Romania

The Balkan Girls Elena Gheorghe

"I'm gonna start my weekend with gin, tonic and lime..."

In making the transition from old school Eurovision to 21st century showmanship few countries have abandoned half-measures with as much alacrity as Romania. Be it with booming vocals or bombastic visuals (or both), they have turned their back on the sedate start they made to the contest and consistently accosted viewers with songs and performances where the emphasis was clearly on making a mark. From cartoon striptease through blue-collar warehouse disco to caricature sketch comedy, the country has proven remarkably apt at ensnaring the audience's attention, one way or another. They have also revealed a penchant, on the whole, for top-shelf Eurotrash. Not surprisingly, their entry for Moscow - Elena Gheorghe's The Balkan Girls - showcases all this and more in three minutes of hotpants hedonism.

While the 'all this' focuses on the pop credentials and potential of The Balkan Girls, the 'and more' bit refers to the fact that the song is just as canny a piece of music as any that has seen Romania in or taken them to the final in each of the past seven contests. One of the greatest strengths of the country's entries since they joined in 1994 is that even those positioned or perceived as less serious (in terms of contention or delivery) have had foundations as strong as their more successful stablemates, and this year's entry is no exception. It would be simple to scoff at a song whose message is no more complicated than "going out is fun" if the way it was packaged was just as brainless, but there's too much to like about the way The Balkan Girls is put together to dismiss it that easily.

In fact there are elements of subtlety to the song that are in stark contrast to the more direct approach taken by some of its predecessors: the bridge in particular, but also the vocals, and the arrangement as a whole, which offers you more each time you listen to it. Not that I'm expecting a country like Romania to play down the partyfabulousness of their entry; their flair for a memorable performance will undoubtedly be on display. If the vocals aren't massive, the visuals probably will be, and should Elena be clad in anything other than high heels, glitter and little else bar a Farah Fawcett hairdo, I'll be shocked and appalled.

As a proper Saturday night song, the only hurdle to qualification I see The Balkan Girls having to overcome is convincing the Tuesday night audience that they should make an early start on the G&Ts. Given this is Eurovision we're talking about, though, that shouldn't be a problem. Allying herself with her dancefloor-loving sisters from Bulgaria to Montenegro* (and by televoter extension to the Iberian peninsula), Ms Gheorghe putting in an even more bombtastic turn in the final is pretty much a formality. And though it might not help them much in terms of votes when they do turn up, we'd be hard pressed to find a better contest opener. After all, if Elena's hips are ready to glow, who are we to get in her way?

* I guess The Carpathian Girls wouldn't have scanned. Isn't Romania claiming Balkan status in Eurovision about as tenuous as Austria suggesting it's still interested in the contest?