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Metro
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Metro
Iconic band reunite on stage after 25 years during Robbie Williams gig
Robbie Williams had a huge surprise in store for fans at his London concert on Friday night. The Let Me Entertain You hitmaker kicked off his first night at Arsenal's Emirates Stadium with a bang, performing to a crowd of 60,000 seats. Williams had started a rendition of Keep On Movin' and had the crowd singing along when he suddenly interrupted himself to welcome some familiar faces to the stage. 'I don't remember the words to this next bit,' said Robbie. 'I wonder if anybody can help me out. Ladies and gentlemen the first time they've been seen on stage for 25 years. My mates. Five!' The crowd went wild as all five members of the iconic boy band Five ran out onto the stage and joined in to sing their 1999 hit. Scott Robinson, Ritchie Nevile, Jason Paul Brown, Sean Conlon and Abz Love recently announced they would be reuniting, almost three decades after splitting up. The group have announced a two-week tour later this year – the Keep On Movin' Tour – which is set to kick off on Halloween (October 31) in Brighton, with tickets on sale from Saturday (June 7). Five will perform a 12-date journey across the country, with all five members back after a smaller trio had started to perform together in recent years. Producer and DJ Naughty Boy, best known for hit La La La featuring Sam Smith, will perform a set to open the show. Scott, who previously returned in 2022 with the Five trio album, shared at the time of the reunion announcement: 'This has been a long time coming and it really does feel right for all of us now – 25 years on and we're so ready for it. Tickets for Five's reunion tour go on sale Friday, March 7, with pre-sale sign up open now. The tour dates are: October 31 – Brighton November 1 – Bournemouth BIc November 2 – Cardiff Utilita Arena November 4 – Nottingham Motorpoint Arena November 5 – Liverpool M&S Bank Arena November 7 – Manchester AO Arena November 8 – Leeds Arena November 9 – Birmingham Utilita Arena November 11 – London The O2 'Reconnecting as a 5 over the last year has been special and I know I speak for all the boys when I say we can't wait to do this all over again. Hope you're ready!!' More Trending On the band's official Instagram page they wrote: 'It's true, the five of us are reuniting for a tour across the UK!! This has been a long time coming and it really does feel right for all of us now – 25 years on and we're so ready for it. 'We really can't wait to get back on stage together and see you all in person, it's gonna go OFF!! Let's goooooo!' Williams is set to perform in London again on Saturday evening, before heading north for gigs in Manchester and then another concert in Bath. Got a story? If you've got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@ calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we'd love to hear from you. MORE: Inside Oasis' setlist after iconic song is heard in rehearsals MORE: Beyoncé's London Cowboy Carter show made me homesick for a US that doesn't exist MORE: Beyonce suffers wardrobe malfunction as trousers drop mid-performance in London
Irish Independent
12-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Irish Independent
What's the secret to a good tune? Eurovision 2025 sees comeback for key changes and the signature ‘la la la'
A total of 37 countries will take to the stage in Basel in Switzerland over the next few days, ahead of the grand final on Saturday. While the event will deliver its familiar rich mix of spectacle, pride and eccentricity, this year also sees a revival of certain musical and stylistic features that had all but disappeared from Eurovision in modern times. Perhaps the most striking comeback at the 2025 contest is the key change. This staple of Eurovision from the 1950s to the 1990s fell out of favour in the early 2000s and became steadily less common until it disappeared entirely – for the first time in the event's history – in the 2023 contest. A key change was used in only one of 2024's entries, but