If there is one thing you can guarantee from a Georgian Eurovision entry, it’s that it will unlikely conform to any norm or convention you expect from Eurovision and will generally be very different from their previous year’s entry. We’re not disappointed with their 2022 entry as I think it’s safe to say that Circus Mircus are providing something alternative with “Lock Me In”. It’s a bold strategy but will it ever pay off for Georgia?

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Circus Mircus were internally selected by the broadcaster and you have to give them credit for going out there with their internal choice – no playing it safe here! The members of the band (formed in 2020 by three local circus academy dropouts) have given pseudonyms as names so we’re not 100% sure who they are – and the three original members have been joined by a fourth member. This may well be Nike Kocharov of the Young Georgian Lolitaz (who represented Georgia in 2016).

They are described as a progressive rock band who mostly play experimental music – and that’s certainly what they have given us with “Lock Me In”. It has a real alternative and progressive feel with quite a mixture of genres and sounds thrown in. It actually has a vaguely British feel to it – something that was also true of Young Georgian Lolitaz’s “Midnight Sun”. It’s also short – the shortest song in the contest at just 2m 37s long.

I enjoy this; I always appreciate Georgia’s uniquely bold approach to the contest even if it rarely pays off for them! My main gripe with “Lock Me In” is that it can get quite repetitive in parts, even in such a short song. However, I am sure the Circus Mircus guys will come up with something interesting for the Turin stage that will keep us engaged. This is not a favourite to qualify (it’s not exactly fandom friendly) but I would be pleased (and not too surprised) if this ended up being a shock qualifier.

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Georgia in the Eurovision Song Contest