Notes from the Press Centre… Day Three Written by John Lucas on May 14, 2015 | 4 Comments

 Lessons learned after two days of press conferences…

Unlikely as it may seem, the majority of Eurovision photographers were apparently offensive Rugby players in a former life.  Block one of their shots at your peril, for they will show no mercy.

Remember the old stereotype about Germans, towels and sun loungers? Eurovision journalists are just as bad when it comes to using bags, coats and various other props to claim all the plum seats and hold onto them. You can’t beat them, so arrive early, bring a spare jacket and get territorial.

With lesson two in mind, aisle seats are your friend. The hosts are more likely to spot you, it’s easier to grab the microphone from the volunteers, and you have a lot more room to manoeuvre when you end up stuck behind a journalist with inexplicably huge hair.

Some journalists really do their research. I walk in feeling fairly clued-up, until some of my colleagues start firing out questions about the singer’s childhood teachers and the extent to which their performance was influenced by that summer they spent volunteering at Camp America back in 2004.

There’s always one idiot who forgets to put his phone on silent. Today, that idiot was me.

I arrive at the venue today in high spirits after a really delightful photography tour of the city courtesy of Polawalk, one of several activities the Vienna tourist board have kindly laid on for visiting press. It’s a great way to discover some of the hidden gems of the capital alongside the more well-known attractions, and I leave with a collection of scenic polaroids that I’m sure will delight my mother.

As we’re now into rehearsals for the second semi final, the first press conference today comes from Lithuania. Monika and Vaidas have a classic Eurovision fauxmance going on, and spend much of their interview fielding slightly adolescent questions about their real-world relationship status. Apparently in a post-Chanee & N’evergreen world, appearing to not actively despise each other passes for red hot sexual chemistry.

Vaidas and Monika from Lithuania. Despite rumours to the contrary, not an actual couple.
Photo: Derek Sillerud

Lithuania are the only Baltic nation still waiting on their first Eurovision win, but Vaidas declares that his country is ‘totally ready’ to host the contest and seems confident that we’ll be sitting in Vilnius sooner rather than later. Monika’s interview highlight involves revealing that she hates the taste of water, before the incredulous host rather cruelly forces her to take a sip from a nearby glass. She looks genuinely revolted, but plays along like a true professional.

Ireland’s Molly Sterling was on upbeat form after a well-received first rehearsal.
Photo: Derek Sillerud

When Ireland troupes in, I’m not immediately sure whether Molly Sterling has brought along her delegation or a local football team. A rag-tag collective of backing singers, songwriters and delegates squeeze onto the stage alongside the 17-year old singer, although as it turns out she’s more than capable of working the crowd on her own. Her low-key piano ballad is going into the contest relatively unfancied by pundits, but her rehearsal was one of the early standouts of the day, and she brings a relaxed, giggly and quietly confident energy to the room.

Michele Perniola & Anita Simoncini – two JESC veterans making the leap into the adult leagues.
Photo: Derek Sillerud

The singers from San Marino are also among the youngest competitors this year, although they’re joined midway through their press conference by the venerable Ralph Siegel, on songwriting duty for the principality for the fourth year in a row. There’s not a great deal to say about the duo’s rather dated ‘Light A Candle’ re-write, and with few other hands in the air I venture a question about Siegel’s long-term collaboration with the broadcaster. It is at this point that I learn one of the fundamental lessons of being a Eurovision journalist – never ask Ralph Siegel an open-ended question. The subsequent rambling monologue is only brought to an end when hostess Kati Bellowitsch announces that we’ve run out of time.

Knez from Montenegro, a man who knows how to make an entrance.
Photo: Derek Sillerud

A big star in the Balkans, Knez from Montenegro certainly knows how to make an entrance. He bounds into the conference room wearing indoor sunglasses and bellowing the refrain from his song, before posing for an impromptu photo-shoot in front of the bemused hostess. Perhaps his starry performance rubs some of the journalists up the wrong way, as he’s subject to a couple of surprisingly hostile questions about the song’s similarities to previous efforts by songwriter Željko Joksimović. Nevertheless, he wins over the room with his obvious passion and enthusiasm for the contest. He also reveals that his performance is set to be a family affair, with his nineteen-year old daughter acting as one of his backing vocalists. Aww.

Amber from Malta. An early frontrunner for the title of most endearing accent in this year’s competition.
Photo: Derek Sillerud

Amber from Malta was one of the first artists selected for Eurovision 2015, and evidently her team have not been resting on their laurels since last November. It’s been said a lot, but this is a country that truly cares about the contest, and the singer and her head of delegation impress with their conscientious, detail-oriented attitude to preparing ‘Warrior’ for the big night. Amber herself is hugely likeable, radiating warmth and positive energy throughout the interview. Although I may be slightly biased by just how adorable I find the Maltese accent.

Mørland & Debrah Scarlett from Norway – will jump out of a plane if they win.
Photo: Derek Sillerud

One question has haunted me since the Norwegian song was selected two months ago – what was the terrible thing Mørland did in his early youth? Sadly he’s not telling, and it turns out I’m not the first person to ask this highly original question. His partner Debrah Scarlett does reveal that they’re planning a dual parachute jump if they win the contest, and they may even attempt to perform their song on the way down. “Just gooooo…”

Leonor Andrade offers a passionate defence of the Portuguese language at Eurovision.
Photo: Derek Sillerud

A big favourite in the press centre, the Norwegian Q&A is the most well attended of the day. By comparison, the poor Portuguese team are met with a sparsely populated and less-than-engaged room. It’s a shame, because Leonor Andrade is a bubbly and enthusiastic presence, who seems genuinely thrilled to be part of the contest and delivers a smart, passionate response to my question about why she’s one of the few contenders to perform her song in her native language. Kati Bellowitsch does her best to keep things moving, but by the end of the conference she’s reduced to apologetically asking Andrade whether the singer enjoys using Facebook.  Uh-oh indeed… (sorry).

Czech Republic’s Marta & Vacláv leave the journalists laughing…
Photo: Derek Sillerud

Energy levels are understandably flagging as the day winds down, so it falls to the Czech Republic to wake up the room with the most energetic press conference of the season so far. Make no mistake about it, Marta and Václav are an absolute scream, exuding the kind of good-natured, vanity-free chemistry that only comes from genuine friendship. Both established artists in their own world (she’s in a rock group, he’s a star of musical theatre), they’re here to represent their country – they talk frankly about the overwhelmingly negative attitude towards Eurovision within the Czech media – but first and foremost they’re here to have fun. From an impromptu dance routine to banter about their shared love of body art (“I have a giant tattoo of Václav’s face on my back. I drew it myself.”), they keep the audience laughing from start to finish. Musically they’re on the bubble for me, but in terms of personality I can’t think of any act this year I’d be happier to see in the finals.

And with that, another day in the Eurobubble draws to a close. Tomorrow we see the rest of the second semi-final, including Swedish stick-men, a golden boy from Israel and most unlikely of all – a Latvian song that appears to have a great chance of making the finals.  Wonders never cease…