Standing out from the crowd – A necessity for Eurovision

Over the years, certain media sources have bemoaned the fact that Eurovision music is too generic and is losing out on targeting a wider audience. While many countries have fielded ‘alternative’ acts over the years, these have generally been viewed as novelty acts rather than serious contenders.

However, when Finnish rock band, Lordi won the 2006 Eurovision Song Contest with ‘Hard Rock Hallelujah’, it was a game-changer, showing that there is no hard and fast ‘formula’ for a winning Eurovision song.

In my opinion, delivering a perfectly crafted pop song isn’t the ultimate goal for Eurovision glory. It’s also about showmanship, entertainment, performance and musical accomplishment. Grabbing the audience’s attention and holding it, while delivering a song that appeals to the ear and the heart is the winning formula for me.

With that in mind, I took a look back at 5 alternative bands that should have made it to the Eurovision final but didn’t, for various reasons.

Nightwish – Sleepwalker

Nightwish are a hugely popular band from the ‘gothic/symphonic metal’ genre who competed to represent Finland back in 2000 with their song ‘Sleepwalker’. This song won the hearts and the votes of the televoting public. However, the decision was overruled by the Jury, who nominated Nina Astrom as the winner instead. A big mistake, in my opinion. Nightwish’s unique sound has the power and majesty more than worthy of Eurovision glory. Check out the video and see what you think.

Wig Wam – In My Dreams

There’s nothing like a bit of over-the-top glam rock and Norwegian band Wig Wam deliver this in spades along with a kick-ass performance. These guys actually made it to the Eurovision Song Contest in 2005 and placed 9th, showing that there is an appreciation out there for alternative music.

SinPlus – Unbreakable

Popular UK band, The Killers, come to mind as soon as I hear these guys. Swiss brothers Ivan and Gabriel Broggini competed for the Eurovision final with their hit song ‘Unbreakable’ which came 11th in the semi-finals. It would be great to see them give ESC another try as they look great, sound great and can really put on a show.

Anonymous – Salvem El Mon (Save The World)

This band competed in the Andorran semi-finals in 2007 but did not qualify. Such a shame, as their sound, reminiscent of 70’s punk bands and punk revivalists Green Day is a breath of fresh air and an antidote to the ‘Eurovision formula’. Definitely one that teenage rebels and old punks alike can relate to.

Winni Puuh – Meiecundimees üks Korsakov läks eile Lätti

And then sometimes you have to go the whole hog and present the most outrageous, strangest performance ever, which will leave the audience asking “What did I just see?” because it just might work. For Estonian shock-punk band Winni Puuh, it was a little too ‘out there’ for the judges but can you imagine this at Stockholm or back in Malmo? As we have seen with Lordi, sometimes something is just so left-field that everyone votes for it. Keep on trying, guys.

What alternative genres do you like? Is there a particular band you’d like to see represent your country at Eurovision? Drop a comment below and tell us all about it.

Author : Jennifer Roche

Source : Eurovision Ireland