This years Eurovision Song Contest was something of a special one. Partly because the UK hasn't hosted the festival since 1998, but mainly because we were hosting it because Ukraine (last years winners) were unable to.
Interval programming can be on the variable side for Eurovision, and it's fair to say that this years interval wouldn't have been to everyone's taste... It it did kind of work, even if the songs selected were a somewhat random selection of 'classic' Liverpool cuts. Set that aside and the central idea of inviting previous Eurovision contestants to perform classic songs from Liverpool artists was basically sound, on paper at least.
There was what felt like a rather tepid 'Imagine', there was an exuberant Israeli take on Dead Or Alive's 'Spin Me Round' courtesy of 2018 contest winner, Netta, and... there was Daði Freyr, who represented Iceland in 2021, performing what can only be described as a highly inventive synth pop take on Atomic Kitten's smouldering ballad 'Whole Again'.
Setting aside the switch from female to male vocal, it was the change in tempo that really made the cover go off with a bang. The original version of 'Whole Again' was, if anything, underplayed both tempo and vocal wise. Freyr's decision to up the tempo from lacklustre to manic electro pop, coupled with a much more powerful, and sonorous, vocal gives the song an edge it never previously had.
The crowd in the arena were clearly delighted. You can hear them singing along. And, yes, he has released it as a single.
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