Electro Velvet, the musical duo who represented the United Kingdom at the Eurovision Song Contest in 2015, have revealed the brutal remark made by Graham Norton shortly after their performance fell flat. The pair, consisting of Alex Larke and Bianca Nicholas, earned only five points in Vienna, finishing 24th out of 27 acts. In a candid interview, they recalled Norton's cutting comment at a hotel bar following the show.
The Bitter Exchange
Alex Larke recounted the moment: 'We actually spent a lot of time with Graham in the build-up and even performed on his chat show. One memory that really sticks with me is Graham giving me a parting comment at the hotel bar after the show had finished. He asked what our plans were next, and I said we were thinking of releasing another song. He just said, ‘Nah, I wouldn’t bother, it’s over for you.’ I remember thinking, ‘Cool… thanks, Graham.’'
Heartache and Tears
Bianca Nicholas spoke of the emotional aftermath: 'I was in tears. I was speaking to one of the PR team recently, who reminded me that he found me in the dressing room. I was insisting I wanted to change because I wanted to disappear. I felt my career was ruined. I was so scared of the backlash after our result.' She added, 'I definitely had moments where I thought, ‘I don’t want to do this anymore,’ but I’d never have been brave enough to pull out. There were so many other people involved, and I wouldn’t want to spoil it for them.'
Strict Rules and Advice
The duo also revealed unusual rules for contestants, including being forced to delete social media apps from their phones to avoid negative comments. Alex explained: 'They made us delete all our social media apps from our phones in the run-up. They didn’t want us to see any of the negative comments because they worried it would put us off. I think they do that with every contestant because even positive comments can be distracting, as you can get an inflated ego and think you’re a shoo-in to win.'
Offering advice to this year’s UK entrant, Look Mum No Computer, Alex warned: 'Enjoy yourself, but go into it with your eyes wide open. If it doesn’t go well for you, you need to have a backup plan. We didn’t. The BBC were really keen that we didn’t have management, but we probably should have done. You need to be well represented.' He added, 'Eurovision is an event with lots of incredible, fun parts to it. But then there’s this darker element that runs through it. A lot of the UK entrants have disappeared from the spotlight. It’s almost as if you’re not given another shot.'
Look Mum No Computer will represent the UK with the song 'Eins, Zwei, Drei' at the 70th Eurovision Song Contest in Austria, following last year’s joint-last finish by Remember Monday.
