UK: Katrina and the Waves reunite for Spanish fiesta

by Richard West-Soley 697 views

UK winners Katrina and the Waves officially separated not long after their Dublin 1997 victory. But this year’s San Fermín festival in Spain saw them reunited to perform towards the end of the renowned festival week.

The nights of San Fermín are held every July in Pamplona, Navarre, and as well as the well-known bull run, the festivities are characterised by live music and revelry. With over a million estimated visitors each year, the festival is a major crowd-puller, and one of the hot spots on the programme was filled by a distinctly Eurovision-themed act this week. Katrina Leskanich rejoined her former bandmates to play the penultimate gig of the season on Plaza del Castillo.

As well as their winning Eurovision Song Contest entry Love Shine A Light, the group is known for the 80s superhit Walking On Sunshine, as well as a string of minor hits including Que te quiero. Katrina left the group not long after the 1997 win, although competed in the 2005 Swedish Melodifestivalen, not with the Waves, but as Katrina and the Nameless with As If Tomorrow Will Never Come. The song made it all the way to the second chance round , but failed to secure a place in the final. However, Katrina took centre stage as host of the Eurovision Song Contest 50th anniversary Congratulations celebrations that year in Denmark, along with Brainstorm (Latvia 2000) frontman Renars Kaupers. Once again, she had the chance to reprise Love Shine A Light in a celebration of the contest’s favourite winning entries.

Watch Katrina and the Waves perform their winning song in Dublin below:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sR131zARCgk

See Katrina and the Nameless performing in the 2005 Melodifestivalen semis below: