'Crown the Witch': Bambie's Eurovision show will be like something from a fantasy film
Bambie Thug at the 68th Eurovision Song Contest in Malmo on Sunday. Cork’s own Bambie Thug will fly the flag for Ireland on Tuesday with their song Doomsday Blue. Photo: Martin Sylvest Andersen/Getty Images
A smoke-filled stage, a circle of candles, shoulder horns, and a shirtless man in leather trousers are all things Irish fans can look forward to as part of our 2024 entry to the Eurovision Song Contest.
Cork’s own Bambie Thug will fly the flag for Ireland on Tuesday with their song Doomsday Blue as they take to the stage for the first semi-final in Malmo, Sweden.
Fourth in the running order is traditionally not the best slot, especially in a semi-final as tough as this one, but judging by the rehearsal it promises to be a performance that will go down in Eurovision history.
Ten acts from 15 will go through, with Ukraine, Lithuania, and Croatia expected to be Bambie’s main competition.
The staging is as haunting and mysterious as a song such as Doomsday Blue deserves. Bambie’s dramatic white face make-up is topped off by hair styled into their signature antlers.
In a change from the Eurosong performance, they are joined on stage by a single shirtless dancer, who accompanies Bambie in some balletic choreography. Visually, it’s something straight out of a fantasy film.
In a dramatic twist, halfway through the performance, Bambie — who is non-binary — gives a nod to trans rights by revealing a pink and blue dress hidden underneath their costume. This is later referenced to by host, Petra Mede.
And to top it all off, the finale comprises of a candle circle rising up to display a graphic backdrop with ‘CROWN THE WITCH’, the phrase coined by Bambie fans everywhere.
Eurovision theatre at its finest.
Could Bambie's spell be the breaker of Ireland’s Eurovision bad luck?
Ireland has not qualified for the final since Ryan O’Shaughnessy performed Together in 2018.
We’ve not had a top-five song since Mysterious Woman by Marc Roberts in 1997. Our last top-10 finish came in 2011 when Jedward sought to conquer Europe with Lipstick.
According to Eurovision World, who analyse odds from multiple bookies, Bambie Thug is currently the eighth favourite to win the competition.
Surely that means we will at least make it through to Saturday’s Grand Final?
Eurovision superfans on social media seem to think so as predictions come in fast and heavy from across the globe.
Social media users have been placing Irish flags next to their usernames to show support, along with their other chosen countries, while over on TikTok we’ve been appearing in top-10 rankings.
Eurovision podcaster Alesia Michelle has ranked Ireland in her Top five acts, alongside Ukraine, Norway, Italy, and Lithuania.
Additionally, she has praised Ireland in several of her TikToks saying “the fact that Ireland is sending this to Eurovision is a win”.
As stand-out as Bambie promises to be, doesn’t it all come down to the voting?
The answer, of course, is yes.
But this year we’ve something we didn’t have last year — a possible vote from the United Kingdom.
When it comes to the semi-finals, only people from the countries that are participating in that semi-final can vote.
You can vote for anyone, except your own country.
However, the host nation (Sweden) and the Big Five countries will also have votes in the semi-finals.
Three will vote in tonight’s semi and three in Thursday’s.
In Ireland’s semi-final, the United Kingdom, Germany, and Sweden all have a vote.
Last year, the UK didn’t have a vote in our semi-final, so here’s hoping we get some neighbourly support this year.
In a change from previous years, the United Kingdom, Germany, and Sweden will perform during Tuesday's semi-final while France, Italy, and Spain will take the stage on Thursday.
These entries cannot be voted for until they perform in the Grand Final.
All of this being said, Tuesday's show promises the usual weird and wonderful, including a special performance from our very own Johnny Logan, the Windows95man being birthed from a giant egg, and someone named Baby Lasagna.
