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UK Party
Eurovision Winner’s Tour Hits London
Joining Dima and Ani onstage were 1981 UK Eurovision Song Contest winners Bucks Fizz, Sonia (second place finisher for the UK in 1993) and hostess for the evening Nicki French (the UK contestant from 2000). The best Eurovision and Schlager music was supplied by the Euro-Schlager specialist DJ Dave Simmons.
Nicki French proved to be the perfect hostess for the evening. She displayed natural enthusiasm for the contest and a great sense of fun and humour throughout the show. She certainly had no problem in whipping up the crowd into a frenzy throughout the evening. In true Eurovision tradition Nicki appeared in a different outfit every time she appeared on stage to announce an act, adding extra glamour to the proceedings. Much to the joy of the audience she also appeared on one occasion in her 2001 outfit. She was the first to perform on the stage with:
Don’t Play That Song Again
Hallelujah/ Beg Steal or Borrow/Boom Bang a Bang (Eurovision medley)
Next on stage was Sonia who gave her customarily strong vocal and energetic performance of:
Never Stop Me From Loving You
Hopelessly Devoted To You
Better The Devil You Know
I Am What I Am/ Don’t Leave Me This Way (medley)
Following on stage were Bucks Fizz comprised of Cheryl Baker, Mike Nolan and Shelly Preston, who performed a much longer set than their performance at the Eurovision Preview Party last April. They did a great job of entertaining the crowd with:
New Beginning
Camera Never Lies
Piece of the Action
I Hear Talk
Can’t Stand the Heat
Love The One Your With
Land Of Make Believe
Making Your Mind Up
After a short beak the winner of the 2008 Eurovision Song Contest, Dima Bilan appeared to perform:
Believe
Number One Fan
Dima acted like a true champion on stage as he enjoyed a huge reception from the audience made up of not only Eurovision fans but also a number of Russian fans who had come along to enjoy the evening. He spoke both in English and Russian to his fans and gave energetic performances of his two songs displaying strong live vocals. After this evening's performance there is no doubt about how proud he is to have won the Eurovision Song Contest and that he will became a strong ambassador for the contest.
Following Dima’s performance, Nicky French reappeared on stage for another collection of fun-filled, exuberant songs:
Total Eclipse Of The Heart
I Surrender
Don’t Play That Song Again
This was the perfect way to introduce Ani Lorak to the stage with her two backing dancers. She performed:
Simply The Best
Simile (a song from her English album)
It’s My Life
Shady Lady
Shady Lady (reprise)
There is no doubt that Ani enjoyed the biggest reception of the evening from the audience for her performance of Shady Lady. The crowd reaction was simply amazing. They sang along to every word of Shady Lady for which she received an enormous response. After this there was simply no way she would have been allowed to leave the building before reprising her song. Wearing the same silver outfit she wore seven days ago in the Eurovision Song Contest, she gave a breathtaking performance and provided outstanding live vocals. For the majority of the crowed Ani Lorak was certainly the highlight of an amazing night.
Yet again the Scale provided the perfect venue for one of the best Eurovision Song Contest parties ever seen in London. DJ Dave Simmons kept the crowd happy with past and present Eurovision and Schlager tunes played through out the night. To make the event extra special 10% of ticket sales will be donated to the Terrence Higgins Trust
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Thanks Keith 
As I have said immigrant votes will always have a large effect on the votes but in the UK there is enough voters watching in the local population to concentrate the votes on a song that doesn't benefit from diaspora like Finland as london calling says - but look at the show Finland had to put on to get those votes!
@mina
I liked the Russian entry this year but I understand why he didn't get points this year from the UK - he acted like an arrogant tit on stage, and people here don't respond to that kindly!
I didn't really like Turkey's entry last year either, it sounded tacky to my ears, but I could fully understand people in the UK voting for it outside diaspora because it is something a lot of people would listen to if not me.
The same with Latvia this year too, I thought it was alright but I didn't really think it was that good either but it got 10 points this year from the UK. Diaspora would have played a part again but I can imagine 5 - 10 year olds up and down the country loving that song too! Believe me when I say that in this debate I am just thinking about what the general population likes and not myself!
