Good morning Europe!
So here we all are again, same event, different city – and some Gypsy fella in his pyamas is bouncing about before us on the massive stage. And man I mean massive. This place is a gaping chasm, and the stage is stretched sideways on, creating possibly the biggest performance area I can remember. And flanking that in the wings are a pair of massive screens enveloping the whole side of the room. Yes, pop fans, it’s big.
It’s also quite lovely. If you’ve seen the computer preview animations it’s pretty much like that – but more so. A delight in contemporary constructivism, and more acreage of screens than down the local Dixons superstore.
It may be early with you lot, but we’ve already seem Seigel’s Montenegran dream flimsying about. Her voice is fairly thin, so I fear we might be starting the show with some vocal waivering once there’s more than a handful of folks in this cavern of a hall. The lass herself is accompanied by a dancer mincing about slightly too camply – even by this event’s broad standards, and distracting the eye from the unaffected prettiness of the singer. Lost in the pack at this early stage I fear.
The Czech’s are soundchecking as I type, and sadly he is still going for the Super Gypsy look. I like the boy, but, particularly given his early draw and proximity to Belgium, he’s going to be considered a novelty act, when he truely ain’t. I heartily recommend tracking down some of his other stuff, because this song aside, he’s got a truely fabulous back catalogue.
More news of the songs, the events and our early journey’s down town later.
It’s going to be a long old fortnight. Yay!