Looking at the dark , gloomy weather outside and with the beginning of a new year almost upon us , it’s hard to believe that just a few months ago , we were all gathered in Liverpool welcoming delegations , fans, guest performers and visitors to the 2023 Eurovision Song Contest , which Liverpool hosted on behalf of Ukraine, who were unable to host it in their own country for reasons we all by now know . Sweden won, when Loreen brought the country their much coveted seventh victory , bringing them level with Ireland for the number of victories in the Eurovision Song Contest .However, what do people really think of Eurovision 2023 and was it a success ? As in past years, we at Eurovision Ireland decided to bring our own thoughts as to what we thought of the contest this year and our hopes for next year’s contest in Malmö . Read on to see how we all responded to five questions about the contest .Please note that we all answered these questions individually with only myself as the writer knowing each person’s answers and my colleagues not knowing my own answers either !

Do you think Liverpool did a good job of hosting Eurovision 2023 and was there anything that future host cities could learn from them?

John : “Liverpool did an excellent job . The whole city really embraced it from way before the first rehearsals .The public transport, the local businesses, even the open air choir performances.We also know the BBC is a competent broadcaster and the production values were just top notch . The whole experience should be the template for future Eurovisions”.

James : “Oh my goodness, yes!! I think Liverpool did an AMAZING job of hosting the contest ! Eurovision took over the whole city in the best possible way: Branding everywhere,everyone getting into the spirit of Europe’s favourite TV show … I still remember Bold Street being like an unofficial Eurovision central ! Host cities of the future could learn a lot from Liverpool 2023 and I wonder if it will set a new template for the contest ? Smaller cities ( not national capitals ) that can really allow the contest to take centre stage and be the citywide-and continent -wide -celebration that they are.”

Bogdan: ” Liverpool showed that you don’t have to be a country’s capital to put on a great show.The enthusiasm of a smaller city and the pride of people to host such an important event made Liverpool a warm and welcoming place for all Eurovision fans.Other future host cities can definitely take note on how to transform the whole place for a couple of weeks into a Eurovision city.”

Richard : “Liverpool did a fantastic job and raised the level for future host cities in terms of branding and exposure around the city. When you look at every bus stop, train station, etc covered in branding, it shows Malmø is the perfect sized host city to host the event in 2024 , with this type of exposure. You would never have had this level in somewhere like London or Stockholm.”

Sarah : “Oh my goodness, where do I start? I had the pleasure of doing Eurovision Ireland’s Eurovision Tourist Guide to Liverpool,along with John,weeks before the contest started and on that occasion I could already feel vibes that it was going to be a great host city. Being actually there during Eurovision weeks , I saw a city really embracing their hosting duties. You really couldn’t fail to notice that Eurovision was happening in Liverpool and in the UK ! The atmosphere in the city and in and around the arena was terrific, people were friendly and welcoming and just having a good time . Liverpool showed that being a smaller city is no barrier to giving us a good Eurovision and I hope that Malmö will take note and do things on a similar scale when they host next year. We also shouldn’t forget that Liverpool were hosting on behalf of Ukraine and I think I can safely say that they represented the Ukrainian people and culture well in both street events , decor and at the contest itself , so well done Liverpool !”

What were your favourite moments of the contest?

John: “My favourite moments included the Liverpool Songbook feature during the Grand Final .It really epitomised the hope that’s there for less turmoil in Europe . I also liked the way the hosts managed to hold everything together . Whilst the ad-libs were probably scripted, they didn’t appear to be . “

James: “One of the most iconic moments of Liverpool for me was the opening chords of “Cha , Cha Cha ” and hearing the several thousand strong audience screaming for Käärijä. That green whirlwind will go down in history as one of the contest’s most memorable performances ! I also have to give a shout out for Austria opening the show -thought it was an unusual choice at the time , but it helped set the tone for the evening really well! Also, Hannah Waddingham was a revelation as a host -out of the 4 , feel like she did a lot of the heavy lifting!”

Bogdan: ” I loved the whole contest but I absolutely loved the crowd responding to “game over”, “b**ch “and of course Käärijä’s performance.”

Richard: “My favourite moment of the contest has to be attending it on home soil. Never in a million years did I ever expect it to happen and what the BBC and Liverpool City Council achieved , made me proud to be British “

Sarah: “Favourite moments? There are quite a few. I loved the opening of the Grand Final with Kalush Orchestra starting off in a Ukrainian metro station and then including Sam Ryder , and other famous faces , including our Princess of Wales, finishing with Kalush Orchestra on stage in Liverpool .Then Ukrainian artists performing during the flag parade !It made me so happy to think that my own country, the UK was actually hosting , albeit on behalf of Ukraine . Loved Finland and Käärijä, as did a lot of people and was also reflected in the public vote . It also brought a smile to my face seeing Mel Giedroyc do an impression of the Polish Milkmaid churning butter from Poland’s 2014 act during one of the breaks in the Grand Final . For me, that showed British humour at its best! Hannah Waddingham also stood out for me as host , I thought she could actually have hosted the whole thing on her own as her presentation was, in my view, on a par with Sweden’s Petra Mede in 2013 .”

What , for you , were the shock and surprises of this year’s contest ?

John: “The shock was by how big Sweden’s win was , mainly as a result of its heavy Jury vote.Finland’s heavy televote didn’t surprise me. I was also surprised Australia did so badly with the televoters, which thankfully the Juries saw right”.

