It’s the first Big 5/automatic qualifier entry today, so although this is in 29th place in this list, the lowest it can actually come at Eurovision will be 26th in the final. Given that this is my own country, the United Kingdom, I sincerely hope we don’t finish last as it would be totally undeserved – as I feel is the placing Joe and Jake have got in this chart, it’s a much better entry than many of the songs that are yet to come.
For the first time since 2010, the UK public had a choice of who they would send to the world’s biggest non-sports TV event and on a Friday night in Kentish Town, it was the chirpy duo of Joe (Woolford) and Jake (Shakeshaft) who won BBC4 viewers over the most. Joe and Jake are both former solo contestants from The Voice who have since teamed up as a duo. Just 21 and 20, they’re the cutest (male) entry the UK has had for some years (sorry Engelbert, you couldn’t be described as cute).

“You’re Not Alone” was the first song of the 6 UK finalists to be played on Ken Bruce’s radio show, and I liked it from the start. It’s uptempo, catchy, has a strong hook with a chorus it’s easy to sing along/bellow to – always good when performing to large crowds of people. They sing confidently as well and the whole thing sounds distinctly British – something to be applauded in my view. The UK’s musical heritage and identity is so strong, I don’t think we should be looking to sound like we’ve had Swedish songwriters or Swedish producers.

Why so low on this ranking list? Well, I think the official video which most YouTubers doesn’t do them as much justice as their live performances do where you see how well they interact with one another, it all feels very natural and they look like they are having a whale of a time. Also,  I think as people have seen more of them at the preview events, seen them being interviewed etc, I’d noticed they were appearing higher in people’s YouTube lists. If I’d have started the ranking list a little later and incorporated more recent YouTube rankings they would be higher than this.

I saw them live at the London Eurovision Preview Party and they were great there – and the crowd rocked, really singing the chorus loudly (which I know the boys appreciated from reading their posts on social media later). They are both so sweet too – my friends were wearing specially made T-shirts and when my friends went to get their autograph (as they were passing by us as we were coming into Café de Paris), Joe and Jake asked to take a photo of their T-shirts so they could post it on Twitter, which they duly did!

Now this is what you all support!!!🇬🇧 #JoeandJake pic.twitter.com/yuwzhK4Rpp

— Joe and Jake (@JoeandJakemusic) April 17, 2016

Fingers crossed for them in Stockholm – they may not win, but they deserve to do well.

And for those who say “we always come last” – we don’t. We remain one of the most successful of Eurovision countries, and it was only in 2009 that we finished 5th with Jade (and Blue would have finished 5th in 2011 if it had been public voting alone).  And to those that say the UK doesn’t like Eurovision etc – more people watch the Eurovision final in the UK than in any other country, even Germany. Put that in your pipe and smoke it, Christer Björkman.

Live at London Eurovision Preview Party:

United Kingdom at the Eurovision Song Contest:

First entered: 1957

Appearances (excluding this year): 58

Best result: Winner 1967, 1969, 1976, 1981, 1997

Last year’s result: 24th