I give my full support to DannyT on this one. I didn't like the Greek entry at all myself, but I do recognize its hit potential in the UK, and I'm not surprised it made it into the charts there (didn't it?)
However, the Cypriot entry (which in my ears was much better than the Greek) which somehow got the UK 12 points in the semi has virtually no appeal whatsoever to the general British public. Released as a single, this song would never ever even make it close to the UK charts. Decades of analyzing experience tells me that this is simply not the kind of song that the UK public would go for. This voting reeks of fish galore.
Danny, I wasn't being cynical. What I said was a fact. Ask anyone who's complaining about the Russians winning if they voted for the song. They will say no.
It's normal.
I had the same reactions last year when I didn't like Molitva.
@ Danny T
From what I can see see the UK televote is every bit as predictable as the Irish or French...Barring something exceptional like Lordi the UK 12 has gone to Greece or Turkey every year since they allowed multiple votes per telephone number.
@ mina
please save your cynicism. Living in the UK you can gauge what is popular and I can tell you that the Greek entry is very similar to the style of music in our charts, while the Cypriot entry that got 12 points in the semi-final would never get such a reaction from a large portion of the native population outside or even inside the competition.
Also, the native population of the UK still make up a large number of voters on the night so it isn't automatically predetermined who gets the 12 unlike in countries such as Ireland, France, Spain.However, the semi final which is shown on a low viewer number channel is more easily manipulated.
It's simple.
When one likes a song they say 'yeah, there is diaspora but I think the locals could have liked it too and voted for it'.
When one doesn't like a song they say 'ahhhhhh it was diaspora that voted for it!'
Normal human reactions.
@ london calling
I have had so many debates on this website about diaspora voting etc and I completely agree that there are a large number of cases where demographics will play the overruling factor.
I only commented on Greece though getting 12 points this year from the UK and not Cyprus in the semi-final. On that matter though I couldn't imagine many average Brits voting for the Cypriot entry at all.
Believe me though when I say that the voting is a complete disgrace all over the contest, but at the same time although immigrants may vote for a song in large numbers it isn't impossible for average locals to throw a few in too as per Greece's 12 points this year from the UK were I am sure a large number of UK viewers voted along with the Greek diaspora.
@ Danny T
There's a difference between 'playing a part' and 'dominating a country's televote'. The latter is what happens...I mean 12 points to that disaster of a song by Cyprus! It's farcical.
@ london calling
that is very good how you showed that and if you read my comment again you will see that i said that it probably played its part but i can understand how these entries would appeal to both uk residents and greek/cypriot immigrants. i definitely think that many brits would have voted for some of those songs too such as cyprus 2004 (she was a brit herself, and had backing from terry wogan the whole way through that contest) while greece has always put on a fantastic show from 2004 to 2008 that i can imagine a lot of uk voters going for.
i am more suspicious of ireland's voting patterns where lithuania gets the votes when not many if any irish voters would see the same appeal.
I was there. Whereas Dima was a total diva, Ani was divine...
@ Danny T
the so-called UK votes
08 Semi Cyprus 12 final Greece 12
07 Semi Cyprus 10 final Greece 10
05 Final Greece 12
04 Final Greece 12 Cyprus 10
That spells I.M.M.I.G.R.A.N.T voting
They sing in English because it's an international language and most people understand it more or less.
@ Keith
Thanks for clearing that up 
I think they sing in English because 9 times out of 10 the song sounds better! English lends itself to writing songs better than most others.
@DannyT - obviously that's strictly in Eurovision terms.
The United Kingdom is the country everyone else loves to hate - or, at least, loves not voting for. If they dislike our music so much, why do they want to use our language? That's only going to make their music sound more like ours. That can't possibly be what they want, can it? It's obvious they don't like our music, otherwise they would have voted for it, wouldn't they.
@ london calling
although greek diaspora may have played a part secret combination is one song that would have got plenty of votes from the uk public too.
@ keith timmons
what do you mean when you say the uk isn't a place most of europe cares about?
My message was errased before, but I repeat, it was a big zero last saterday night.... very dissapointing.
