Eurovision: Olly Alexander performs in the semi-final
Olly Alexander took to the stage of the Eurovision Song Contest's first semi-final tonight (May 7) and left viewers and fans divided. The Harrogate native is automatically in the final of the competition, however, he was given the opportunity to showcase his song Dizzy during the first decider to see which other acts will join him in the glitzy event live from Malmo in Sweden this coming Saturday (May 11).
He is hoping to win the contest for the UK for the first time since 1997, when Katrina and The Waves were victorious with their song Love Shine a Light. He took to the stage with four dancers and the setting was designed to look like the shower room in a boxing gym.
While the dancers wore red boxing shorts and boots Olly was attired in a white vest and trousers with knee-high boots. He had set off his crotch area with a red codpiece.
The high-energy performance saw the quintet writhing around showing off their impressive dance moves. Meanwhile, camera trickery made it appear that they were dancing on the walls and the ceilings at times.
While they were clearly giving their all, the performance drew mixed feelings from viewers. Many took to X, formerly known as Twitter, to share their thoughts.
@AshleyJamesH was loving the performance gushing: "Olly Alexander’s staging is phenomenal. It fits the song, it’s memorable and it’s exciting. Finally, the UK has spent more than half an hour planning and has sent an act with resources to actually stand a chance! #Eurovision."
@atSimplethings shared a similar sentiment commenting: "Fantastic performance from @alexander_olly amazing staging. Look how far we’ve come #Eurovision #Eurovision2024 #OllyAlexander."
@NathanLomaxFay was also a fan enthusing: "Obsessed with the staging of Olly Alexander’s #Eurovision performance. It’s giving the movie Saw if it was a queer musical."
Equally, others were not as enamoured including @gaymerbuzzy who said: "Those vocals were s***, jittery, all over the place and out of breath, I hope they are fixed for the final, #OllyAlexander #Eurovision #Eurovision2024 #olly." (sic)
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@RachelVillavox chimed in: "love Olly but the vocals were a bit off key. breathless and dizzy! looked fabulous tho #Eurovision."
Meanwhile @RobertPost_Prod commented: "#Eurovision #Eurovision2024 Not sure if Olly got overexcited or nervous but that vocal was very pitchy, I've heard him live before and he can do much better than that. Just hope the over-staging doesn't detract him too much from the vocals."
Ahead of the semi-final, Olly sparked backlash after branding the Union Jack flag "divisive" and "nationalistic" and claiming to be "ambivalent" about what the flag represented.
The UK is one of the "big five" financiers of Eurovision along with France, Germany, Italy and Spain and they automatically qualify for the contest alongside the previous year's winning country - in this case Sweden.
The UK's entry isn't usually heard until the final. A shake-up this year has meant that all acts get to perform their tracks at the semi finals - the second of which takes place on Thursday (May 9) - but those who have already qualified aren't competing for votes.
The Eurovision Song Contest takes place on Saturday May 11 and will air on BBC One from 8pm.