this year it appears in five, including the favourite to win, Bara Bada Bastu by Sweden, as well as songs from Iceland, Israel, Ukraine and host nation Switzerland, according to analysis by the PA news agency. Also staging a modest revival in 2025 are songs with a time signature not based on four beats in a bar. In the early history of the contest, countries frequently used a range of rhythms and structures in their entries, with songs in 3/4 (three beats per bar) or even 5/4 (five beats), before 4/4 became more common from the 1970s onwards. Recent years have seen time signatures become even more standardised: every song in last year's grand final had a strict four beats in a bar, the sixth time this has occurred since 2000. This year the contest boasts a more varied mix of rhythms, however. Israel's song is a fast-paced waltz in 6/8 time (two groups of three beats per bar); the Czech Republic's song is also in 6/8 time, but switches to a disco-style four beats per bar during its middle section; and Ukraine's entry has four beats per bar, but each beat is actually a group of three quavers, meaning it is in 12/8 time. ADVERTISEMENT Learn more Georgia's song is the most complex of all, with a verse that has five beats per bar, a chorus that has three beats per bar, and a free-flowing middle section with no beats at all, where Mariam Shengelia sings phrases at her own pace. While experiments with time signatures represent one of the more complex musical characteristics of the contest, one of its simplest are the lyrics 'la la la': a phrase cemented in Eurovision folklore when Spain won in 1968 with a song titled precisely that: La La La. In both of the following years, 1969 and 1970, 25% of finalists included 'la la la' in their lyrics. The popularity of the phrase waned slightly in the 1970s, but 'la la la' was still turning up in 17% of songs in the final as late as 1982. Since then, the 'la' has more or less vanished and has been absent in almost every final since 2000. But this year it makes a rare appearance, decorating the chorus of the Netherlands' entry C'est La Vie. Luxembourg has not quite embraced this tradition in full, offering instead a few bursts of 'na na na', while Ireland has gone for 'ba da dum bum'. The UK is represented at this year's contest by the trio Remember Monday: the first time since 1999 the country has sent an all-female group to the contest. Their song What the Hell Just Happened? does not contain any key changes or unusual time signatures, but it does manage to both speed up and slow down during its three minutes. In any other year, these changes in tempo might have helped Remember Monday stand out from the other entries. But by a curious coincidence, three other countries – Austria, Finland and Switzerland – have all deployed a similar gimmick and entered songs that speed up part-way through. The UK has also chosen to ignore the current fashion for songs in a minor key and instead is one of six countries whose entry is in a major key, up from two countries last year. Songs in minor keys were scarce in the early years of Eurovision. There were none at all in the contests in 1957-59 or in 1964, though 1961 saw the first minor-key winner (Nous Les Amoureux by Jean-Claude Pascal for Luxembourg). The proportion of songs in a minor key topped a quarter for the first time in 1965 but did not pass a third until 1979, and it took until 2002 to pass 50pc. Since 2005, more than half of the songs in the final have been in a minor key save for one year (2013), with the proportion passing three-quarters in 2023. Neither of the two countries that entered major-key songs in 2024 made it through the semi-finals, meaning last year was the first time every song in the grand final was in a minor key. The world will be spared a repeat of this gloomy scenario in 2025, however. Five countries automatically qualify for the grand final each year thanks to the size of their financial contribution to the contest's organiser, the European Broadcasting Union – and one of these is the UK, meaning Remember Monday's major-key song will definitely be in the final on Saturday.
