The Cruise Diaries: Day 3 - Tuesday 21st May 2013 - At Sea

Ahoy me hearties! Today the ship does what it says on the tin, and we get all Captain Stubing (those of you old enough to remember that classic late 70s series The Love Boat will know what I'm on about) and sail the seven seas, well at least the Mediterranean into the Ionian on our way over to our next port of call. 

Today was all about exploring the ship in more detail, although I have to say right now that there were parts of the ship which we never even reached during our holiday.  The Navigator of the Seas is so big that I was unable to take a proper full-length exterior photo of it until we reached Turkey.  But I took lots of photos of the inside of the ship and I thought I'd include some of them in today's post. 

This is the very striking centrum area at the opposite end of the Royal Promenade.

The Royal Promenade (pictured below) has cafes, bars and some very pricey shops.  There are also jewellery sales going on most days with cheap watches and bracelets.  Later on in the cruise, they even have a sale on Greek and Turkish souvenirs for all those people who don't want the authentic experience of actually getting off the ship in Greece and Turkey. But as I say, each to their own and that's the great thing about a cruise - you can still tailor the holiday to your individual preferences.  There's lots of activities available but it's certainly not Butlins-at-sea.

Whilst taking a few pictures today I nipped into our Main Dining Room on Deck 5, Swan Lake, while it was empty.  As you can see, it's very nice, and became one of our favourite places to go on the ship.  (Of course it would be, if food was involved).  Here's the opulent and extravagant centrepiece chandelier in the Main Dining Room.

We've been spending a lot of time indoors so let's go out on deck!  We get some relaxation and reading time at our quiet back deck hideaway and then take a walk around to the pool deck.  One of today's activities was the legendary belly flop competition on the pool deck, which I couldn't resist having a look at.  The bigger they are, the bigger the splash :)  And if you don't fancy the belly flop then there's always the hot tub or the numerous sun loungers (pool deck pictured below).  I also like the 'Solarium' area which despite the name is shaded from the direct sunlight.  The weather on the outdoor decks can be very variable.  Some parts of deck are very blustery, whilst other parts can be very hot.

Lunch buffet in the Windjammer.  Here's some of it - sweet & sour chicken, rice and noodles....

...and cakes.  The one on the right is Linzer cake, which we nicknamed 'Jammie Dodger cake'.

After our late lunch in the Windjammer, we head for the ship's very own ice rink theatre Studio B.  The "Ice Dancin'" show is a major highlight on Royal Caribbean cruises and there's two showings today and two showings tomorrow, however we choose today as we'll probably be too tired after tomorrow's excursion.

There's everything from traditional ice dancing to aerial trapeze work and some high energy numbers including a choreographed ice hockey routine (below). Their outfits were definitely inspired by the Swedish ice hockey team, don't you think?

I'm still amazed at how people can ice-skate on a ship, but they do, and they do it very well.  The "Ice Dancin'" show is the must-see show of this whole cruise and if you don't see anything else, you need to see this one.  Like all the other shows on board, the show lasts 45 minutes but whereas that's just right for all the others, this show ends too soon, and with a Viennese-themed grand finale (pictured below) which is soundtracked by a medley of songs by none other than the legendary Falco!  Which brings a big smile to our faces - as both faithful travelling companion and I are big Falco fans of course.

Tonight was the first of two formal nights on the 7 night cruise.  Unfortunately this aspect of cruising does not particularly appeal to either of us - who really wants to get dressed up in tuxedos and ballgowns?  We're on holiday, remember? We have very nice smart-casual evening wear but this kind of thing is in a different league.  It's However, we seem to be in a very small minority as what feels like 95% on board dress up to the nines,in gear which you'd see at, say, a posh wedding or Ascot :)  The saddest thing about the formal dress code is the unwritten rule which excludes the non-formal crowd from the main dining room.  So in an anti-formal night gesture we head for the ship's very own burger bar, Johnny Rockets!

As you can see it's empty!  We sat in the indoor section which is authentically styled like a 50s diner.  Each table has its own individual jukebox and you can select songs to play, but it doesn't work all the time.   Although I am more successful as I manage to get the Sugarhill Gang's "Rappers Delight" played.  There is a small cover charge and like all other venues on the ship, drinks aren't included and are billed separately.  I try my first root beer in many years, which is nice.  I also have a meat-free burger which is very tasty, and we have lots of fries and onion rings.  Tonight's showtime was "Ballroom Fever" in the ship's theatre, which was very good, although if I have a criticism we could have done with more of the dancing, and less of the singing from the ship's resident singers, who are prone to 'big singing' - turn it down, you're not on "The Voice"!

Later in the evening we're at Boleros, the bar which is becoming our favourite hangout with a resident band playing catchy Latin tunes every night.  We pick a nice observational spot to check out all the formal night brigade, now hobbling round with very sore feet after walking all night in high heels!  However, a late night is out of the question again - anyone who parties all night on the ship won't be doing excursions tomorrow.  But we're up early tomorrow for a day in Athens.  Goodnight!

Eurovision Song Contest Malmö 2013 - Semi-Final 1, Tuesday 14.05.2013

Can it really be four weeks since the Eurovision Song Contest final took place?  Well...yes.  So I'd better get a move on and finally publish my reviews or it'll be 2014 season before we know it :))

Of course, Eurovision week was even busier than usual this year.   On the one hand, I was at home  and was able to watch both semi-finals live as well as the final.  But I would also be going on holiday just four hours after the credits rolled on the final, so you'll understand just how busy that week was!

Anyway, on with the review..

After all the waiting, the anticipation and speculation, it’s finally here.  But for me, Eurovision week this year is different from the usual.  On the one hand, I’m at home and actually getting to see the semi-finals as well as the final.  But on the other hand, a holiday is looming.  More about that later.  But in the meantime, here’s something new.  A new EBU logo, to be precise.  We didn’t see that one coming.  I decide very quickly that I don’t like this new Eurovision logo.  This on the other hand, is more my thing. 

