UPD 24. 70s comin' back: Falling into place for Belgium

by Richard West-Soley 99 views

A bit of the 70s really started to come back at the Hartwall Arena this afternoon, as the KMGs pulled off a much stronger rehearsal than their first appearance on stage two days ago.

The stage – and screen – are filled with vibrant, hot reds, oranges, greens and purples as neon rainbows take over the whole stage, but now, the KMGs appear in full 70s gear in the middle of it all. For three minutes, television screens look truly funky, stepping back in time a few decades much more convincingly than before.

Looking the part
Perhaps looking the part has been the key in bringing everything together for the band, because the rehearsal could not have been more different to the first, rather clumsy attempt on Friday. Vocals – lead and harmonies – are nice and close, as proven by a quick acappella check, and, quite clearly, the dance moves are timed to perfection at last. From trumpet spins to Blues Brother-esque step-in-times, the KMGs have actually brought the act back from a mess to something extremely infectious.

SexyFire plays teasingly to camera, enjoying every minute of the act. Cameras catch the rest of the band as they spin and act to camera too, the shots playing along nicely with the little touches in the routine. Thankfully, after the first run through, the vocal levels were adjusted so that they are not drowned out by the backing as they also seemed to be at the last rehearsal.

Belgium have pulled it back, and find themselves back up there with the songs that make people notice on screen.

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PRESS CONFERENCE

The KMG's entered the hall without their dark seventies sunglasses, but when asked about them, they quickly put them on.

Billboard magazines asked the Krazy Mess Groovers about their personal music collection. Sexy Fire says his collection is on vinyl and includes Marvin Gaye, Jackson 5, and the BeeGees.

Mr Scotch likes his George Benson and Chick Corea records among others. You won't find any music recorded after the 70s in Lady Soulflower's collection. She likes funky soul and Jazz. Big Boss says, "You might not know Vietnamese music – it's not funky – it's not rock and roll. But it's something."

The HoD from the French speaking region of Belgium is called on to clarify statements she made in the first press conference on the intellectual nature of French speaking viewers of the Song Contest. The journalist from The Netherlands seemed to be looking for some kind of confrontation asking the Head of Delegation if she was pitting French speakers in Belgium, France and part of Switzerland against the Dutch speaking Belgians, all Dutch speakers or in general against all non-French speakers. Had the HoD intended to say that French speakers are more intellectual?

No. The HoD answered she didn't say French speakers were more intellectual. She says they take an "intellectual approach" to viewing television.

The Belgian HoD replied that she sees a cultural difference between the French speakers and the Dutch speakers in Belgium – this is something she observes as an English person working in Belgian television. She says that the French speaking television stations in France, Belgium and Switzerland do carry similar programming, and programming that works for other language stations doesn't work for the French language broadcasters – while programming that works for the French speaking stations doesn't work for others. She sees this as a definite cultural approach that the these stations must understand and program for.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mwxA-Dnx9N4