Favorite Sweden, Croatia’s protest number packaged as underpants fun: this is what you can expect from the Eurovision final

The fact that the Eurovision Song Contest is an apolitical event that usually prohibits political statements has been ignored again this year. More than last year. Yes, the European Broadcasting Union refuses to broadcast a video message from President Zelensky in the final. But how the festival in Liverpool smothers Ukraine with European love during this edition, due to last year’s guest of honor winnings, is striking. In the introductory films of the candidates we see the most beautiful images of nature in the country (without any trace of war violence!), the British presenters wear dresses in the colors of the flag, there are many Ukrainian guest appearances, schoolchildren, it can’t be over. Just like last year, Russia is not welcome at the European song festival.

The rather unique, satire-wrapped protest song by Let 3 from Croatia is also allowed without grumbling. The song ‘Mama ŠČ!’ – with silly outfits, childish steps, faces full of make-up and meter-high visuals – seems like a joke at first. Literally: underpants fun. But it’s an indictment, an anti-war song that mocks dictators like Putin with childish lyric where “the little psychopath” calls his mama and T-shirts symbolize the deported children from Ukraine.

Winning is not the intention. “There are no winners in wars, there are no losers at Eurovision,” says singer Zoran of the five-piece rock band Let 3, founded in 1987. It’s about raising awareness. Anyway, rockers are not known for their subtle performances. They are rather provocative and express a dissenting voice. In campy, sometimes quite obscene videos, they reenact how the band dies in front of a firing squad, spread-legged in dresses and thongs, or unannounced naked in TV shows.

What will we see in the Eurovision final on Saturday evening? As usual a packed, colorful program, bursting with flavor enhancers. Everything that makes a song its own is visually blown up and made even more powerful with hysterical outfits, in usually beautiful staging (watch out for the Belgians!) or quietly three music styles in the three Eurovision minutes.

The small, hushed pop ballad has lost out this year – except for Italy and Switzerland’s Dotan-like song. It is mainly dance pop that is the order of the day . Trend 1: the solo dance halfway (Israel, Armenia, Poland). Trend 2: start the song lying down (Sweden, Armenia, Serbia).

The inexperienced Dutch duo Mia and Dion stranded in the semi-final on Tuesday evening. There is still a lot to evaluate at AvroTros about this shaky participation. With the song ‘Blinded’, composed by the songwriter Wouter Hardy for singer Alika from Estonia, there is a small Dutch hook. A dancer from Den Bosch participates in audience favorite Finland, and the guitarist in the Slovenian band Joker Out is also half-Dutch. Singer Duncan Laurence will also perform again in this final.

Tonight’s final has 26 performances. These are the outliers: