ESC Insight: Eurovision Song Contest Podcast Ewan Spence

In our third Juke Box Jury episodes for 2024, Samantha Ross and Matthew Ker join Ewan Spence to judge the songs on the way to Malmö from Denmark, Czechia, Azerbaijan, Croatia, and Poland.



ESC Insight reviews the songs heading to Malmö for the Eurovision Song Contest 2024. Find out more at www.escinsight.com

You don't get long to prepare to host the Eurovision Song Contest. Once you allow time for the bidding process at one end and the time needed to start construction and rehearsals at the other, you have a handful of months to not only put on the TV show but also to sort out the Host City and build on the success of previous years.



The latter is the challenge facing Malmö. The organisers hope to make a difference in sustainable practices by ensuring Malmö 2024 and its activities are certified as a sustainable event. Not only does this benefit Eurovision 2024, it is experience that can be passed on to the 2025 Host City and broadcaster. While the whole Contest cannot be made one hundred percent sustainable overnight, Malmö can guide future Contests.



How will this be achieved, what will it take, and what can visitors to Malmö expect to see? 



Malmö's Karin Karlsson sits down with Ewan Spence to talk about Malmö's plans to make a sustainable Eurovision Song Contest.



Ewan Spence and the ESC Insight team bring you the latest news from the world of the Eurovision Song Contest.

In the second Juke Box Jury episode ahead of Malmö 2024, Ewan Spence is joined by Dude Points and Fin Ross Russell to judge the songs from Albania, Ukraine, Spain, San Marino, and Italy.

There are several innovations in this year's Eurovision Song Contest, but one of the biggest on-screen will be the stage. No longer anchored to the auditorium's rear, the stage's full behemoth is being brought into the middle of Malmö Arena. With the audience on all sides and cameras capturing a 360-degree view, this year's artists will be the first to sing at a Contest where the performers are  "in the round."



But what does it mean to perform in the round?



We approached Paul Robinson, the Artistic Director of the Stephen Joseph Theatre in Scarborough. The theatre company was the first in Britain to perform 'in the round, championing a new wave of theatre presentations.



What impact does working in the round have on both the actors and the audience? Where can you take the acting process when you know not everyone will see it?  And how could it change what we see on-screen in May at this year's Eurovision Song Contest?

The National Final season is behind us, Malmö is ahead of us, and in the quiet space between lies Juke Box Jury. Yes, the run is starting slightly later than previous years, but everything else stays the same. We’ll talk about all the songs over seven shows, and when we have all our hits, misses, and maybes, it’ll be time to start taking in the rehearsals!

Eurovision Insight Podcast: Juke Box Jury #1

with AJ Clay (Lockdown Transmission) and Phil Dore (Eurovision Wars).

Greece: Zari, by Marina Satti.

Cyprus: Liar, by Silia Kapsis .

Moldova: In the Middle, by Natalia Barbu.

Belgium: Before the Party’s Over, by Mustii.

Estonia: (Nendest) narkootikumidest ei tea me (küll) midagi, by 5miinust and Puuluup.

Stay up to date with all the discussions, news, and reviews as we get ready to travel to Malmö for Eurovision 2024 with ESC Insight. You’ll find the show in iTunes, Google Podcasts, and Spotify. A direct RSS feed is available. We have a regular email newsletter which you can sign up to here., and you can support us on Patreon here.

Like many major events, the Eurovision Song Contest has a large pool of volunteers to help host it. As ambassadors for Malmö, they can contribute to the event and experience Eurovision from behind the scenes. That could involve guiding guests around town, helping dress the city for tourists, being attached to a delegation to support their time in Malmö, and countless other roles.



Johan Rönning is Eurovision 2024's Volunteer Manager, helping recruit, coordinate, and train the volunteers for Eurovision's arrival in May. On a recent trip to Malmö, he talked to ESC Insight's Ewan Spence about this key part of the Song Contest.



Johan Rönning sits down with Ewan Spence to talk about volunteering at the Eurovision Song Contest, why they are an important part of the event, the difference Eurovision will make to Malmö, and more...