The evening kicks off with a blast of the Euphoria-horn, and a musical journey across Europe, with some interesting interpretations of last year’s winner, and the reason that the song contest has come back to its spiritual home.  To go back to my 2012 post, I said that Sweden “gets” Eurovision in a way that, say, Azerbaijan never could.  Oh look! It’s The Bridge.  Unfortunately I can’t look at that bridge without thinking of corpses.  You know you watch too much Scandi-crime when…

As ever, I am sitting at home and have managed to persuade my mum to watch the semi-finals this year.  I try (and fail miserably) to explain the complex voting process to her. 

Unfortunately we are subjected to the BBC3 coverage, with commentary by Scott Mills and Ana Matronic, yes the very one from the Scissor Sisters, and she is actually very good on her debut.  So why do I say ‘unfortunately’?  I’ll tell you later.

But there is a song contest to be going on with here, and it all kicks off with the same version of “Euphoria” that featured in the Melodifestivalen final, with Loreen, the singing kids and the sign language.  It’s an effective opening paving the way for this year’s host Petra Mede to present the show in a striking mermaid dress. 

“I’ll host the Eurovision Song Contest alone” she declares.  She is professional although rather stilted and old school.  Still, a refreshing change from the screeching “HELLO YOOORUPPPP!” duos/trios of the last decade.  The old technology is moving on, but viewers in the UK – don’t even think about using the voting app because, well, you can’t!

I like the postcards this year – they’re not the usual tourism commercials which we've come to associate with the contest in recent years, but go back to the old days where the postcards actually featured the performers, and this time, the performers are filmed doing stuff in their own countries. 

AUSTRIA: “Shine” – Natalia Kelly.

Natalia, previous winner of The Voice Austria, is dressed in a white top and jeans, and trying to sound like Rihanna in a kind of "shine-bright-like-a-diamond" style.

M: This sounds dated.  Shine shine shine, too repetitive.  Boring.

L: I don’t really have much to say about this.  It’s OK but nothing more than that.  I had it down as a qualifier previously but I'm not so sure now.

ESTONIA: “Et Uus Saaks Alguse” – Birgit.

A.K.A. the song that isn’t Meiecundimees üks Korsakov läaks eile Lätti. But this swaying old-school 90s ballad suddenly esems to have grown in stature since the national final.

L: They must have fantastic hair products in Estonia.  Their women all seem to have fabulous hair.  And she'll maybe get the pregnancy-sympathy vote.

M: This isn’t too bad actually.

L: The problem with this is that, like anything else not by Ott Lepland, is that it’s not Ott Lepland.  Mum doesn’t remember him but I tell her that she liked him. This one is in with a chance. 

 

SLOVENIA: “Straight Into Love” – Hannah.

Straight into dubstep and masked dancers.  The first of this year's entries which screams "oh a dance song won it last year so let's do a dance song this year".

M: Not another woman singer (groan).

L: Too many distractions on this one.  The wind machine’s working overtime already.  This might sound good in a club and could potentially have a post-ESC life on the old iPod but (not for the first time this year) it’s death by choreography, and her vocals miss the target much of the time.  By this time mum has made her exit and is unfortunately going to miss Croatia.

 

CROATIA: “Mizerija” – Klapa s Mora.

At long last, some men.  And unfortunately mum is not here to see the six men who make up the "klapa supergroup" deliver an excellent vocal performance.  Blue, red and purple lighting on this one.  I am loving the lighting and stage effects already.  I am also loving these traditional Croatian knight costumes.  This is maybe not the definition of an acceptable 2010s Eurovision song but quite frankly I don't care, and I won't hear a word against it. 

DENMARK: "Only Teardrops" - Emmelie de Forest. 

Mum returned, just in time for this year's 'chosen one'.

A massive cheer goes up from the opening penny-whistle notes onwards and it is very clear that this is the pre-contest favourite.  Emmelie's performance and the staging of the song hasn't changed so much from the finished article at DMGP but the lighting, pyro-curtain and the ticker-tape shower at the end of the song is either a masterstroke or an outrageously arrogant assumption that they have won the whole thing this year. 

M: It's nothing special, is it?

OK, so why do I hate the BBC coverage so much?  Well, they cut away to a totally rubbish VT and miss out on Petra's little 'we are one' sketch - "don't complain, it's even more expensive in Norway".

RUSSIA: "What If" - Dina Garipova.

Ana Matronic: “You know she’s not a relative (of the Kardashians) because she’s talented”

Dina has a very decent voice (as should befit a winner of The Voice of course) however she is landed with this mince.

M: I hate all this “together we can change the world s**t"

In the big finale, the backing singers throw lighted balls into the audience.  Which is rather appropriate as the song is indeed balls.  Everyone's waving their little lights in the air, but this is definitely no "Fly On The Wings of Love".

UKRAINE: "Gravity" - Zlata Ognevich.

Zlata is carried on to the stage by a giant.  It's a great gimmick, but it's all rather pointless as he places her on a tree stump which makes her the same height as him.  Hmph.  She is very beautiful although she is dressed in what looks like one of those all-in-one slimming garments only she has no flab to push anywhere. 

She does sing faultlessly, although it's all a bit of a non-song for me, and the hand-snake movements are just annoying.  On the plus side, Mike Rafferty should be very happy as he has finally had a song written about him.

M: These songs are all merging into each other.
L: I don't like this song.  It feels as if it goes on for hours.

NETHERLANDS: "Birds" - Anouk.

Now this is more like it.  Mum is getting exasperated as another female singer takes the stage but I explain that this is more special than most.  Although it has to be said, she's not vocally as strong as expected and I'm guessing that she's holding back until Saturday.  That's if she overcomes the traditionally impossible hurdle of "the Netherlands qualifying" of course.

MONTENEGRO: "Igranka" - Who See feat Nina Zizic.

The UK singles chart is full of dubstep and "grime", both genres which I loathe with a passion.  But the rules at Eurovision are different of course and I'm going to let these hated genres through in this instance.  Kudos to Montenegro for at least trying something different and 21st century.  Two rapping spacemen and Nina, with impressive vocals, doing the singing bits.

M: Are they spacemen or pest control?
L: Ghostbusters maybe.  Or there are plenty of pests to exterminate, maybe.
M: Their rapping stuff doesn't go with what she's singing.
L: Well that's the kind of thing that's around at the moment.  But I can see this doing the rounds of the ESC clip shows over the next few years.

