Engelbert Humperdinck said he was going to 'channel the spirit of Elvis within his performance on Eurovision in a bid to win the contest'. In this instance i think its a case of 'return to sender'

The Eurovision song contest, an annual chance for countries to put their own individual quirky spin to European music. We've had the likes of Bucks Fizz, ABBA, and Celion Dion as winners in the past , who have been most notable in Eurovision history.
                               

     

Humperdinck and Elvis

     This year, representing us was the one and only Engelbert Humperdinck singing  'Love Will Set You Free' which for the UK was slightly left field rather than sticking to the predictable Euro-trash we have been used to with the likes of Javine and Sonia. Humperdinck  had been wearing a pendant throughout the contest, that the late 1950's star Elvis Presley had given him , reckoned to be worth up to £2million that was supposed to have brought  him luck.  Unfortunately the luck was not in Humperdinck's favour when he came second to last defeating just Norway by a few points. 

Sweden at Eurovision

Although the song was 'out going' for Eurovision it was not for us and Humperdinck to win, instead Sweden were quite the 'hoo har' for countries to vote for suggesting that the traditional political voting system of Eurovision had been put to side while voting. On the other hand Finland did have their handful of points at Swedens side.
Sweden's Loreen gave an unusual performance that was choreographed to perfection and pretty pitch perfect. The song was said to become a 'top hit in Sweden and hopefully throughout Europe'. Ha. We shall see with that one. Me, personally thought it was a shame Humperdinck didn't do better then he did, the song was well written but maybe Eurovision just isn't the place for it. In the future I think we should stick to the cheesy, over the top, quirky structure for our performances and bring back the fizz  that we once had. Lets look forward to next years! 




Beau x

Bee Gees star Robin Gibb 'requested How Deep Is Your Love for his funeral'

         
 The Bee Gees, a 1970's hit band that produced groovy number one hits 'How Deep Is Your Love' and 'Night Fever',probably two of the most well known songs in the history of 1970's music. The band consisted of twin brothers Maurice and Robin Gibb and older brother Barry. On the 12th January 2003 the band were sad to lose their first member of the band Maurice aged just 53. After his death Robin and Barry were reluctant to carry on without 'Mo' as a group and only rarely did a few concerts without him as they felt incomplete without him being there.

          

 On the 27th October 2011, Robin Gibb cancelled an appearance only minutes before hie was due to perform at the Poppy Appeal Concert in London. Later the same week however , he was seen in London and quoted as saying he felt "absolutely great". on the 20th November 2011, it was revealed that Gibb had been diagnosed with liver cancer several months earlier and on the 20th May 2012 he lost this tremendous battle, leaving just Barry Gibb as the last remaining Bee Gee. Robin Gibb was a extremely sad loss, not only did he write and perform spectacular songs along side his brothers in the 1970s he is also an inspiration to song writers all over the world as he and his brothers wrote hits for spectacular artists such as Diana Ross, Destiny's Child ,Dolly Parton and Kenny Rogers, the list goes on and on.  Many people took to micro blogging to pay their respects , a statement put by Song Music was ' Rest in peace.Thank you for the music'. The Bee Gees were second to Lennon and McCartney as the most successful song writers in Britain and their accomplishments have been monumental. On Robin Gibb's death bed he pulled over his son,40, and requested 'How Deep Is Your Love' to be played at his funeral as he always noted how beautiful that song was. His music will never be forgotten. 


Beau x

  

A fan of Ben Howard?

Ben Howard has smashed the music world like a storm with his brand spanking new album 'Every Kingdom' featuring songs like 'Old Pine' and 'Keep Your Head Up'. His music is clearly influenced by those of the likes of Bob Dylan, Frightened Rabbit and Damien Rice as the meaning behind his songs mirror those of most folk singers. Howard represents the folk genre within his warming ,tracks ranging from the mellow guitar and subtle violin to the twang of drums which enhance the folk vibe during the tracks. 

      But why has Howard suddenly become this huge sensation? Is it the audiences need for constant fresh faces within the music industry? Is it because he is yet another heartthrob to gaze at and people are just jumping on the Howard band wagon or is it genuinely because of the soft wonderful  music he produces? Its definitely a tough one in this case.

   In my opinion although he is a greatly talented man and produces songs according to my own personal music taste, he still lacks the unique edge to his songs and this has happened before with newcomers  like Ed Sheeran for example who become famous because of his heart warming songs but then fade out when another similar act appears. We are still welcoming Ben Howard to the charts and we shall see if he stays there and stays successful. Is there room in the music industry for Howard? Please comment your thoughts below . :) 

Beau x