Flying the Flag for Strutting

I'm still demanding a strut! On the CatCatWalk - Well Done to the Melodimen for that piece of Eurovizh wordplay.

Yes, The Catwalk Campaign continues apace (ie. I've not done anything since last week and don't intend to so it 'continues' 'apace').

39 intelligent, sound-of-mind and right-thinking people have signed the campaign so far. I'll print them all out, pop them in a jiffy bag and send it off to YLE. Soon. But what do the petitionees have to say:

Andy Brook notes: Scooch needs an aisle to demonstrate their safety procedures!

And to show us where the emergency exits are!

None other than Vicki Leandros (!) says: Oooh, imagine what Ola Salo (the Ark) could do with a catwalk.

Vicki knows her stuff (or, at least, imagines her stuff)

Neil Durham offers a voice of sanity and a well-reasoned argument in this sea of bonkers-ness by saying: Use of the catwalk by the acts would make the contest far more exciting and increase the interaction between artists and audience.

You know it. Please sign the petition: if not for Scooch, for Edsilia, for Evridiki, for Guri, for Everybody (that's all of us, not the ropey Estonian winner).

They Must Strut!

Some pictures have emerged about the Eurovision stage for Helsinki. This is one of those pictures, thank you oikotimes who took it from YLE / EBU.

It's quite minimal in a Finnish chic way, and this is good.

There is a catwalk, and this is good.

The catwalk is only to be used for the opening and interval acts, and camera-people. Not the performers. And this is bad.

Guri Schanke needs to strut! Scooch need to have the aisle light up in the case of an emergency landing! Edsilia = strutting! Evridiki = strutting! Serebro = coordinated girl band strutting! DQ = strutting! We need the strutting space.

YLE! Rectify this! The Catwalk Campaign starts here. Sign the petition and Save Our Strutting!

Ola Carola

So The Ark are going forward for Sweden to Eurovision. I can't help wonder whether the great Swedish viewing public got a little confused between their beloved Carola and The Ark's Ola. They have the same hair, after all.

And just who is that getting off with Andreas Johnson and that lovely young Sebastian?




Ola, Carola? Of course it's Carola, the grand dame herself. You can't keep a schlager diva down.

Dragonette.

Dragonette are amazing. I've said it before and I'm sure I'll say it again. 

I went to their showcase on Monday night. Before the show commenced, a pole dancer slinked her way on stage and swung around. Dragonette's image is being moulded from sex and lots of it. Martina wore a purple PVC leotard, and talked about the boys in the band's cock sizes.

I Get Around is a homage to sleeping with men that you shouldn't, the sort of forbidden-fucks you know you shouldn't. 

Competition is about sleeping with another girl's man. Martina fabulously introduced it as "this is a song about the time I fucked your boyfriend". 

New song Black Limousine plays around with being a gold-digger.

The video for the synthy-slutty I Get Around shows Martina cross-dressing and getting off with ladies. I cornered her after the gig (actually - she! approached! me!) to ask her a hugely important question. Here's the exclusive interview.

Me: We still love your hair.
Lady Dragonette: Thanks!
Me: I want to ask you a question... actually, three questions but I can only remember one now as I've drank this freebie wine. So. What do you say to those that suggest you should be getting off with hunky guys in your video and not those ladies?
LD: What? Haha. Well, that would mean another change, and I've already had two changes so I don't know. Or as a guy? It would be, eh...
Me: [interrupting] You totally know I'm just going to pretend you said "Yes! Absolutely!"

Hurrah for her. Hurrah for Dragonette. I'm sure they'll be playing tons more gigs soon so go see, and get their album when it comes out. It will be ace.

Ace Songs for Europe #5: Vive La France

The good people of France choose their Eurovision song tonight. France have been rubbish for the past 2 years, but they've upped their game considerably this year and have invited lots of well known acts to participate. And the acts, they say yes. My favourite is by Les Fatals Picards. It is called L'amour a la francaise - Love by the French, or French Love, or something like that.

Reasons why it should win are:

• It is jaunty, kooky bouncy guitar pop.
  
• Apparently Les Fatals Picards are a punk band, although you wouldn't think it to look at them, or hear them. So quite how they are I don't know.


• They seem to use humour a lot in their songs and music. Maybe they're a comedy punk band. Hurrah.


• Les Fatals Picards have been 'on the go' for 7 years, and have 4 albums to their credit. According to one hastily BabelFish translated description of the band: "It is now a shock troop made up of five proud strapping men". Intriguing.


• The song mixes English and French in a thoroughly endearing way. My French is rusty as a rusty bucket but I think they're singing about love clichés or some such. Apparently it's sung in a comedy American accent. I like that sound.


• The whole sound is slow, jaunty and just a little My Star-ish.

Download: Les Fatals Picards - L'amour a la francaise


Another excellent song in the French selection is Vive Papa by Les Vedettes. Les Vedettes are a troupe of Belgian cheerleadering majorettes. Ace! They have throwing sticks, white boots, laces, brass band oompah music. The troupe is made up of actresses, dancers, designers and all sorts. They sound fabulous.

Their song Vive Papa! is written by someone important and indie called Katerine. Katerine is a man. The song apparently is about Pinochet. I don't know about the politics, but it sounds like a riot with Gwen Stefani (when she was good) leading The Pipettes into battle against the forces of mundane. This is quite ace.

Download: Les Vedettes - Vive Papa!

Rockin' Robyn

I went to see Robyn play in Metro last night. Rather than the erratic and raw Robyn we saw last time, this was funky Robyn. She was in total control of the stage, and the audience loved her. We sang along at all the right moments, and you could see Robyn was overwhelmed by our reaction. She chirped "takk" and "thanks" and was uber-cute. These were the high-points:

• It was a retro-Robyn-fest, with performances of Show Me Love and Keep This Fire Burning.
• But the best song of the night was her newest, the oh-so-sublime With Every Heartbeat.
• Robyn put her hand up her top for one chorus of this and affected a very strong heartbeat. Ace.
• Robyn danced her little legs off - bopping and popping to nearly every song. This involved a lot flailing of arms and legs. Coordinated, she is not.
• Robyn's fringe covers half her face. I don't know how she sees.
• There were two performances of Be Mine, but for both she neglected to say the "and you looked happy, and that's great ... I just miss you, that's all" line. I agreed with a random, excitable Swedish girl that this was not right, so we said the line together, thus making everything OK.
• Konichiwa Bitches was ace, as per usual.
• Robyn was accompanied by two drummers - such a good look.

And that's that. Robyn is playing another London gig in just under a month, at Cargo. Click here to book, and go see as Robyn is fantastic and ace.