09 March 2015

Review: United Kingdom: Eurovision 2015 | Electro Velvet

Electro Velvet to continue the Eurovision romance in Vienna
Like a convict escaping under a veil of darkness, the UK's Eurovision entry was announced last Saturday night on the BBC's backwoods channel, generally known as the Red Button service. Electro Velvet's updated version of swing entitled Still in Love With You took many people by surprise, not least the fans and the press, the bulk of which responded with their typical knee jerk reaction.

Comments such as, "It's crap and we will be the laughing stock AGAIN" and "Basically that's no f*****g points for us" were pretty mild compared to the majority of vitriolic opinions heading in the BBC's direction. Agreed, there were a few dissenting voices finding favour with the song but, on the whole, the reaction appeared to be unreservedly negative. This is not anything new, though.

With songs from the likes of Scooch (picked by the British public) or Engelbert Humperdinck (picked by the BBC), the UK's Eurovision entry is always destined to fail according to most commentators. Even last year's attempt, which pleased many for its contemporary appeal, floundered miserably. So, what to do?

Try a different approach. BBC Introducing didn't achieve the required results, so fling the doors open to the general public to submit a song. As a nation, we didn't get to hear a final ten or a final five. We shouldn't be disappointed as it was never likely to happen: Television is a business and the BBC are not going to bother spending money on a national final which barely a handful of people have tuned into in its last few incarnations. Especially if viewers are going to send ill-conceived rubbish like Flying the Flag (For You) or Teenage Life.

So, we are left with this internal selection from Electro Velvet. My first reaction on hearing it was a combination of incredulity and amazement. Not specifically due to the quality of the song, but how it didn't conform to the preconceptions of a Eurovision entry. It's neither an earnest ballad, nor an outright novelty song. In fact, it appears to abide by the original concept of the Eurovision Song Contest for entries to reflect the cultural heritage of the nation they represent. In other words, it sounds and feels very British: very Jeeves and Wooster; very Noël Coward; irony and humour in its lyrics.

In a lot of ways, the negative knee jerk reaction the song instigated is now ironic in itself.  By causing an outburst of discussion, it has raised its profile significantly. Social media has been buzzing with commentaries about its quality, more of which are now approving. As for me, I'm much less sceptical than I was.

The jury is out until I hear a live version, but the song's saving grace is that in May it should energise the arena, particularly on a night that will be host to a sea of ballads. Let's hope the BBC can build some momentum over the next two months - perform it across Europe and recreate the feel good dance atmosphere of the video. It's not going to win but, with the right presentation, it should go down a storm!

What do you think?

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