LITHUANIA:  "Something" - Andrius Pojavis.

M: Ooh, Lithuania. Is this any good?
L: It's a kind of Killers-ish thing.
M: Hurry up - what's been on your mind?
L: It's because of his shoes he's wearing today, apparently.
M: This is not bad.  He's quite nice.
L: He's had a wee makeover since the national final. (I then go on to explain to mum about the whole top hat thing).

BELARUS: "Solayoh" - Alyona Lanskaya.

Mum is taken aback by the similarity between this song and at least about 300 other songs which have ever been in Eurovision.

L: I like her fake tan and her fringey dress.  Not really much else to say.

MOLDOVA: "O Mie" - Aliona Moon.

Hi Pasha! He's at the piano and we don't see much of him.  Instead the focus is on Aliona with that dress and the best visual effects of the night, even if they're a repeat of Sabina Babayeva last year.  She's spot on vocally too, although it's all about the dress and her ascent into the air. 

M: The effects are better than the song.
L: This is an absolute qualifier.  But I miss the bonkers Moldova entries, I have to admit. 

IRELAND: "Only Love Survives" - Ryan Dolan. 

What do you get when you mix David Guetta-style rhythms, bodhrans and topless men? 

M: We've got to support Ireland!  I like the topless dancers. He's rather nice too.
L: Yes I like this very much.  Although as in the national final, the backing singers are totally lame.

At this point Ana Matronic interviews Loreen.  No offence to either of them but I later discover that we are missing a nice little VT by Aussie TV Julia Zemiro about the importance of the contest in Australia.  I think it would have been more worthwhile broadcasting this clip as it may have given an insight to many casual fans in the UK about something they may not have been aware of.

CYPRUS: "An Me Thimase" - Despina Olympiou. 

We like her lace dress, but that's all.

M: This is probably the most boring song of the night and that's saying something.
L: It doesn't really do anything for me. 

I miss most of this song as I'm off making a quick supper.  But I get back just in time for ...

BELGIUM: "Love Kills" - Roberto Bellarosa.

The studio version of this has been one of my pre-contest favourites, but I still have my doubts about whether he can carry it off.  I'm very happy and relieved to be wrong.

M: He's got a very good voice,  I like this.
L: Yes he's cracked it.  I am so glad.  Pity about the rubbish choreography.

But rubbish choreography is the least of the worries for this evening's final contestants.

SERBIA: "Ljubav je Svuda" - Moje 3.

Ana Matronic – “If Hello Kitty styled Destiny’s Child”.

I like these three girls a lot and in studio version, this is one of my favourite songs of this year's ESC.  However, they must really have offended someone in the costume department.  I wasn't keen on the angel/devil outfits from the national final, but they at least made some sense with the story of the song.  I take it all back.  These outfits, which completely killed any chance the song had of qualifying, later made them the runaway winners of the Barbara Dex award. 

M: (speechless).

So that's it.  16 songs fighting for 10 places.  After a bit of Lynda Woodruff and more annoying BBC waffle, it's results time.  Going through to the final are...

Moldova!  #itsthedresswotwonit
Lithuania! #becauseoftheseshoesheswearingtoday
Ireland! #yay
Estonia! #hairproducts #babybump
Belarus! #faketan #fringes
Denmark! #quellesurprise
Russia! #quelle surprise #balls
Belgium! #yay
Ukraine! #jollygreengiant

One place left and all you can hear is the crowd chanting for the Netherlands.  They're going to be very angry if Anouk doesn't go through.  They won't be the only ones. 

The final, umm, finalist announced is....

Netherlands! #tweettweet

Relief all round.  Not too many surprises although a few annoyed people in internet land complaining about Lithuania qualifying at the expense of Montenegro.  Perhaps the most significant aspect of the semi-final 1 voting was the failure of all the Balkan countries to qualify.  There goes that Balkan bloc voting conspiracy theory! 

Here's how the songs placed in the semi-final:

1. Denmark
2. Russia
3. Ukraine
4. Moldova
5. Belgium
6. Netherlands
7. Belarus
8. Ireland
9. Lithuania
10. Estonia
11. Serbia
12. Montenegro
13. Croatia
14. Austria
15. Cyprus
16. Slovenia

Semi-final review to follow....
 

The Cruise Diaries: Day 2 - Monday 20th May 2013 - Messina & Taormina, Sicily

Overnight we've been sailing down the Italian coastline from Civitavecchia.  As we eat breakfast in the ever-packed Windjammer, we sail through the Messina Strait.  On one side, Reggio Calabria, the 'toes' of the 'boot' of the Italian map, and on the other side, there's Sicily.  We dock right in the city of Messina: a change from the usual bleak industrial ports.  Here's the view from the ship.

More of Messina later, as we've pre-booked a ship's excursion to the beautiful little town of Taormina which is just a 50 minute scenic drive away. 

Yes, it's full of tour parties, but immediately on arrival in Taormina (after ascending the lift from the bus parking) you feel the magic.  And what a view over the bay...

As you can see, it's a bright, warm sunny day.  The temperature is in the mid 20s which is just perfect and not unbearably hot.  Shortly after arrival, it's pizza time! Yes it's quattro stagioni, what the hell, I'm on holiday :)

There's a good selection of eateries near the little cathedral square.  Which eventually leads to the Corso Umberto, the town's main street where you can find lots of clothes shops, souvenir shops, gifts and antiques, and the ever-present local specialities limoncello and (pictured below) marzipan fruits.

One local speciality which was top of my to-do list in Taormina was Cannolo alla Siciliana.  They say a picture paints a thousand words, soooooo....

Yes, it may be a bit of a tourist trap but Taormina is such a lovely little town that it won us over almost immediately with its magic.   It's definitely a must-see on any Eastern Med cruise itinerary and it's convinced us that we must return to Sicily sooner rather than later.  Our four hours passed far too quickly and it was soon time for us to get back on the bus and return to Messina.  Oh and one more thing...if you visit Taormina you also get a sneaky peek - or should that be peak - at Mount Etna.  On this particular day the sky was a bit hazy but here it is anyway.