@ Jim T
I think you'll find 'we' didn't give her 12 at all... the Greek and Greek Cypriot dispora in the UK did.
I wonder why people see it as an absolute necessity to speak basic English in order to be a superstar when it is blatantly obvious that the United Kingdom is not a place most of Europe cares about. Why not simply sing in Russian? He'll have all of the USSR states and most of the Warsaw countries singing along anyway. And to be fair, I think that's all he can ever hope for.
I wished Kalomira would have been there. After all she was the winner for the UK since we gave her 12 points.
I wished Kalomira would have been there. After all she was the winner for the UK since we gave her 12 points.
I thought I was one of the few who thought Russia's song was just ok and not good enough to win. Certainly bringing on stage an olympic champion helped more than the performance and the song itself.
The party at Scala convinced me there were plenty of people who shared my thoughts. Of course there was a positive welcome for Dima but I have never seen so many fans disapprove of a Eurovision winner in the past. (Maybe that explains why he didn't come back on stage for a reprise...) It looks like he's aiming for an international career, to do that though he will need a lot more than just being a pop idol in Russia. At least, basic English.
Other than that, the party was fun. Nicki was great and all the other acts. Well done to Ani Lorak, she has a great voice and amazing attitude, really enjoyed her performances.
''Furthermore, her song --as a SONG-- did not manage to "stick" with me to hum or sing it on my own (... and I can remember songs ...). So, even though she has a good voice, could it be a lack of expressive singing on her part? Perhaps''
I don't think so. It's just that this song has no 'personality'..I can't explain it better unfortunately. When I had first heard Shady Lady, I had liked it. By the 3rd time I heard it, it bored me. The reason Ani finished second was the gimmick with the mirrors, the fact that she can shake her body very well and also, that she does have a good voice.
If you just listen to the song without watching the performance, you'll see how 'not memorable' (in lack of a better word) it is.
This comment will have reactions.
Yesterday, I was sitting in a restaurant and noticed a lady at the next table take out her pill box and put one in her mouth.
She took gulps of water and there was a crazed head toss, again and again, flinging her head backwards in jerky motions as if this would help the pill to go down. It did not. The woman coughed (and coughed) it back up in to her hand. Her headache got worse. Strangely excruciating to watch.
END OF STORY.-
Note: Story was told because it reminded me of Ani 's ... head nodding routine.
a.k.a. the PAIN of UKRAINE 
Also, despite how she looked, Ani's dancing, during the ESC performance of her song, was NOT exactly what one would call feminine, because I thought she took many big and heavy, stomping steps. Truth be told, only those 4 shadow poses of her (in front of the light boxes) were nice and shapely!
Furthermore, her song --as a SONG-- did not manage to "stick" with me to hum or sing it on my own (... and I can remember songs ...). So, even though she has a good voice, could it be a lack of expressive singing on her part? Perhaps.
I have nothing to say about Dima at the moment, because it would take the same amount of space and I do not have the energy to see HIS ... shortcomings ex. his IMPOSSIBLY BAD ENGLISH. 
Nikki French is lovely. But I wonder why they needed a small beak before Dima Bilan? Were they expecting a turkey?
I think the sound of the venue was awful and Nicki French a lousy hostess.
Great performances from all though. Great night out!
Ani's song was way better than Dima's!
I've waited 3 days for this article to appear and I'm really disappointed. It's awfully written - and it doesn't even nearly capture the magic and sparkle of this truly amazing night. It could at least have been spell checked - it's taken 3 days to write!
On the subject of the night itself, I think finally seeing Dima Bilan perform live was so amazing - it brought me to tears of joy. I thought all the acts were so wonderful and Sonia and Nicki should win some kind of recollection for being national treasures - like an OBE or something. I mean Ani Lorak got a medal fro the Ukrainian President, and she wasn't even that good! She's a brilliant performer, she proved that at Scala, dancing around in those massive heels. I just feel sorry for her that Kirkirov (who I passionately despise) gave her an AWFUL song, as she has got so much talent. I hope she comes back and wins, with a better composer than him she has a very good chance, she deserves it.
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