EBUIt probably hasn’t escaped your attention that this year’s Eurovision Song Contest is almost here – and for the first time in 25 years, the competition is back on UK soil. This year’s event is taking place in Liverpool, on behalf of Ukraine who triumphed in 2022 with Kalush Orchestra’s rousing entry Stefania. AdvertisementFrom what we’ve seen so far, it looks like we’re in for a night of spectacle, theatrics and camp fun – but, of course, that’s nothing new for Eurovision. If ever you need proof, check out our nostalgic look back at what Eurovision looked like 20 years ago...First of all, clay-mation was apparently a big thing in Latvia in 2003, as evidenced by this opening sequenceEBUAdvertisementUnfortunately, they did keep returning to one motif that – when seen through a 2023 lens – doesn’t look unlike the Covid virus…EBUThe Latvian hosts kept the colourful fun going with their entrance looks...EBU...which somehow slithered away from the stage when they took them offEBUAnd to anyone who ever doubted that fashion was circular, tell us you couldn’t imagine Harry Styles wearing this to the BritsEBUOnto the music now! Iceland opened the show with some pretty standard EuropopAustria caused a bit of a stir with their entrant Alf Poier – whose performance was a deliberate parody of Eurovision’s over the top sensibilitiesEBUAlf performed flanked by cardboard cut-outs of musicians with animal heads, starting with a somewhat plodding piece of pop which then descended into head-banging thrash metalShout-out to Alf’s mum, too, who provided back-up on the nightEBUDespite him essentially poking fun at the competition, Alf was well-received on the night and finished in a respectable sixth placeEBULet’s just take a moment to appreciate Lou, representing Germany who served up this unapologetically cheesy little bopSeriously, what a hunEBUAnd so were her backing singers, for that matterEBUtATu (yes, of All The Things She Said fame) were the Russian representatives in 2023EBUThey caused quite a bit of havoc over in Riga – thanks to allegations of diva behaviour, missing rehearsals due to a sore throat and shady comments about their fellow acts (most notably the aforementioned Lou from Germany!)

Source: Huffington Post May 13, 2023 04:04 UTC