Back into Messina, and around an hour and a half before we had to be back on the ship.  We went for a little walk around the city, which was strangely quiet despite being rush-hour, grabbed some quick souvenir shopping and had time for a coffee in the shadow of the impressive cathedral with its distinctive tower and astronomical clock, before making our way back to the ship.

We make sure we're up on deck for sailaway. Most areas of the ship seem to be noisy, with music being pumped out at all times and the din of chatter everywhere you go.  But with 3200 passengers that's to be expected.  So it was a treat to hang out on that little quiet spot on Deck 12 at the back of the ship.  Then it was back to our stateroom to get ready for dinner.  Among the items for dinner tonight - an Italian speciality, Arancini (rice balls).

Tonight's main attraction was the 70s disco party on the Royal Promenade.  I believe this event takes place on all the Royal Caribbean cruises and never gets old :)  Yes it's an excuse for the staff to dress up in 70s gear and Afro wigs whilst the passengers party on down to the 70s hits.  The grand finale is a Village People medley of (appropriately) In The Navy and the legendary YMCA followed by a "love train" conga line up and down the Royal Promenade. 

A great way to end a great day, and tomorrow we're all at sea!

The Cruise Diaries: Day 1 - Sunday 19th May 2013

Over the past few years I've been lucky enough to travel all over Europe, to discover cities and countries which I could never imagine that I'd ever get the chance to see. 

One other thing I never imagined myself doing was going on a cruise.  Yet times change and situations evolve.  In recent years, cruising has gone from being the exclusive preserve of the old and the rich, to become the fastest growing sector of the travel industry, opening up to a wide range of ages, classes and income groups.  One of the cruise lines leading this change is Royal Caribbean International, encouraging a younger and more active style of cruiser. 

Over the past year I've become interested in going on a cruise holiday.  Many months of research later, we settled on Royal Caribbean as it seemed to offer just what we were looking for.  The next big decision was the itinerary.  Western Med or Eastern Med? More research followed...and the decision was made that our very first cruise would be on the Eastern Med itinerary, on the Navigator of the Seas. 

Fast forward a few months to May 2013.  Just four hours after the final credits rolled on this year's Eurovision Song Contest, we were on our way to the airport to catch our flight to Rome (Fiumicino) Airport.  The less said about this airport the better: it's big and sprawling and shambolic, but it's a necessary evil if we want to get to our departure port of Civitavecchia, just under an hour's drive from the airport. 

Having booked a fly-cruise, flights and transfers were included therefore it's a very smooth and trouble-free process as you're met by reps at the airport, put on the transfer coach and you say goodbye to your luggage...you won't see it again for several hours so you need to ensure that you have enough essential items in your hand luggage to tide you over. 

There's nothing much happening in Sunday afternoon in Civitavecchia, which is a typical old industrial port, but the main attraction is the Navigator of the Seas.  And it is BIG.  I was prepared for a big ship, but this is huge.  After boarding, there's a long, long walk to our inside stateroom near the back of the ship.  We later find out that there's approximately 3200 passengers on the ship, from around 68 different nationalities.  A United Nations at sea.  As for the staff, they're a multi-national group of hard-working people, who amazingly manage to remain cheerful at all times despite working long hours.

An inside stateroom is the perfect option if you want to save some cash on your cruise.  There may be no balcony or window, but they are a decent enough size, they're well-lit and have lots of mirrors to give the illusion that the room's bigger than it actually is!  Of course there is a down-side, as it's like being in a fitting room....which wasn't much fun for me this year as I've gained a lot of weight over recent months :(  Oh well, that doesn't matter with all the food around for the next 7 days.  The diet can start when I get home!!

There's two things to do on day 1: get into the afternoon scrum in the Windjammer Cafe (buffet restaurant) and this is closely followed by the mandatory muster drill (safety briefing) where you're shown how to put a lifejacket on.  Unfortunately this wasn't such a great experience as it was very difficult to hear the announcements being made over the tannoy at the same time. 

The luggage finally arrived at our stateroom just after 6.00 pm and after unpacking it was straight on to the "Welcome Aboard" show in the impressive Metropolis Theatre which spans three decks. 

As expected, the show is a mix of variety acts, cheesy singing and an introduction to the Cruise Director, Simona, and her staff.  Simona is from Naples and is the only female cruise director from Europe in Royal Caribbean International's fleet.  Of course, because the ship sails from Italy, Italian is the second language on the ship. 

Show's over...and now it's time for dining,  My Time Dining to be precise.  This arrangement was one of the main reasons for choosing Royal Caribbean.  A brief explanation: if you're on My Time Dining, you can choose which time to have dinner, rather than have a fixed dining time.  You also don't have to eat dinner with strangers if you don't want to, but you can book a table for two.  Advance booking is recommended but you don't have too long to wait if you just show up on spec.  We didn't have a reservation tonight but only had to wait about 15-20 minutes. 

The main dining room is in three tiers, with Swan Lake on deck 5 being set aside purely for My Time Dining.  We both enjoyed our three course meal, including my linguine pictured above.  The Main Dining Room is an opulently designed visual feast but it's also a lovely, relaxed environment for an evening meal.

If you're into your fizzy drinks, which I am in a big way, then I'd recommend that you book the unlimited soda package before the cruise.  You get a nice souvenir travel mug (which you can see on the desk in our inside stateroom picture above) and you can have this filled up at any of the cafes/restaurants as many times a day as you want.  So I was never without my Diet Coke!

The Navigator of the Seas has a 'main street' called the Royal Promenade, running through the centre of the ship, lined with shops, bars and cafes.  A lot of the action takes place there at night.  There's lots of art and sculptures all over the ship, the biggest and most striking is near the entrance to the Royal Promenade:

But there is no partying for us tonight.  It's been an extremely long day and there's the small matter of our first port of call tomorrow - Sicily! 

Live Review: Roger Hodgson, Glasgow Royal Concert Hall, 30th May 2013

Mention the name Roger Hodgson to most casual music fans and they will probably answer "who?"  But if you then tell them that he was the lead singer in Supertramp, the British band which conquered the world in the 1970s and 1980s, then they will very quickly remember.  And if you're still too young to remember them, then you might remember Scooter sampling "The Logical Song" or Gym Class Heroes sampling "Breakfast in America" for their 2005 hit "Cupid's Chokehold"....proving that the band's music spans the decades and still sounds as good today. 

