Eurovision puts on ‘powerful’ drag show during semi-final in ‘massive middle finger’ to bigots
Fans are gagging at the drag queens’ Eurovision semi-final slayage. (YouTube/Eurovision Song Contest)
Eurovision has once again proved that it is the official queer Olympics, with the second semi-final last night (11 May) being dominated by a “truly iconic” drag trio.
From 2007’s mind-blowing Ukrainian drag entry, Verka Serduchka, to 2014 winner, Conchita Wurst, drag queens and Eurovision have long gone hand in hand.
In fact, with skirt-reveals, wacky costumes and some of the campest performances to ever grace a stage, Eurovision and drag performers are now practically one and the same.
Thursday night’s (12 May) second semi-final only seemed to solidify how connected the two pop culture monoliths are.
After all 16 acts had performed their songs, the interval began, with the contest’s three hosts Alesha Dixon, Julia Sanina and Hannah Waddingham entering the ‘Queen Machine’ on the centre of the stage.
Moments later, out popped drag queens Miss Demeanour, Mercedes Benz-Over, and Tomara Thomas, dressed as the dragged-up counterparts of the three hosts.
Surrounded by a legion of back-up dancers and potentially thousands of rainbow lights, the drag trio served up the queerest possible medley of Ultra Naté’s “Free”, Jessie Ware’s “Free Yourself” and En Vogue’s “Free Your Mind”
Halfway through their performance the stunned viewers by falling backwards off of podiums on the stage. Cue everyone in the audience at home being immediately gagged.
“THE WAY I GASPED,” tweeted TV critic Scott Bryan, alongside a clip of the jaw-dropping moment.
In case you needed a reminder that Eurovision is first and foremost for the gays, this was it. Some fans have gone as far to suggest that perhaps next year, drag performers should host the whole entire thing.
“Eurovision would be better if it was always hosted by drag queen’s tbh,” one person shared.
“Drag queens stealing the show as usual!,” a second tweeted.
With LGBTQ+ people under attack in the UK and worldwide, and drag performers often being the focus of bigots’ rage, the Eurovision performance was a timely reminder that drag is simply good entertainment.
“Eurovision is showing a massive middle finger to all conservative politicians right now by letting drag queens perform in front of millions of people,” one person said.
A second said: “At the time when people are trying to divide people up, three drag queens performing on the biggest European stage in the world to the song ‘Do What You Wanna Do’ and ‘We Got Love’ is so important. Thanks Eurovision.”
As expected, a few sad people decided to accuse Eurovision of ‘propaganda’ for featuring drag queens, despite the show’s long-running history of platforming queer artists and performers. Most, though, were just enjoying the unrivalled campness of it all.
The Eurovision final takes place on 13 May.
