Cheers, Eurofans! “Alcohol is Free” for Greece
On Monday, Greek music channel MAD TV, in conjunction with national broadcaster ERT, hosted Eurosong 2013, the country’s selection show for Malmö. Featuring appearances by a half-dozen Eurovision champions, 2013 Cypriot performer Despina Olympiou, 2012 representatives Eleftheria Eleftheriou and Ivi Adamou, and a number of Greek National Finalists from years past, the four songs in competition had a lot to live up to.
After all was said and done, local ska band Koza Mostra, collaborating with rebetiko singer Agathonas Iakovidis, have nabbed the win with their folky, funky, and fun entry “Alcohol is Free“.
Barring the repeated usage of the title phrase in the chorus, “Alcohol is Free” is the first song from Greece performed (nearly) completely in their native language since 2010’s “OPA!”, and the first time since 1998 that both Greece and Cyprus have eschewed English in favor of ellīniká.
Greece continues to be on a bit of a hot streak, qualifying for the Finals every year since the system was created, and only missing out on the Top Ten once since 2004. This is a feat only replicated by Romania, Russia, Ukraine, and, until their withdrawal in 2013, Bosnia and Herzegovina. Does the relative dip from Eleftheria’s result last year portend a continued downward pattern for Greece, or will this entry stand out enough among the competitors to give Greece their tenth ticket to the Final in a row?
Posted on February 20, '13, in 2013, Greece and tagged Agathonas Iakovidis, Alcohol is Free, eurovision, Greece, Koza Mostra. Bookmark the permalink. 2 Comments.
The ESC Insider 
Great that my Greek class was off for this one week because of hiihtoloma so I could catch this national Final like a good Greek! Even if the show was a tad boring, quite frankly. Surely they could come up with a more original idea than inviting previous winners to do duets with local artists. Why not make it more relevant to Greece, by say having Greece’s prior 12-pointers perform?
And yet, this entry? I hated it upon first listen, and then started to actually like it from the second listen on. I have a feeling this will do just fine, no matter what the juries may have to say about it. I mean, this is the Eurovision ACT Contest.
YES! My year of eurovision is made 😀