WIf the jurors had their way, Brit Sam Ryder would have won this year’s Eurovision Song Contest (ESC) in Turin, Italy. But in the end it was only enough for him to take second place. Viewers from Europe, Israel and Australia overwhelmingly voted for the Ukrainian group Kalush Orchestra and their largely rapped song “Stefania”. Oleh Psiuk and his band mates got the maximum number of points 28 times alone, i.e. the famous twelve points, eight times there were ten points. From all 39 countries that were able to vote at the ESC, the Ukrainians were awarded points. In the end there were 439 from the spectators and a total of 631 points, 165 more than second place finisher Sam Ryder got.
And yet the next ESC will not take place in Kyiv, but in the United Kingdom. Much to the annoyance of the Siegerland, which had been trying hard for several weeks to host the 67th Song Contest. Possible cities under discussion were Kyiv and Lviv, as well as the Transcarpathian Oblast in the far west. But security concerns were too great in view of the war in Ukraine on the part of the European Broadcasting Union (EBU). A good two months after the final, it was announced on July 25 that, contrary to tradition, the ESC could not take place in the country of last year’s winner. The EBU also asked the BBC to stand in for Ukraine’s UA:PBC, after Belgium, Iceland, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Sweden, Switzerland and Spain had previously said they would stand up for Ukraine.
It’s not the first time that the UK has hosted an ESC to represent last year’s winner. The island state has stepped in four times: in 1960 for the Netherlands, in 1963 for France, in 1972 for Monte Carlo and in 1974 for Luxembourg. The Grand Prix has taken place eight times in the UK, including in Harrogate in 1982, where Nicole won for Germany with “A Bit of Peace”. No other country has hosted the ESC more often than the Kingdom, which in 2023 will be hosting the world’s biggest music event for the ninth time and for the first time in 25 years.
Shortly after the BBC’s acceptance, not only the former venues of Birmingham, Brighton and London in England applied, but also cities from the other nations of the kingdom, from Edinburgh in Scotland to Cardiff in Wales and Belfast in Northern Ireland. In August, seven cities remained that met certain basic requirements such as a given size of the event hall. At the end of September, the BBC announced that only Glasgow, considered favorites by bookmakers, and Liverpool were still in contention. Liverpool, however, dubbed the “pop music capital” by BBC director general Tim Davie, put a strong focus on Ukraine, which arguably made the difference.
The actual winning country should be given special recognition at the ESC next May and its culture integrated into the show, according to another EBU requirement. That’s why the official ESC logo shows the flag of Ukraine in the heart-shaped Eurovision lettering, with the name of the host country, the United Kingdom, just below it.
Liverpool is famously home to the Beatles, but also to music greats like Frankie Goes to Hollywood, Orchestral Maneuvers in The Dark and Atomic Kitten. In addition, the city in north-west England has had a partnership with Odessa in Ukraine for more than 60 years. The 11,000 capacity Liverpool Arena hosted the 2008 MTV Europe Music Awards. At the end of the month, the World Championships in Artistic Gymnastics will take place there. Of course, the city is also known for Liverpool FC with its coach Jürgen Klopp.
The date of the final has also been fixed since Friday evening: It will take place on May 13, 2023. Then last year’s winners, the Kalush Orchestra, will certainly play a prominent role. The band members announced over the weekend that they look forward to playing at the same venue where the Beatles started their career. “While we are saddened that next year’s competition cannot take place in our home country, we know that the people of Liverpool will be gracious hosts and the organizers will be able to bring a real Ukrainian flavor to ESC 2023 in this city to rent.”
