The Stage Is Set

There's something fishy going on in Helsinki with the Eurovision stage. There's a catwalk, but no performers will be using it. Apologies to the 42 people that signed the "They Must Strut!" petition. I might get around to presenting it to YLE this week.

But, even more fishy is the stage design, inspired by the mouth of a pike. The jawbone of the pike was used in ancient times to make a musical instrument, the kantele. This inspired the designers, and the stage is wonderful. It's sleek, has natural curves and shapes and, overall, looks very reserved, classy and Finnish. I like it a lot.

And, even, better, as this picture from eurovisiondiary shows, it's got a windmachine! I'm hoping Hanna Pakarinen, Olivia Lewis and Alenka Gotar are all planing windmachine moments, not to mention the divine DQ!

(By the way, I've started previewing this year's songs on Londonist: go here to read.)

Evri!diki!

It's not often that a Eurovision perfomer pops up in London, so I hot-footed it to the salubrious surroundings of Haringey yesterday to see the Cypriot wonder-diva Evridiki.

• The venue, a Greek-Cypriot club, was all kinds of ace. I heard songs by: Helena Paparizou, Sakis Rouvas, Anna Vissi and Keti Garbi. Euro-tastic.
• One highlight was watching a brassy barmaid belt out an Anna Vissi song.
• Evridiki made her way onto the stage surrounded by security, and accompanied by Dmitrios who mimed playing his guitar through all the songs.
• Evridiki was power-fringing, looking out from underneath her sharp, sharp fringe. A wind machine would have a wonderful effect
• Her dancing to Comme Ci, Comme Ca involved lots of flailing about and shaking her arms. Ace.
• Her style is gothique, wearing a black toga dress and red animal print leggings and silver jewellery.
• She's as skinny as a whip, and ever so youthful. It's very hard to believe she was this classy diva in 1994. It's like she's aging backwards.
• Evridiki sang a traditional Cypriot song... it went on a bit. Every line ended with a high note, giving false hope that the song was ending... but no, on it went.
• Knowing where her bread is buttered, she played an encore of Comme Ci, Comme Ca. Some old duffer asked us all nicely to give her 12 points. We say yes! (on careful consideration of all the other songs, naturally.)

After the glamour of Haringey, Evridiki packed up and went off to grimy Soho to play The Shadow Lounge. Colour me shocked! That's something of a coup. Click here to see a video of her performance. My highlight is when she grabs the pole to do a pole dance, but then changes her mind.

B*W*O

I totally haven't forgotten this blog, I'm just hyper busy changing jobs and finishing a PhD. I'll be back super soon. I took time out yesterday to see the amazing Bodies Without Organs at Popjustice Live. It was blog-tastic: I spotted / met: Jessica, Trixie, gaypop, this dude and Mr Lowculture. Wows.

• Alexander Bard swished his arms to shoo the crowd as they entered. Martin left a gaggle of gays trailing in his wake.


• I tried to be very post-modern and take a picture of the band being photographed by digital cameras and camera phones. I failed. It would have been so appropriate with their netocracy lyrics.


• Not pictured above is Marina. She was busy plinking her keyboard with one hand, continuously adjusting her hair with the other, and doing breathy spoken word bits. Amazing.


• They played Chariots of Fire, Sunshine in the Rain, Sixteen Tons of Hardware and, er, other ace songs. The highlight was Temple of Love, the Eurovision stomper that never was. If only Carola had not said her prayers.


• Martin is a thumping performer, full of energy and bounciness. He looks, in other words, like he's a right go-er in the sack.


• Martin dropped the mike at one point. Literally, dropped it. He also played the mike-stand in a way Lena Philipsson would be proud of and, as you can see, almost gave it head. Lena would never do that!


• Martin had soaked himself in water by the end of the gig. The audience were suitably excited.

A Problem like Maria

Remember that American presenter, Maria Menounos, from last year's Eurovision from Greece? Her that looked like Grace from Will & Grace, and declared that everything was 'amazing', like, a million times...

I know you're now asking yourself, "whatever happened to her?". Well, here she is, having an awkward moment with that lovely Ugly Betty during the Emmy Awards. Amazing.