Yahoo
12-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
How Eurovision 2025 promises the comeback of a little-known musical trick
Get ready, Eurovision fans: this year's contest promises a return to the musically complex and satisfying sounds of the past. As 37 countries prepare to take the stage in Basel, Switzerland, for the grand final on Saturday, a resurgence of key changes and unusual time signatures is set to delight viewers. While spectacle, national pride, and eccentricity remain at Eurovision's core, the 2025 contest marks a revival of musical elements rarely seen in recent years. The key change, a hallmark of Eurovision from the 1950s to the 1990s, experienced a decline in the early 2000s, disappearing entirely in 2023 and appearing only once in 2024. This year, however, it features in five songs, including the Swedish favourite, "Bara Bada Bastu," as well as entries from Iceland, Israel, Ukraine, and host nation Switzerland. Beyond key changes, the 2025 contest also sees a return to more diverse time signatures. While early Eurovision entries frequently experimented with rhythms and structures, including 3/4 and 5/4 time, the standard 4/4 beat has dominated since the 1970s. Last year's final saw every song in 4/4, the sixth such occurrence since 2000. This year promises a welcome shift away from this rhythmic uniformity. This year the contest boasts a more varied mix of rhythms, however. Israel's song is a fast-paced waltz in 6/8 time (two groups of three beats per bar); the Czech Republic's song is also in 6/8 time, but switches to a disco-style four beats per bar during its middle section; and Ukraine's entry has four beats per bar, but each beat is actually a group of three quavers, meaning it is in 12/8 time. Georgia's song is the most complex of all, with a verse that has five beats per bar, a chorus that has three beats per bar, and a free-flowing middle section with no beats at all, where Mariam Shengelia sings phrases at her own pace. While experiments with time signatures represent one of the more complex musical characteristics of the contest, one of its simplest are the lyrics 'la la la': a phrase cemented in Eurovision folklore when Spain won in 1968 with a song titled precisely that: La La La. In both of the following years, 1969 and 1970, 25% of finalists included 'la la la' in their lyrics. The popularity of the phrase waned slightly in the 1970s, but 'la la la' was still turning up in 17% of songs in the final as late as 1982. Since then, the 'la' has more or less vanished and has been absent in almost every final since 2000. But this year it makes a rare appearance, decorating the chorus of the Netherlands' entry C'est La Vie. Luxembourg has not quite embraced this tradition in full, offering instead a few bursts of 'na na na', while Ireland has gone for 'ba da dum bum'. The UK is represented at this year's contest by the trio Remember Monday: the first time since 1999 the country has sent an all-female group to the contest. Their song What the Hell Just Happened? does not contain any key changes or unusual time signatures, but it does manage to both speed up and slow down during its three minutes. In any other year, these changes in tempo might have helped Remember Monday stand out from the other entries. But by a curious coincidence, three other countries – Austria, Finland and Switzerland – have all deployed a similar gimmick and entered songs that speed up part-way through. The UK has also chosen to ignore the current fashion for songs in a minor key and instead is one of six countries whose entry is in a major key, up from two countries last year. Songs in minor keys were scarce in the early years of Eurovision. There were none at all in the contests in 1957-59 or in 1964, though 1961 saw the first minor-key winner (Nous Les Amoureux by Jean-Claude Pascal for Luxembourg). The proportion of songs in a minor key topped a quarter for the first time in 1965 but did not pass a third until 1979, and it took until 2002 to pass 50%. Since 2005, more than half of the songs in the final have been in a minor key save for one year (2013), with the proportion passing three-quarters in 2023. Neither of the two countries that entered major-key songs in 2024 made it through the semi-finals, meaning last year was the first time every song in the grand final was in a minor key. The world will be spared a repeat of this gloomy scenario in 2025, however. Five countries automatically qualify for the grand final each year thanks to the size of their financial contribution to the contest's organiser, the European Broadcasting Union – and one of these is the UK, meaning Remember Monday's major-key song will definitely be in the final on Saturday.