James: ” I think for me, the biggest shock is that Finland didn’t win ! Even all these months later,I’m still reeling from it! Prior to the contest, I would have also said that not having Georgia in the final was a shock but with hindsight , I can see why that happened. In more positive news, I was pleasantly surprised by the performances of Cyprus and Lithuania -both fantastic songs that were very well staged and got a respectable finish as a result . Would have liked to see them finish a few places higher but 2023 was quite a strong year and they can’t all finish in the Top 10!”

Bogdan:” Watching the contest so closely , I can’t really say I was shocked or surprised . However, I was happy that Marco Mengoni finished in the Top 5 but gutted Mae Muller didn’t get more public support”.

Richard: “The shocks for me were how poor Wild Youth and Mae muller were when they performed live-but we won’t go any further with that . The biggest surprise and joy was Hannah Waddingham. She turned out to be Eurovision joy and could have have presented the whole show single- handedly , however with the Ukraine connection , there was always going to be a Ukrainian host included, for fairness .”

Sarah : “One of the shocks for me was Let 3 from Croatia getting into the Grand Final . I honestly didn’t give them a hope before the contest but clearly on the night, the voting public saw the message in the song and the bonkers performance where the guys stripped down to their underwear was enough to make them stand out and get viewers voting for them.We should never forget that an out of the ordinary song and performance often does better than we think it will at Eurovision . I was also shocked that Finland didn’t win, given the massive popularity with the public , which was reflected in the televote and had they not been so let down by the Jury vote , it may have been a different story.Not at all surprised at Loreen’s win for Sweden. I was also shocked that Norway didn’t score better with the Juries, given that Alessandra gave a solid performance , I was glad that the public gave her the credit she deserved . I was also pleasantly surprised to see Belgium come in the top 10 as I really thought Gustaph gave a lively performance of his song but didn’t think he would get the credit he deserved.”

Do you think we got the right Winner?

John: “That’s one for discussion. Sweden had been gunning for a record -breaking seventh win for a number of years, so it was only a matter of time.I still think Swedish songs are generally overrated but in the round , it was probably the right result”

James: “At the risk of being extremely unpopular…..no . No offence to Loreen , but I still feel like Sweden’s seventh victory and and the second artist to win the contest twice was about creating the right headlines for the contest. I did warm to Tattoo eventually , but I think it won because it was Sweden and Loreen . I strongly suspect we’ll see Käärijä back at the contest in a few years and I think he’ll get Finland their second win ….but yeah …..it should have come in 2023, in my humble opinion.”

Bogdan: “I would have been ok with any of the Top 3 to win the contest. As a personal preference , I would have liked Käärijä to snatch the trophy.”

Richard : “Did Loreen deserve to win? -yes and no . Did Käärijä deserve to win ? Yes and no. This is a song contest and both proved to be winners in that respect. Sadly, the public and juries look beyond that .Loreen came along with a performance that was artistic , while Käärijä came along with a performance that was slightly bonkers. The juries preferred one , while the public preferred the other. It’ll be a long time, I think, before the public and the juries agree on something.”

Sarah : “There are always debates for and against a winner , especially where the Jury and public vote give differing winners as was the case with Finland and Sweden. Finland were clearly the public’s choice so I can understand the huge frustration and disappointment when the high Jury votes given ( rightly or wrongly) to Sweden pushed the contest their way . My personal choice would have been Finland but I don’t begrudge Sweden and Loreen, their win.”

What are your hopes for the 2024 contest in , Malmö Sweden?

John: “That the high production values are preserved in 2024.I’d like to see the provision for recorded backing vocals go, as we risk the contest becoming just a karaoke contest. My other hope is for Ireland to make the Grand Final “

James : “My hope for Malmö is oddly specific , I’m hoping for a Luxembourg win! I think after 30 years of waiting, they deserve a coming back in glory! At the very least I want a Top 3 finish for Luxembourg and for that to entice other microstates like Monaco and Andorra back for 2025….but that’s getting ahead of myself!Failing Luxembourg topping the scoreboard, I’d like to see countries that don’t traditionally do well at the contest to get their best results . A win for somewhere like Iceland , Slovenia,Poland,Cyprus, etc……would be great! We know Sweden will put on a good show , so I don’t worry about that-I just want every country to get a taste of Eurovision victory”.

Bogdan: “I just want more fun songs in 2024 and hopefully a win from a country that’s never won before”.

Richard: “My hopes for Malmö are that the host city continues with the standards that Liverpool produced . Also the slogan “United by Music” to be carried forwards in all future contests, with more performances that show unity -like the very end of The Liverpool Songbook ,when Duncan Laurence sang “You’ll never walk alone “.

Sarah : “Hmmm…..I would like to see the UK do much better in 2024 than they did this year.To come next to bottom as the host country was a real disappointment this year and my hope is to at least get back in the Top 10 if not Top 5. I am hoping that Olly Alexander will live up to all the hype currently surrounding him and he will do the UK proud! I am also curious as to how Sweden intend to commemorate Abba’s 50th anniversary of their Eurovision win in 1974. Would be great to see them reunite for an appearance at the contest , but doubt that will happen. I would also like to see a country win the contest that hasn’t won before .”

And so on to Malmö 2024…….

What do you think? Do you agree with our thoughts ? What are your own thoughts on Liverpool 2023 ? Let us know what you think by leaving us a comment in the comments box or you can find us on our FACEBOOK and X ( Twitter) feeds.

Author: Sarah Rudman

Source : Eurovision Ireland

Visual sources: You Tube