JEDWARD SAY they’re ready to “go out and rock” Europe when they take the stage of the Crystal Hall tonight in the first semi-final of the Eurovision Song Contest.
The Dublin twins will sing their entry, Waterline, last in the 18-song running order, traditionally seen as one of the contest’s strongest slots.
Fans voting in the contest’s press centre rated Jedward seventh most popular among the night’s acts, with Russia’s singing grannies, the Buranovskiye Babushki, and Romania’s Latin- flavoured Zaleilah, performed by Mandinga, tied for first. Paddy Power tips Jedward as seventh most likely to win the final on Saturday night.
This is the second year running that Jedward have represented Ireland; they placed eighth last year with Lipstick.
As with last year, Jedward are sidestepping most of the lavish parties thrown by various national delegations in the week before the contest in favour of meeting fans and working on their costumes in their hotel room.
A minor scrum of local media turned out yesterday as the pair posed with this year’s Azerbaijani singer Sabina, and two miniature rabbits the brothers purchased at the weekend in a Baku pet shop (an RTÉ spokesperson says the rabbits, named Euro and Vision, will be given to the delegation’s local guide or a locally based Irish family after the contest).
Jedward wore blue pinstripe Louis Copeland suits for the stunt, and broke tradition by flattening their trademark blonde quiffs.
They said viewers could expect the usual spiked-hair look for the semi-final, for which they will wear gold and silver outfits that make them look like futuristic stormtroopers. Viewers can also look forward to the evening’s only water feature in Jedward’s act.
Jedward said their fans in Azerbaijan tended to be “more mainstream” than at home, meaning of all ages and of both genders as opposed to the girls and young women who form the bulk of their Irish fan base.
This year’s contest is widely understood to be the most expensive in its 56-year history.
The Azeri government allotted 59.5 million manats (€59.3 million) to stage it, but it is understood considerably more was spent to prepare the city for western European visitors.
Hosting the contest has brought Azerbaijan’s poor records on human rights, media freedom and government corruption into the spotlight. Late yesterday morning, about 30 protesters walked through Baku city centre chanting “freedom” in Azeri before police intervened.
Radio Free Europe reported that some protesters were beaten and arrested.