Dervish-Eurovision

Subject: Dervish-Eurovision
From: GUEST,Europhile
Date: 13 May 07 - 06:01 AM

The only country to finish below the U.K. in the Eurovision Song Contest was Ireland whose entry was from the well-known traditional Irish band Dervish.

They finished bottom with just 5 points. Only one country gave them points. They didn't win a single point from the U.K.

What does that tell us about support for traditional Irish music in the U.K. and across Europe?

Subject: RE: Dervish-Eurovision
From: GUEST,Chris B (Born Again Scouser)
Date: 13 May 07 - 06:09 AM

I think what it tells us is that the song was shite. I don't think it helped that they had Cathy Jordan dressed up like Eva Braun. It also didn't help that she sang flat almost the whole way through.

Subject: RE: Dervish-Eurovision
From: Declan
Date: 13 May 07 - 06:11 AM

Not a lot I think.

The song wasn't very good in the first place (and it is a song contest, allegedly), and secondly the numbers phoning in to support Dervish because they were a traditional band would always be hugely outnumbered by the pop music fans in any country.

I didn't see the contest myself but having heard the record a few times I thought Dervish did their best with a fairly ropey song, which was by all accounts the best of a bad lot of shortlisted entries. From Dervish's point of view the contest has helped to raise their profile in Europe, and at home.

I was amazed at how few people I was talking to, outside of the folk world here in Ireland, had ever heard of Dervish before they were selected for the contest.

Subject: RE: Dervish-Eurovision
From: MartinRyan
Date: 13 May 07 - 06:11 AM

She was flat, alright! From the point of view of musical taste, I'd be more worried about the Irish voting for the UK entry!

Regards

Subject: RE: Dervish-Eurovision
From: Stu
Date: 13 May 07 - 06:14 AM

"What does that tell us about support for traditional Irish music in the U.K. and across Europe?"

Sod all.

Subject: RE: Dervish-Eurovision
From: Gwenzilla
Date: 13 May 07 - 06:34 AM

It was a poor performance. Like MartinRyan, above, I was much more worried about the Irish voting for the UK entry, not to mention Malta. ;-)

Subject: RE: Dervish-Eurovision
From: Les in Chorlton
Date: 13 May 07 - 06:45 AM

The most interesting thing, afterWogan's commentary, was voting patterns!

Subject: RE: Dervish-Eurovision
From: guitar
Date: 13 May 07 - 06:50 AM

I liked the song, and the band, however the shit scooch was rubbish, I'm from Britian and I just don't like it. and these ones that say that the woman was singing flat, at lest she was seen by millions representing her country, when have you lot eh!.

if you think you can do better then why don't apply for next eurovision.

But then who am I to say, because I sometimes sing flat as well like we all do, some of us have very short memories.

Subject: RE: Dervish-Eurovision
From: GUEST,Chris B (Born Again Scouser)
Date: 13 May 07 - 06:53 AM

To be fair to Cathy Jordan, the look of panic on her face for most of her performance suggested to me that she couldn't actually hear herself. She doesn't normally sing flat.

Subject: RE: Dervish-Eurovision
From: Jean(eanjay)
Date: 13 May 07 - 07:02 AM

Flat or not, it was better than our (UK) entry.

Subject: RE: Dervish-Eurovision
From: guitar
Date: 13 May 07 - 07:06 AM

I liked the Bulgarian entry, mind you I play the Borran, and the guitar, that just shows you what I know about music

Subject: RE: Dervish-Eurovision
From: guitar
Date: 13 May 07 - 07:08 AM

and i also sing

Subject: RE: Dervish-Eurovision
From: Big Phil
Date: 13 May 07 - 07:10 AM

Anything was better than our crap entry. As the balance of power so to speak has now shifted to the Eastern Block, it has now just become a complete farce with each country voting for their neighbours. Time for the UK to give it a miss.
The winning entry, deserved to win I recon, at least the lead singer COULD hold a tune.

Subject: RE: Dervish-Eurovision
From: melodeonboy
Date: 13 May 07 - 07:22 AM

The whole thing's a barrel of nonsense anyway (and always has been).

What next - Opportunity Knocks? ("If you can't spell 'Eurovision', just write 'crap outdated pop show' and we'll know exactly what you mean. And I mean that sincerely, friends!)

Subject: RE: Dervish-Eurovision
From: GUEST,Promoter
Date: 13 May 07 - 08:30 AM

Not the best career move for Cathy Jordan and Dervish I reckon.

Sure she's been seen by millions across the UK and Europe but the fact she finished bottom and didn't get a single point from the UK public vote ain't gonna to help her get bookings.

How many folk festivals and venues will want to sell tickets for a band who finished bottom of the Eurovision Song Contest?

Subject: RE: Dervish-Eurovision
From: GUEST,Dee
Date: 13 May 07 - 08:43 AM

"How many folk festivals and venues will want to sell tickets for a band who finished bottom of the Eurovision Song Contest?"

None according to the Gigs List on the Dervish website.

However they are playing in Latvia and Lithuania.

Obviously hiding away in shame following their Eurovision debacle.

Subject: RE: Dervish-Eurovision
From: Effsee
Date: 13 May 07 - 09:14 AM

"How many folk festivals and venues will want to sell tickets for a band who finished bottom of the Eurovision Song Contest?"

I'd call that a definite "plus" to any organiser!

Subject: RE: Dervish-Eurovision
From: sapper82
Date: 13 May 07 - 09:59 AM

Just been on the Eurovision website to listen and it's a lot better than many entries over recent years.

Subject: RE: Dervish-Eurovision
From: GUEST,Shimrod
Date: 13 May 07 - 01:20 PM

Whilst channel hopping I caught the Bulgarian entry - very striking!
That woman could sing - pity it was totally over the top in all other respects.

