JEDWARD WILL have to overcome what many regard as an unfavourable early draw in tonight’s Eurovision final if Ireland is to extend its record tally in the competition to eight victories.
Jedward are singing sixth in the 25-song running order, taking to the stage at approximately 8:30pm. Songs that are performed later in the evening traditionally fare better, and they’re performing in a run of well-regarded and similarly uptempo acts, after Hungary and before Sweden and Estonia. This placement “may not do them any favours” say English Eurovision fan bloggers the Schlagerboys.
However, Phil Jackson, associate head of media at Edge Hill University and a lifelong Eurovision fan, offers a more positive read: “Whatever the songs around them, Jedward’s song is musically memorable – and aesthetically, it’s the most memorable act of the contest.”
Jedward’s odds weakened slightly yesterday afternoon after the first rehearsal of the final, during which the pair were reported to have looked slightly nervous.
Nonetheless, bookmakers still had them ranked second, after France's Sognu, performed by operatic tenor Amaury Vassili. The French singer responded diplomatically when asked by The Irish Timeswhat he thought of his rivals: "We make really, really different music. They're popular and I hope the best for them. We'll have to see on the night."
Members of the French media now dominate the contest press centre: France has not taken home top Eurovision honours in 34 years, and Vassili is their most hotly tipped act in decades.
Despite this, plenty of Jedward-mania was evident both in Ireland and Germany in advance of the final. More than one million viewers tuned in to RTÉ Two’s broadcast of the Eurovision semi-final during the voting period, with an average of 757,000 watching the show (nearly twice as many as watched Niamh Kavanagh qualify last year).
“We really want to do this for Ireland,” said the pair yesterday. “We want all of Europe to know how brilliant Ireland is.”
The Schlagerboys said Jedward's performance on and off stage in Düsseldorf has been a revelation: "They've been amazing all week. In the UK we knew them from the X-Factoras being crap, really, but this week it's like they've come into their own. They've got a fun persona and the Europeans are lapping it up. Jedward are providing a great show, and their back-up singers are providing great singing."
While the 19-year-old twins have been highly visible on the media rounds in Düsseldorf, they have avoided the contest’s hyperactive late-night party scene. Staunch teetotallers, they have preferred to stay close to their hotel, greeting fans in the lobby, updating their Twitter feed and website, and working on their costumes and street clothes (they do their own styling) in their room.
If Jedward do win tonight, it will burnish Ireland’s reputation as the most successful country in the contest’s history, having won seven times (France, the UK, and Luxembourg have each won five times).