‘I’m super excited, but it’s bloody expensive!’ Australia’s Eurovision megafans gather to cheer on Electric Fields in Sweden
In the first semi-final, on Tuesday night local time in Sweden, Leone will plays the yidaki as part of Australia’s 2024 Eurovision entrant,, alongside vocalist Zaachariaha Fielding, keyboardist Michael Ross and an ensemble of vocalists, Brendan Maclean, Alyson Joyce and Simi Vuata.
Hayley Bessell is one of them. The self-described Eurovision superfan from Brisbane is at her third Eurovision, having arrived at a special Eurovision event hosted in the Australian embassy in Copenhagen with two mini Aussie flags popping out from her bright red thick mohawk.“I am pretty Eurovision obsessed, even in the off-season,” she says. “I have a Eurovision shrine at my house that has a fake trophy and flags from previous years. I have a little Abba temple, lots of bits and pieces.
“Eurovision resonates strongly in Australia because people can connect with current music from their ancestral homes, and the opportunity to compete and promote Australian music to such a large European market,” he says.The usually peaceful city of Malmö feels a little nervous in the lead up to Eurovision, with heightened security partly explained by Israel’s inclusion in this year’s competition.