After that I lingered for a while hoping for something else which wasn't total shite ... but it was all total shite - what did I expect?

Subject: RE: Dervish-Eurovision
From: GUEST,Chris B (Born Again Scouser)
Date: 13 May 07 - 01:36 PM

Eva Braun and the Seven Dwarves.

Subject: RE: Dervish-Eurovision
From: Ruth Archer
Date: 13 May 07 - 02:48 PM

"How many folk festivals and venues will want to sell tickets for a band who finished bottom of the Eurovision Song Contest?"

Well, this venue programmer, who has Dervish booked next month, will be watching with interest what the combination of a poor result but raised profile does for ticket sales!

*biting nails nervously*

Subject: RE: Dervish-Eurovision
From: GUEST,Serbia's greatest fan
Date: 13 May 07 - 03:40 PM

To the person who claimed that Cathy Jordan 'doesn't normally sing flat' - wrong! She just usually hasn't a clue what key she's singing in.

Subject: RE: Dervish-Eurovision
From: Wolfgang
Date: 13 May 07 - 04:42 PM

I had fun predicting the voting patterns (12 ponts) from a political POV. I was right much more often than not. Some were easy as Romania and Moldavia giving to each other twelve points. Some of my successes were a bit more difficult to predict like Germany's 12 points for Turkey.

I even did predict from which country Ireland would get the first few points, but I was completely wrong when predicting GB points for Ireland.

Beside that, the German entry was the best since at least 20 years but it lives on the German lyrics. I would have given the 12 points to Bulgaria, but Serbia was a good choice too.

Wolfgang

Subject: RE: Dervish-Eurovision
From: Don(Wyziwyg)T
Date: 13 May 07 - 06:03 PM

"Time for the UK to give it a miss."

Definitely! How long will it take for us Brits to acknowledge that we have no friends in Europe, and not just from the POV of an utterly tasteless so called musical competition.

It seems to me that we are just a convenient repository for all the economic asylum seekers who are passed so easily along the European Pipeline to the UK.

Don T.

Subject: RE: Dervish-Eurovision
From: GUEST,Pat Cooksey.
Date: 13 May 07 - 07:15 PM

Folk im Schlosshof 22/24th June, Bad Rappenau, near Heilbronn, Germany, Dervish, Solas, Albion Band, myself, and many others,big
festival and nearly sold out. Dervish struggled with a weak song, they can do much better.

Subject: RE: Dervish-Eurovision
From: My guru always said
Date: 14 May 07 - 05:20 AM

I was shocked to see this!! Ok, I never watch Eurovision and maybe I should, but I've not been interested in that sort of music since Abba & that'll tell you my age.

But Dervish ARE a good band and deserve better than this - but then it must have only been the 'profile-raising' opportunity that got them to agree to do it. What a shame, I hope it doesn't spoil their reputation in the Folkie community!

Subject: RE: Dervish-Eurovision
From: Liz the Squeak
Date: 14 May 07 - 05:39 AM

The trouble with trying to 'raise your profile' is that very often it can have the opposite effect. What goes up, must come down, and sometimes it comes down a lot quicker than it went up.

LTS

Subject: RE: Dervish-Eurovision
From: GUEST,Shimrod
Date: 14 May 07 - 05:56 AM

Just had a thought (I have them occasionally):

Why is it that, every year, a huge Europe-wide organisation swings in to action in order to provide a television programme specifically designed to appeal to a bunch of fake-tanned, spiky-haired, rather dim but extremely egotistical hairdressers from Luton?

On second thoughts perhaps the balance is shifting a bit and these days the hairdressers are from Belgrade or Bucharest ...

Subject: RE: Dervish-Eurovision
From: Ruth Archer
Date: 14 May 07 - 06:12 AM

My hairdresser's from Latvia.

Subject: RE: Dervish-Eurovision
From: Liz the Squeak
Date: 14 May 07 - 06:15 AM

Limpit's piano teacher is Russian, married to a Lithuanian. They were planning a whole day of partying just for this one programme. Haven't heard from her since.

LTS

Subject: RE: Dervish-Eurovision
From: Dave the Gnome
Date: 14 May 07 - 07:17 AM

Bulgarian entry was definitely best next to the evenings repast of...

Finnish Vodka
Francanian Beer
Czech Beer
French Wine
Irish Cider
Swedish Perry
German Sausage
French Cheese
Greek Cheese
Spanish Olives
English Crackers
Belgian Waffles

Woke up on the settee at 2:30am :-)

I think there was a technical issue with the Irish entry - I suspect the monitors were playing back at the wrong phase or frequency - Remember a few years ago when it happened to the UK as well? Generaly a good laugh all round anyway. Anyone who says it is a load of rubbish is missing the point in my mind - It is supposed to be! As to "What does that tell us about support for traditional Irish music in the U.K. and across Europe?" What a load of bollocks. Since when has the Eurovision had anything to do with anyones traditional music? Just sit back and enjoy the ride. Give us more like the Ukrainian one next time - Them guys had the right idea!

Cheers

Dave

Subject: RE: Dervish-Eurovision
From: skarpi
Date: 14 May 07 - 03:54 PM

and Icelandic BRENNIVIN

Subject: RE: Dervish-Eurovision
From: Gulliver
Date: 14 May 07 - 03:58 PM

Their performance looked so mawkish, since according to the rules they wouldn't have been actually playing their instruments, just miming--you could have any eejit up on that stage doing the same thing!

I didn't like the song, nor her voice even before she sang off-key, but didn't expect them to do that badly.

Subject: RE: Dervish-Eurovision
From: alanabit
Date: 15 May 07 - 01:20 AM

I think if I am trying to raise my profile, I shall try a different tactic to trying to get to the top of a dungheap.