But this is where it becomes complicated: Roger tours as a solo artist with a backing band, playing the hits of Supertramp along with his lesser-known solo material, whilst the other founder member of Supertramp - Rick Davies - tours with his band under the Supertramp name.  Hodgson and Davies wrote their songs separately whilst together in Supertramp, and there appears to be an agreement that they should not play each other's songs. (Although this has not always been the case, if http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-1318725/Supertramp-feud-Roger-Hodgson-accuses-bandmate-Rick-Davies-playing-songs.html is anything to go by).

Which probably goes a long way to explain why my favourite Supertramp song, "Goodbye Stranger" was not featured in Roger's live set, although I only found this out after the show.  As you can probably tell, I'm not an expert on the complete works of Supertramp but I do appreciate well-crafted, timeless songs performed to a very high standard, and that's exactly what we got a couple of weeks ago at Roger's final gig of his short UK tour, at the Glasgow Royal Concert Hall.

The GRCH is a very good venue for live music and was perfect for the intricate nature of Roger's songwriting and musical arrangements.  I'd say that the hall was about three-quarters full.  Roger is an exceptional musician and his touring band is made up of two Americans and two Canadians, all of them very accomplished musicians and backing vocalists, taking care of the famous Supertramp harmonies.  I'd like to single out the Canadian multi-instrumentalist Aaron McDonald, who was an extremely talented musician and a great asset to the line-up - I lost count of the number of instruments he played during the show. 

Roger and the band played for an hour and then there was a 20 minute intermission before they were back on stage for another hour. There was a small group of hardcore fans down near the front of the stalls, who were on their feet with a standing ovation at the end of every song, even the lesser-known ones.

Roger kicked off with "Take The Long Way Home" which immediately set the standard for the evening.  This was billed as the "Breakfast In America" tour, however the title track of Supertramp's most famous album came earlier in the set than expected.  Roger mixed the hits and well-known album tracks with some of his lesser-known solo material.  Of course we were treated to "Dreamer", "The Logical Song" and encore numbers "Give A Little Bit" and "It's Raining Again", along with fan favourites "Lord Is It Mine" and "Fools Overture", the latter being a truly epic prog-rock number showing off Roger and the band's highly impressive musicianship. 

He's now 63 years old, but unlike other artists whose voices go as they get older, Roger's voice remains just as high, clear and distinctive as it was on all those hits of the 70s and 80s.  Roger interacted well with the audience and it clearly shows how much he still loves playing music.  It was a very enjoyable concert and I hope it won't be too long before he's back in Glasgow to entertain us again. 

Allsång på Skansen 2013: the guest list

It's almost here - the ultimate Swedish summer singalong that is "Allsång på Skansen".  Måns Zelmerlöw is on presenting duties for a third consecutive year, and the line-up of guests was presented last Tuesday.

Week 1 - 25.06.13: Carola, Gyllene Tider, Zara Larsson, Passenger, Eric Ericsons Kammarkör
Highlights: I'm probably on Team Gyllene Tider for this one. 

Week 2 - 02.07.13: Oskar Linnros, Amanda Jenssen, Lisa Nilsson, YOHIO, Per Andersson, Kjerstin Dellert, Peter Jezewski
Highlights: Need you ask?  Oskar! It'll be good to see Amanda again too.  YOHIO is also the first of many of this year's Melodifestivalen artists to make an appearance. 

Week 3 - 09.07.13: Håkan Hellström, Louise Hoffsten, Anton Ewald, Lill Lindfors, Skansens Ukuleleorkester
Highlights: Anton Ewald, although the ubiquitous HH (who along with Magnus Uggla seems to pop up every year in Allsång, or it just feels like it) should be at his crowd-pleasing best.

Week 4 - 16.07.13:
Miriam Bryant, Rikard Wolff, Danny Saucedo, Arvingarna
Highlights: Danny Saucedo, who apparently will be singing a duet with Rikard Wolff !?!

Week 5: 23.07.13:  Stiftelsen, Magnus Uggla, B.U.S!, Robin Stjernberg, Rolandz, Brynof & Ljung, Nic Schröder
Highlights: Stiftelsen.  And Robin (of course).

Week 6: 30.07.13: The Sounds, Kalle Moraeus, Sean Banan, Jonas Gardell, Lisa Miskovsky, Trio me´ Bumba
Highlights: Lisa Miskovsky.  Definitely not Sean Banan :(

Week 7: 06.08.13: Petter, Petra Marklund, Sofia Jannok, Lill-Babs
Highlights: Petra Marklund and Petter. 

Week 8: 13.08.13: Mando Diao, Kim Cesarion, Flying Bach, Edda Magnason 
Highlights: Mando Diao.  Their reinvention has been a spectacular success. 

Gone are the days when if you appeared on Allsång then you didn't appear on Lotta, and vice versa.  Looking at the line-ups for both shows (and Sommarkrysset) there seems to be a finite pool of Swedish musical talent.  We know that's not true, but you could be forgiven for thinking that, when you look at the crossover between the three shows.  Anyway it doesn't matter - I'm just very happy to have them all back!

Victoriadagen 2013: this year's line-up is announced

It feels like all I'm doing at the moment is bringing news of some annual Swedish summer events - well that's because I am.  And here's another one.

The annual Victoriadagen concert from Öland, which every year on 14th July celebrates the island's national day and Crown Princess Victoria's birthday, always boasts an impressive line-up of Swedish stars from the past and present.  Victoriadagen has an assured place in EuropeCrazy history as it was the place I first saw and heard Salem Al Fakir of course.

No Salem this year (hurry up and make a new solo album soon! Please! We miss you!) however there's the riktig jävla legend that is Tommy Körberg, baby-doll-rock n'roll dansband Top Cats, Louise Hoffsten (complete with her dead fish no doubt), and the younger generation of Swedish musical talent this year is represented by Zara Larsson, Darin and Robin Stjernberg. Robin seems to be popping up everywhere at the moment and his Eurovision adventure will have given him a big boost.  Talking of Eurovision, the organisers have also managed to persuade no less than this year's ESC winner Emmelie de Forest to join the line-up.