STV News
12-05-2025
- Entertainment
- STV News
Eurovision 2025 sees comeback for key changes and unusual time signatures
Fans of songs with key changes, unusual time signatures and the occasional 'la la la' or 'na na na' can look forward this week to one of the most musically satisfying Eurovision contests for several years. A total of 37 countries will take to the stage in Basel in Switzerland over the next few days, ahead of the grand final on Saturday. While the event will deliver its familiar rich mix of spectacle, pride and eccentricity, this year also sees a revival of certain musical and stylistic features that had all but disappeared from Eurovision in modern times. Perhaps the most striking comeback at the 2025 contest is the key change. This staple of Eurovision from the 1950s to the 1990s fell out of favour in the early 2000s and became steadily less common until it disappeared entirely – for the first time in the event's history – in the 2023 contest. A key change was used in only one of 2024's entries, but this year it appears in five, including the favourite to win, Bara Bada Bastu by Sweden, as well as songs from Iceland, Israel, Ukraine and host nation Switzerland, according to analysis by the PA news agency. Also staging a modest revival in 2025 are songs with a time signature not based on four beats in a bar. In the early history of the contest, countries frequently used a range of rhythms and structures in their entries, with songs in 3/4 (three beats per bar) or even 5/4 (five beats), before 4/4 became more common from the 1970s onwards. Recent years have seen time signatures become even more standardised: every song in last year's grand final had a strict four beats in a bar, the sixth time this has occurred since 2000. This year the contest boasts a more varied mix of rhythms, however. Israel's song is a fast-paced waltz in 6/8 time (two groups of three beats per bar); the Czech Republic's song is also in 6/8 time, but switches to a disco-style four beats per bar during its middle section; and Ukraine's entry has four beats per bar, but each beat is actually a group of three quavers, meaning it is in 12/8 time. Georgia's song is the most complex of all, with a verse that has five beats per bar, a chorus that has three beats per bar, and a free-flowing middle section with no beats at all, where Mariam Shengelia sings phrases at her own pace. While experiments with time signatures represent one of the more complex musical characteristics of the contest, one of its simplest are the lyrics 'la la la': a phrase cemented in Eurovision folklore when Spain won in 1968 with a song titled precisely that: La La La. In both of the following years, 1969 and 1970, 25% of finalists included 'la la la' in their lyrics. The popularity of the phrase waned slightly in the 1970s, but 'la la la' was still turning up in 17% of songs in the final as late as 1982. Since then, the 'la' has more or less vanished and has been absent in almost every final since 2000. But this year it makes a rare appearance, decorating the chorus of the Netherlands' entry C'est La Vie. Luxembourg has not quite embraced this tradition in full, offering instead a few bursts of 'na na na', while Ireland has gone for 'ba da dum bum'. The UK is represented at this year's contest by the trio Remember Monday: the first time since 1999 the country has sent an all-female group to the contest. Their song What the Hell Just Happened? does not contain any key changes or unusual time signatures, but it does manage to both speed up and slow down during its three minutes. In any other year, these changes in tempo might have helped Remember Monday stand out from the other entries. But by a curious coincidence, three other countries – Austria, Finland and Switzerland – have all deployed a similar gimmick and entered songs that speed up part-way through. The UK has also chosen to ignore the current fashion for songs in a minor key and instead is one of six countries whose entry is in a major key, up from two countries last year. Songs in minor keys were scarce in the early years of Eurovision. There were none at all in the contests in 1957-59 or in 1964, though 1961 saw the first minor-key winner (Nous Les Amoureux by Jean-Claude Pascal for Luxembourg). The proportion of songs in a minor key topped a quarter for the first time in 1965 but did not pass a third until 1979, and it took until 2002 to pass 50%. Since 2005, more than half of the songs in the final have been in a minor key save for one year (2013), with the proportion passing three-quarters in 2023. Neither of the two countries that entered major-key songs in 2024 made it through the semi-finals, meaning last year was the first time every song in the grand final was in a minor key. The world will be spared a repeat of this gloomy scenario in 2025, however. Five countries automatically qualify for the grand final each year thanks to the size of their financial contribution to the contest's organiser, the European Broadcasting Union – and one of these is the UK, meaning Remember Monday's major-key song will definitely be in the final on Saturday. Get all the latest news from around the country Follow STV News Scan the QR code on your mobile device for all the latest news from around the country
