Tribute Night: 60 Years Of Eurovision
Price:
Donations will be taken during the event - £5 minimum
The 2015 spring edition of Tribute Night will be a special celebration of the Eurovision Song Contest as we approach its 60th installment. With high-powered wind machines and even higher-powered key changes, this is not for the lactose intolerant...
As a worn-torn Europe rebuilt itself in the 1950s, the European Broadcasting Union searched for ways to help unite the continent. Inspired by Italy’s Festival Di Sanremo, they hit upon the idea of an international song contest whereby countries would participate in one television show, to be transmitted simultaneously in all represented nations. This was an ambitious technological experiment in live television, given that satellite TV did not yet exist and the show went out over a terrestrial microwave network! Taking place in Lugano, Switzerland, on 24 May 1956, Le Grand-Prix Eurovision De La Chanson Européenne was born and has been broadcast every year since without interruption, making it one of the longest running TV shows in the world.
The style – and quality! – of songs in Eurovision varies alarmingly, taking in the ubiquitous schlager of ABBA’s Waterloo (Sweden, 1974) and Bobbysock!’s La Det Swinge (Norway, 1985), the post-war chanson style popular at the time of Lys Assia’s Refrain (Switzerland, 1956), the pantomime metal of Lordi’s Hard Rock Hallelujah (Finland, 2006), the techno-pop of Loreen’s Euphoria (Sweden, 2012), the angst-ridden power balladry of Johnny Logan’s Hold Me Now (Ireland, 1987), the Hi-NRG of Dana International’s Diva (Israel, 1998) and the overblown Bond theme drama of Conchita Wurst’s Rise Like A Phoenix (Austria, 2014), to name just a few. I perhaps wouldn’t go as far as to say “there’s something for everyone” but there sure is an enormous catalogue of music awaiting you, spanning numerous genres and 60 years.
The 60th Eurovision Song Contest itself takes place on Saturday 23 May 2015 in Vienna.
Send an email to [email protected] to find out how to get involved.
Please note: In a break from the traditional pattern, this event will not be on the usual first Friday of May. This is to avoid clashing with the Reading Beer Festival, at which many regular tribbers are often asked to perform.
For more information, visit the Tribute Night page on this site, visit our Facebook page, and join the mailing list.
Location:
Main Hall
Date(s):