More info at http://victoriadagen.se/program-2013.

As usual I expect that the event will be broadcast on SVT and later on SVT Play, so that we can all enjoy Darin and Robin's performances.  Really hoping that Robin left those irritating dancers behind in Malmö :)

Jenifer's 'Déclaration': an unauthorised tribute

It seems no time since Jenifer Bartoli released her last album - "L'Amour & Moi". September 2012 to be precise.  Yet just 9 months after that album comes "Ma Déclaration"; it's not another album of new material though, but it's that curious and pointless exercise which many artists resort to during their careers - the covers album.  

In this instance, it's a tribute album to France Gall, who won the Eurovision Song Contest with "Poupée de Cire, Poupée de Son" in 1965 and went on to become one of the best-loved singers in French music history.  Her songs were regularly featured every year in Star Academy, which brings us nicely back to series 1 winner Jenifer.  

But why the quick release of this album?  A look at the chart positions in France for the 3 singles released from the last album may provide the answer. Even "Sur Le Fil", the first single from the album only got to no. 24 despite lots of publicity and heavy rotation on the music video channels when I was in France last September.  Her last two albums have failed to repeat the success of her early work; which suggests that her 11 year music career is on the wane. Thus the quick fix of the covers album.  

But here's where the fun starts....because France Gall, the notoriously reclusive singer who announced her retirement from music in 1997, is not happy.  In an interview with the Metro newspaper published last week, Jenifer claimed that her tribute album had been approved by France Gall, however this turned out not to be the case.  France then asked for a right of reply in Metro http://www.metronews.fr/culture/france-gall-sur-jenifer-je-n-ai-jamais-su-ni-entendu-quoi-que-ce-soit/mmff!yUG30uzDGHky6/ in which she said that she was never approached, knew nothing about it and never gave her authorisation for the project, ending her statement with "...I will say no more."  Apparently Jenifer and France had never spoken to each other in years.  Significantly, the title of the album was changed from the original "I Love France" to "Ma Déclaration" and there is no mention of France Gall's name in any of the advertising.  

Then there is the role of TF1, the channel which played a major role in Jenifer's rise to fame as the winner of Star Academy in 2001.  "Samedi Soir On Chante France Gall", a TV special featuring Jenifer and several other French artists was broadcast last Saturday night.  Very convenient promotion for this new album, don't you think?  But I digress.  Is the album any good?  Well, I like Jenifer, and I like France Gall, so that's a good place to start.  

The songs are very familiar to French music fans, and are remade in Jenifer's easy-going pop style, although "Evidemment" and "Diego" lose the emotional pull of the original versions and are just too lightweight. The original version of  "Ella, Elle L'a", my favourite France Gall song, still sounds as fresh today as it did 25 years ago, yet the version on this album sounds a little cheap and throwaway.  The wonderful Christophe Willem gets involved for a cover of France's duet with Michel Berger, "Ça balance pas mal à Paris" which is ok and not too different from the quirky original. It's only on "Resiste" and "Message Personnel" where Jenifer really manages to stamp her own authority on the songs. Going back to my original comment though, the whole thing is a pretty pointless exercise, as with all cover albums you find yourself wanting to listen to the original versions.  It's a bit like a rush-released covers-packed first album by an Idol winner, or the Star Academy albums from a few years ago, the latter also coincidentally being more of a cheap marketing exercise by TF1 and Universal rather than an attempt at any artistic credibility.  

Although first week sales are good (the album currently stands at no.2 in the French iTunes chart) I can't see this having the sustained success of the "Generation Goldman" album which has done very well over the last few months in France.  This was a similar tribute project and TV special featuring a number of today's artists interpreting the classic songs of the excellent Jean-Jacques Goldman. 

All in all, there is nothing particularly wrong with "Ma Déclaration", but it's a rather unnecessary project and it doesn't bode well if you don't have the approval of the artist whom you are paying tribute to! 

Lotta på Liseberg 2013: the guest list

The critics said it wouldn't last, but fans of the good old outdoor Swedish singalong know better!  TV4's Lotta på Liseberg is now heading into its 5th summer series and as ever, it will be broadcast on Monday nights.  This year's line-up has something for everyone, particularly if you are a Eurovision or Melodifestivalen fan.  And yes even Bonnie Tyler's in there!

17th June:  Siw Malmkvist, Panetoz, Johnny Logan, Helena Paparizou.

24th June: Robin Stjernberg, Bonnie Tyler, Anna Sise, Tobias Persson.

1st July: Larz-Kristerz, Eric Gadd & Thomas Stenström, Maria Mena, Alcazar.

8th July: Jill Johnson & Rascal Flatts, Tommy Nilsson, Dogge Doggelito feat. Rigo, Jasmine Kara.

15th July: Claes Malmberg, Oscar Zia, Brolle.

22nd July: David Lindgren, Style, Maia Hirasawa, Patrik Isaksson, Tomas Järvheden, Anton Ewald.

29th July: Markoolio & Tobbe Trollkarl, SPÖK; Björn Skifs, Lena Philipsson, Sussie Eriksson.

5th August: Danny, Margaret Berger, Mary N’diaye.

And what about Allsång på Skansen?  This year's line-up is due to be announced on 11th June and we can expect the usual mix of established stars and recent chart artists. Hoping for Oskar Linnros in this year's line-up :))

Sommar i P1 2013

As the great philosopher Tomas Ledin once wrote, sommaren är kort.  But that doesn't stop Swedish radio celebrating the season.  One of the great annual traditions in Sweden is the "Sommar i P1" series where a group of well-known Swedish personalities are selected to present a radio show, share some memories and play music which means something special to them.

The 2013 list has just been announced and includes the following artists:

23rd June- Maja Ivarsson
28th June - Sarah Dawn Finer
26th July - Ann-Louise Hanson
1st August - RedOne
11th August - Lisa Nilsson
17th August - Joey Tempest
18th August -Björn Dixgård and Gustaf Norén

More info at: http://sverigesradio.se/sida/default.aspx?programid=2071
(picture above courtesy of www.sverigesradio.se)

Back home!