Irish Independent
12-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Irish Independent
Eurovision 2025 sees comeback for key changes and unusual time signatures
A total of 37 countries will take to the stage in Basel in Switzerland over the next few days, ahead of the grand final on Saturday. While the event will deliver its familiar rich mix of spectacle, pride and eccentricity, this year also sees a revival of certain musical and stylistic features that had all but disappeared from Eurovision in modern times. Perhaps the most striking comeback at the 2025 contest is the key change. This staple of Eurovision from the 1950s to the 1990s fell out of favour in the early 2000s and became steadily less common until it disappeared entirely – for the first time in the event's history – in the 2023 contest. A key change was used in only one of 2024's entries, but this year it appears in five, including the favourite to win, Bara Bada Bastu by Sweden, as well as songs from Iceland, Israel, Ukraine and host nation Switzerland, according to analysis by the PA news agency. Also staging a modest revival in 2025 are songs with a time signature not based on four beats in a bar. In the early history of the contest, countries frequently used a range of rhythms and structures in their entries, with songs in 3/4 (three beats per bar) or even 5/4 (five beats), before 4/4 became more common from the 1970s onwards. Recent years have seen time signatures become even more standardised: every song in last year's grand final had a strict four beats in a bar, the sixth time this has occurred since 2000. This year the contest boasts a more varied mix of rhythms, however. Israel's song is a fast-paced waltz in 6/8 time (two groups of three beats per bar); the Czech Republic's song is also in 6/8 time, but switches to a disco-style four beats per bar during its middle section; and Ukraine's entry has four beats per bar, but each beat is actually a group of three quavers, meaning it is in 12/8 time. ADVERTISEMENT Georgia's song is the most complex of all, with a verse that has five beats per bar, a chorus that has three beats per bar, and a free-flowing middle section with no beats at all, where Mariam Shengelia sings phrases at her own pace. While experiments with time signatures represent one of the more complex musical characteristics of the contest, one of its simplest are the lyrics 'la la la': a phrase cemented in Eurovision folklore when Spain won in 1968 with a song titled precisely that: La La La. In both of the following years, 1969 and 1970, 25% of finalists included 'la la la' in their lyrics. The popularity of the phrase waned slightly in the 1970s, but 'la la la' was still turning up in 17% of songs in the final as late as 1982. Since then, the 'la' has more or less vanished and has been absent in almost every final since 2000. But this year it makes a rare appearance, decorating the chorus of the Netherlands' entry C'est La Vie. Luxembourg has not quite embraced this tradition in full, offering instead a few bursts of 'na na na', while Ireland has gone for 'ba da dum bum'. The UK is represented at this year's contest by the trio Remember Monday: the first time since 1999 the country has sent an all-female group to the contest. Their song What the Hell Just Happened? does not contain any key changes or unusual time signatures, but it does manage to both speed up and slow down during its three minutes. In any other year, these changes in tempo might have helped Remember Monday stand out from the other entries. But by a curious coincidence, three other countries – Austria, Finland and Switzerland – have all deployed a similar gimmick and entered songs that speed up part-way through. The UK has also chosen to ignore the current fashion for songs in a minor key and instead is one of six countries whose entry is in a major key, up from two countries last year. Songs in minor keys were scarce in the early years of Eurovision. There were none at all in the contests in 1957-59 or in 1964, though 1961 saw the first minor-key winner (Nous Les Amoureux by Jean-Claude Pascal for Luxembourg). The proportion of songs in a minor key topped a quarter for the first time in 1965 but did not pass a third until 1979, and it took until 2002 to pass 50%. Since 2005, more than half of the songs in the final have been in a minor key save for one year (2013), with the proportion passing three-quarters in 2023. Neither of the two countries that entered major-key songs in 2024 made it through the semi-finals, meaning last year was the first time every song in the grand final was in a minor key. The world will be spared a repeat of this gloomy scenario in 2025, however. Five countries automatically qualify for the grand final each year thanks to the size of their financial contribution to the contest's organiser, the European Broadcasting Union – and one of these is the UK, meaning Remember Monday's major-key song will definitely be in the final on Saturday.
