But were not allowed, so opted for drag with military accessories … not sure about them …

As already mentioned, possibly the gayest song was performed by Belgium’s Gustavo who was a former member of iconic queer electronic collective Hercules and Love Affair.

Käärijä, if he doesn’t burst out of the closet deserves an honourary spot under the LGBTQ+ umbrella. With his driving techno beat and his nipple-exposing, fluorescent green puffysleeved outfit, one critic said his number “Cha Cha Cha” “had the ambiance of a queer, all-gender orgy.”

Then there were Teya and Salena from Austria who put on their bookish yet dollish demeanour with exquisite poise, inhabiting a bizarre role as dowdy-glam poetry-loving office workers with more than a whiff of lesbianism about them, and a hint of a drag king performance. Who the Hell Is Edgar? … the song was camp, and they were camp …

Danish singer Reiley, who didn’t make it to the final, seems to occupy that grey area between twink and lesbian … cute...

All in all, there was no shortage of LGBT’s and with Graham Norton hosting the grand final … say no more!