Hello again!  I'm back on dry land (although I've still got the "sea legs" despite being back for 24 hours!) Eight days ago, we set off on our first ever cruise around the Eastern Med on Royal Caribbean International's Navigator of the Seas (pictured above) visiting Sicily, Greece, Turkey and Crete along the way.  It was a fantastic holiday which exceeded all my expectations, and everything - the ship, the ports, the weather - was just perfect.  However it was also an exhausting itinerary on an enormous ship and I'm still feeling very tired!

I have a few posts to write up (including those long-overdue Eurovision reviews) before I even get round to the cruise diaries so you'll have to wait a little while longer as I have a couple of busy weeks ahead.  So I'm going to take yet another blog break to gather my thoughts and write those posts and will return on 15th June    with a little blogging frenzy!  See you then.

Tell the Med I'm here....to sail it :)

If you watched Melodifestivalen this year you will understand that post title pun.  If not, oh well, never mind :))

But in the words of Ulrik, I'm on my way, I'm on my way....well, one week from today we will be on our way to cruise round the Eastern Med.  I always get massively excited about our holidays, but I don't think I've been as excited about a particular holiday since my Swedish trips of 2009 and 2010.  Yes we are talking major excitement here! 

There has been an incredible amount of obsessive planning and list-making on the lead-up to our first ever cruise (that's just me - you can tell I do admin for a living!) but hopefully that will help us to get the most out of the holiday.  But I enjoy all that planning stuff, so it's not been all work and no play.  It will be nice to finally get away for some sunshine, after the coldest and wettest 'spring' in many years. Even though it's May, we still need the central heating on!  It's also been a very stressful few months so the relaxation will be very welcome  This holiday is completely taking us out of our comfort zone but it should be an amazing new experience.  Coming soon to EuropeCrazy: The Cruise Diaries!

It's nice to be at home for Eurovision week. As usual I've been enjoying the rehearsal footage and all the bloggers blogging and the tweeters tweeting about the Malmö madness :)  Looking forward to watching both semi-finals as well as the final.  I'll be reviewing all of them as usual, but as I'll be too busy with holiday preparations and other stuff this week, the reviews will be posted retrospectively,  week commencing 27.05.2013, when this blog will be back in action.  See you soon, me hearties :))

The EuropeCrazy Eurovision 2013 Preview: Part 5

Just six songs left: the 'big 5' countries plus this year's host Sweden.

Where to begin?  OK...let's start with yooooooooouuuuuuuuuuuu Sweden :)

SWEDEN: "You" - Robin Stjernberg.

Whilst I come to terms with realising that I'll never be able to pronounce Stjernberg properly, there is one thing I'm even more sure about - this is one of the best songs in this year's contest and in a year when so few songs/performers don't seem to make that crucial connection with the viewers/voters, Robin most certainly will.  Let's just hope that they ditch the silly dancing behind him, which was so irritating in Melodifestivalen.  The down side of being defending champion or big 5 country is that you only get one chance to perform your song, but I'm sure he's up to the challenge.  This deserves to do very well indeed.

ITALY: "L'essenziale" - Marco Mengoni.

This year I tuned into the last night of Sanremo, all 57 hours of it, and this song won.  I was rather annoyed when it was announced that RAI chose to send this rather than Antonio Maggio's "Mi Servirebbe Sapere" which is so instantly catchy and I believe it would have had a serious chance of winning.  "L'essenziale" on the other hand required many more listens before it grew on me, which is not exactly a good recipe for a Eurovision winner.  Unlike Robin, I can't see Marco immediately connecting with the viewers, as his performance is a little detached and stilted.  There's better stuff on his new album. But on the plus side, it's a real grower, it's in the wonderful Italian language and there is no silly dancing!

GERMANY: "Glorious" - Cascada.

Shortly after winning that (rather good and diverse) German national final earlier this year, there was a bit of controversy for about 5 minutes with that "Euphoria"-plagiat scandal. Is "Glorious" a Euphoria ripoff?  It's got a 'u' and an 'or' in it therefore it must be :D   To me it just sounds like all those other Cascada songs which were very popular over here about 3 years ago, the kind of music which teenage chavs used to play on their phones when they’re sitting up the back of the bus. (And that’s not a generalisation/stereotype, that’s speaking from experience!)  Is this a winner?  Probably not as it's just a little too close to the style of last year's winner, and it may just be too obvious an attempt to win. 

SPAIN: "Contigo Hasta El Final" - El Sueno de Morfeo.

Say what you like about the old Operacion Triunfo days, they certainly whipped up some excitement for the Spanish ESC songs and artists.  (Although I will never understand why Vicente's "Se Me Va La Vida" wasn't chosen to represent Spain).  Anyway in recent years Spain has become one of the least talked about and musically one of the least interesting ESC countries and this song hasn't really done much to change my view.  Its folky influences are very mid 90s ESC.  It's nice, but that's all I can say, and like many songs this year it is instantly forgettable.

FRANCE: "L'Enfer et Moi" - Amandine Bourgeois.

This, like the Spanish song, is one of the year's least talked about songs.  It's very brooding and atmospheric and she has a good voice, however it doesn't have much of a hook.  It is however one of those songs which, if they get the staging right with a dramatic performance could maybe pick up a few votes.  Amandine is of course a former winner of "Nouvelle Star" and I live in hope that one day another winner of that competition will represent France - I refer to the wonderful Christophe Willem!

So, in the style of the old Eurovision Song Contest preview shows of the 70s and 80s, I will close with Royaume-Uni....

UNITED KINGDOM: "Believe In Me" - Bonnie Tyler.

Yes the Bonnie Tyler, with a song co-written by the Desmond Child who has written some massive hit songs over the years.  But this is Eurovision and reputations don't count here!  This is Bonnie in more laid-back mode, it's a very easy going song and it's not the worst I've heard.  However it is most definitely not a representation of the music made in Britain any time during the last 20 to 30 years.  It'll probably get more votes than poor Engelbert did last year but that's not saying much, I can't see big voting totals for this either.  When is the BBC ever going to get Eurovision right????

