Sawt Falasteen - Liverpool poised to host Eurovision final for Ukraine

Musical acts, excited fans and others have descended on Liverpool in northwest England ahead of the Saturday night spectacle, turning the city into a sea of yellow and blue in support of war-battered Kyiv.

Last year's victors -- thanks to Kalush Orchestra claiming the coveted glass microphone trophy -- were unable to host the contest amid Russia's ongoing invasion.

So runners-up Britain stepped up, selecting Liverpool -- home of The Beatles -- to stage the week-long festival of Europop music, but with Ukraine still front and centre.

"We're supporting Ukraine, our heart is bleeding for them," Jenny Birchett, 70, a theatre worker wearing Ukrainian colours, told AFP as she queued to watch the last rehearsal on Saturday before the evening final.

"We feel it's theirs, the Eurovision, more than ours," she added, flanked by her daughter, as crowds massed near the waterfront venue following a week of celebrations and preliminary rounds.

Britain's Culture Secretary Lucy Frazer echoed the sentiment, noting that "our hearts will be with the people in Ukraine who are fighting for their sovereignty and survival".

"If there was any justice this final would be taking place in Kyiv but we are honoured in the UK to be able to host this event on their behalf," she said in a statement.

- Two-time winner? -

The show, at the M&S Bank Arena in front of 6,000 screaming fans, kicks off at 8:00pm (1900 GMT). Austria duo Teya and Salena will be the first country to perform, with quirky dance-pop tune "Who The Hell Is Edgar?".

The UK's entry, Mae Muller, will close out the performances, hoping to emulate the success of Sam Ryder who finished second in 2022.

Ukraine's entry is "Heart of Steel", an electro-pop offering by the band Tvorchi inspired by the siege of the Azovstal plant in Mariupol.

During last year's contest, Kalush Orchestra singer Olef called from the stage: "Please help Ukraine, Mariupol. Help Azovstal right now."

But bookmakers are not predicting a second successive win.

Sweden's Loreen, who previously won in 2012, is favourite, with "Tattoo".

If she emerges victorious, the 39-year-old will join Ireland's Johnny Logan as the only other two-time winner.

Rapper Kaarija, representing Finland, is second favourite with his track "Cha Cha Cha", which the BBC described as "an intoxicating blend of industrial metal and hyperpop".

Fans massing in Liverpool were enthusiastic about the tipped performers, and the UK hosting the contest for the first time since 1998.

- 'Fun' -

"It's brilliant, after watching it for years and years on the telly," said Lucy Marshall, 45, a travel agent from Oxford in central England, wearing a Union Jack sequin dress.

She arrived expecting "fireworks, sequins" and "a lot of fun".

Eurovision would not be Eurovision without the outlandish, and Croatia's extravagantly mustachioed Let 3 would likely win that category -- if there were one.

Their song "Mama SC" -- a veiled attack on Russia's Vladimir Putin and "human stupidity" -- was described by British gossip site Popbitch as "an absolute cacophony (in the best possible way)".

But politics is not far from the surface this year.

Friday saw a political row erupt over a proposed appearance by Volodymyr Zelensky.

The European Broadcasting Union refused an invitation for the Ukrainian president to send a message for fear of politicising the event.

That came despite Russia being barred from participating and the overtly political message of some songs, and prompted criticism from the UK government.

"The values and freedoms that President Zelensky and the people of Ukraine are fighting for are not political, they're fundamental," Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's official spokesman told reporters.

"Eurovision themselves recognised that last year when they rightly suspended Russia's participation from the competition."

O.Mousa--SF-PST