IT’S that time of the year again, when Eurovision fever sweeps the continent
and we all wonder about the apparently tragic state of our nation’s musical
talent.
This year marks the 60th anniversary of the singing competition, which airs on
BBC1 at 8pm on Saturday from the Globe Arena in Stockholm, Sweden.
And with 42 nations competing there’s a good chance we’ll be treated to
something as delightfully bonkers as these acts from years gone by.
From bearded ladies to singing turkeys, here are 10 of the most barmy acts in
Eurovision history.
1. Trackshittaz – Woki Mit Deim Popo
This treat from Austria was entered into the 2012 contest.
Unsurprisingly, given it sounded like the male duo were singing “f*** him
in the poo poo” with a backdrop of female pole dancers with
glow-in-the-dark bums, it didn’t make it to the final.
The song did however go on to reach number 2 in the Austrian Singles Chart.
2. Buranovskiye Babushki (The Grannies from Buranovo) – Party For Everybody
They do say Eurovision is for everybody, and Russia proved age doesn’t matter
with this game troop of six grandmas.
Despite its sombre beginning, featuring the elderly women pretending to bake
bread, the track soon gets going as the ladies start bopping
‘energetically’, encouraging the audience to “come on and dance!”.
They then remove their bread from the oven and offer it to the crowd while one
of the toothless grannies chuckles cheekily.
Nuts.
READ MORE:
ISIS
‘planning major attack’ on Eurovision Song Contest putting 16,000 at risk
3. Dschinghis Khan – Genghis Khan
Dschinghis Khan, or Genghis Khan as the English translation goes, was West
Germany’s disco-fuelled entry in the 1979 contest.
It was performed in German by Dschinghis Khan and saw the group spout lyrics
about the founder of the Mongol Empire and his “great strength”
while pretending to seduce each other to represent his “wild”
sexual appetite.
Cover versions of the track by a number of other artists were later released
as singles and album tracks.
4. Lordi – Hard Rock Hallelujah
Possibly the most freaky act of all time, this Finnish entry from heavy metal
band Lordi somehow won the competition in 2006 with a then record-breaking
292 points.
With bonkers viking-themed corpse costumes, pyrotechnics and a heavy bass, the
song went down a storm and even made it to number 25 in the UK Top 40.
Oh Lordi, indeed.
5. Peter, Sue & Marc – Djambo Djambo
For people who don’t like clowns, this performance by Switzerland in 1976 was
blooming terrifying.
Sung in English, it was meant to be a solemn ballad about a down-trodden clown
called Djambo, who dreams of returning to the glory of the big tent.
It must have appealed to circus fans as it managed to bag 4th place.
6. Dustin the Turkey – Irelande Douze Pointe
Despite its French-sounding title, Irelande Douze Pointe was Ireland’s entry
to the 2008 competition, and was performed by a puppet known as Dustin the
Turkey.
Despite it featuring elements of various different languages including
Spanish, Italian, French and German – and, of course, a singing turkey – the
song didn’t make it to the final.
Bit of a turkey for Ireland, then.
7. Conchita Wurst – Rise Like a Phoenix
It’s not every day you see a bearded lady – but Eurovision was a fitting
stage.
Austria’s entry, drag singer Tom Neuwirth, smashed it as his bearded alter ego
Conchita Wurst it in 2014 with a Bond-style number called Rise Like a
Phoenix.
The fact Conchita lifted the crown certainly put paid to the homophobes who
sent her abuse in the run-up to the competition.
8. Tolmachevy Sisters – Shine
Eurovision fans remember the Tolmachevy Twins from 2006 when the girls, then
age nine, won the Junior Eurovision Song Contest in Bucharest, Romania.
But their venture into the adult competition in 2014 wasn’t quite as
successful.
The duo performed a strange routine where they were so in-sync that they were,
at one point, follically-attached.
Despite their somewhat bizarre performance, the twins still came 7th overall.
9. Michalis Rakintzis – S.A.G.A.P.O
Whatever futuristic, space-age vibe they were going for here, the Greek 2002
entry failed to hit the target (and most of the notes).
The underwhelming dance moves matched the weirdly repetitive lyrics, which
barely strayed from: “Give the password, give the password, the
password, the password, the password.”
Wonder if he ever got it?
10. Cezar – It’s My Life
This man is possibly the most high-pitched singer ever to possess a pair of
testicles.
The bizarre operatic Transylvania-inspired track from Romania in 2013
literally makes your eyes water.
The highlight is probably the moment singer Cezar levitates in his
Dracula-esque cloak.
It was the only finalist song in the competition’s history to be sung in
falsetto and finished in 13th place out of the 26 countries.