Well, that's it for my Eurovision preview.  As you can probably tell, I'm not blown away by too many of this year's songs, and some of them have needed a few listens to convince me.  There are too many ballads which all seem to blend into each other, and too many mediocre and forgettable songs all in all.  Dare I say it's lacking in fun this year? But to use a little football comparison, the club is always bigger than the players, and so it is with Eurovision.  The Eurovision Song Contest is what really matters, and that's why we love it so much. 

So, who's going to win it then?  Well, Denmark's "Only Teardrops" seems to be this year's pre-determined winner.  Maybe so, but although I was happy to see it winning DMGP, the song has considerably gone down in my estimations and it falls short of that special quality which "Fairytale", "Satellite" and "Euphoria".  If this wins it'll have more of a "Running Scared"-type result. 

I have this strange feeling that the 2013 contest could be 2001 or 2002 all over again, and a less fancied song could sneak a surprise win.  Malta or Finland, anyone?

Otherwise, I'd be very happy with a back-to-back Swedish win - don't laugh, it's possible - or if it's a ballad then Iceland or the Netherlands would be my choice.

But I'm not making any predictions, because I never get it right!

The EuropeCrazy Eurovision 2013 Preview: Part 4

Tonight I'm having a listen to the remainder of the songs in semi-final 2. 

ISRAEL: "Rak Bishvilo" - Moran Mazor.

Yet another ballad, but for me she has one of the loveliest female voices in the competition.  There would appear to have been a lot of talk on the internet about her 'look' - but that's what makes her more special than the generic identikit female ESC participants (although she would be ill-advised to repeat that national finals dress).  This song has really grown on me over a few listens - a big achievement indeed as I'm not a fan of ballads - but unfortunately I can't see it making it out of the semi-final.

ARMENIA: "Lonely Planet" - Gor Sujyan & Dorians.

I managed to catch the end of the Armenian national final just as they were announcing this one as the winner.  It's an old-school mid-tempo rock number which, bizarrely, was written by Tony Iommi from Black Sabbath.  Yes, that Black Sabbath!  However, "Paranoid" this most certainly is not, and the result is very disappointing.  Those lyrics are a bit too cheesy and sound like something from ESC 1990 rather than 2003, but I guess its heart is in the right place. It will probably struggle to qualify though and will need all those diaspora votes.  2013 won't be their year, but Armenia (like Georgia) remains one of those ESC winners in waiting.

HUNGARY: "Kedvesem" - ByeAlex.

As a 'Eurovision' song, this never gets off the ground: the performance is so understated that it's virtually non-existent.  Which is a shame really, as the recorded version makes a lot more sense and even more sense when you remove it from the ESC context and just place it in the contemporary music market, which seems to be more welcoming of acoustic music.  But take it back to ESC and it's like "Angel In Disguise" on tranquilisers.  If that didn't make it out of the semi-final then there's not much hope for this one.  The staging does not look good.  And he needs a shave.  Bye, Alex.

NORWAY: "I Feed You My Love" - Margaret Berger.

Feeding time!  Margaret completely dominated an otherwise disappointing MGP this year with her ice-cool presentation of this song.  But is it too ice-cold, too dark, too abstract for an ESC winner? You could have said the same about Euphoria, and look how that did.  It's been a big fan fave from day 1 though, and it certainly has a contemporary radio-hit feel, and then there is that dress.  I think it would be safe to say that Margaret will do a lot better than Tooji did last year, but I'm still not convinced it will go all the way.  (But then I had Tooji as a winner, remember!?!?) This song would make a more ground-breaking winner than, say, Denmark, and it would go a long way to turning all the preconceived notions about ESC upside down.  Unless you're the BBC of course. 

ALBANIA: "Identitet" - Adrian Lulguraj & Bledar Sejko.

At the beginning of national finals season I promised myself that I would try and watch as many ESC national finals as possible.  I watched my first ever Festivali i Kenges, just prior to Christmas 2012 and found it hugely enjoyable.  Until the result that is.  Their decision to choose this bland rock workout over Rezarta Smaja's "Ti" (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oo-x6qVyyUw) is still a mystery to me.  Festivali 51 commemorated the anniversary of the 1972 contest in Albania (read more at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Festivali_i_K%C3%ABng%C3%ABs_11) and featured a number of songs from that year.  Any excuse on this blog for a bit of Luiz Ejlli of course, so here is his lovely rendition of "Kur Vjen Pranvera" which originally features in that 1972 contest: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EtayGtWFkJM

GEORGIA: "Waterfall" - Nodi & Sophie.

So, it's time to play an ESC-themed version of "Where's Wally?"  Where is Swedish songwriter for hire Lord Thomas of G:son hiding out this year?  Well, he's co-written the Georgian entry for 2013 and has taken the Quedate Conmigo template a little bit further, but it's solid rather than extra-special.  Although the same could probably have been said for Running Scared, so if it's a wide open result other than the Denmark win) it's in with a chance.  Whatever the case, it's a guaranteed qualifier, helped along by a very good draw position. 

SWITZERLAND: "You and Me" - Takasa.

AKA the artists formerly known as Salvation Army AKA Heilsarmee who had to change their name to suit the contest rules.  This was one of the first songs chosen for the 2013 contest and is a very nice, melodic, memorable tune which admittedly wouldn't really exist outwith Eurovision, but it is a song contest after all.  Which has been forgotten amid all the dance routines and pyros, although the 95 year old guy should provide a talking point fot many commentators.  Despite that late draw I think it'll miss out on qualifying.

ROMANIA: "It's My Life" - Cezar. 

Caught the very end of the Romanian final and was rendered speechless by this one.  I have one big problem with this, and that's the falsetto.  It would have been much more bearable if the full song had stayed in the lower range.  Nevertheless this will continue Romania's exemplary qualifying run as its "WTF??" factor will make it more memorable at voting time.  

So after a couple more listens here's my qualifying predictions from semi-final 2: 

San Marino
Azerbaijan
Finland
Malta
Iceland
Greece
Norway
Albania
Georgia
Romania.

Tomorrow night I'll post the final part of my preview, looking at the Big 5 countries and the defending champions Sweden.