SPAIN

The Spanish Final was held on January 20th at Parc Audiovisual de Catalunya in Terrassa, hosted by Roberto Leal. Before the final there was a jury and online vote to choose the songs to be sung in the gala. The winner, which was chosen solely by televoting, was Miki with “La Venda” (The blindfold).

The performance used almost every inch of the stage, and even started off in the audience. Following him almost every step of the way was a five piece female band with drums, trombones and accordions which not only powers the instrumentation of the song but also the fun party atmosphere. There are no real props and backing screen for this but I would imagine street scenes, streamers and balloons and dancing being a possibility if there is a video wall in Tel Aviv. I think the band works well and also frames the shots down the camera lens. I wonder though if some of the band will need to double up as backing singers or even be replaced by them.

The song starts off with a band and practically doesn’t stop. It is a Latino party song with hints of Mariachi but also tones of Ska and 2tone. The tempo is incredibly fast from beginning to end and is going to look amazing in the hall with everyone jumping and waving flags. The whole piece is a mass of repetition but in a way that does not get tiresome. The verses have quite curt and choppy lines which have the same repeating tune but with different words each time. The chorus is even more repetitive as it is shorter. Every line has the same tune and the 2 lines are repeated as many times as needed. The other upshot of this that the first verse/chorus turnaround takes just over one minute, including intro, which gives the song scope to grow. The ending is a little weak but as the song goes right up to the 3 minute mark there is not much room for manoeuvre, maybe they could beef the volume and brass sound up a bit to make it more of a triumphant ending? Miki’s singing is ok but this is a song all about enthusiasm and passion and energy

This song went down like a house on fire in the hall, possibly helped by the fact that Catalan Miki was performing in front of a supporting barcelonés crowd and that the accents and of the song are inspired by the rhythms of that region. That said, this song does have a certain something. It certainly has heart and passion and will certainly make its mark in the hall which I think will be translated through to the TV viewers. I also think if the Eurovision voting public are looking for a summery party song then this will be it. It will be interesting to see where this gets drawn in the running order as I think its placing could not so much make or break *its* chances but possibly effect the flow of the whole show. Get this drawn in the second half and it could be a brilliant show bookend!

Not sure that this is a winner but it is certainly a quirky memorable number that will make an impression and will certainly be remembered!

ARTIST – Miki

SONG – La Venda (The blindfold)

MUSIC - Adrià Salas

LYRICS - Adrià Salas