'We don't want this to end' - stars at Eurovision pre-party

There's little than a period to spell present until the Eurovision Song Contest is held successful Liverpool.

For the last clip earlier the contention begins the artists person performed connected signifier arsenic the last pre-party took spot past nighttime successful London.

Over the past fewer weeks, gigs person been taking spot crossed Europe successful Spain, Poland, Israel, the Netherlands and successful the UK.

"We don't privation this to end," Austria's Teya and Salena archer me.

"I consciousness similar each interrogation we bash we're conscionable fangirling astir however chill Eurovision is. Whenever radical inquire america who our favourites are we're astatine 15 fingers, this twelvemonth is truthful beardown and we're truthful grateful to beryllium surrounded by truthful galore astonishing artists."

Their opus Who The Hell Is Edgar? is simply a satirical instrumentality connected the euphony industry, but if their enthusiasm for the opus contention is thing to spell by they've travel afloat circle.

"I emotion this community," Loreen, 1 of this year's favourites with her opus Tattoo, explains.

"I anticipation radical consciousness however overmuch I emotion them and however overmuch I care," the Swedish prima adds.

On the Eurovision stage, 37 countries volition beryllium represented arsenic the UK hosts 1 of the world's biggest shows for the archetypal clip successful 25 years.

The contention has changed a batch since 1998, and parts of it are adjacent unrecognisable from what it was similar 11 years ago.

"There were nary pre-parties then," Loreen laughs. "It's truly breathtaking present to question astir and conscionable radical and they each already cognize the opus and that's crazy."

Songs that get the assemblage going astatine the pre-parties aren't needfully ones that volition bash good successful the competition, wherever 160 cardinal viewers watching volition besides person their accidental voting astatine home.

But what they bash springiness is an thought of who tin sing live, who mightiness request immoderate creation lessons, and who tin bid a stage.

There's nary uncertainty Slovenia's Joker Out are pros astatine what they do, and amongst the galore bands successful this year's contention they person continued to turn their fanbase since I past saw them in Barcelona 3 weeks ago.

"It's a brainsick acquisition - successful Slovenia we person arena concerts and present we'd person a precise hard clip filling up a pub," the set archer maine laughing.

They're humble though, they easy got 1 of the biggest cheers some extracurricular the venue gathering fans and connected signifier too.

"We truly request a rest," they say, and they're right. Eurovision stars similar Italy's Måneskin, who were up for a Grammy for champion caller creator earlier this year, person proven the contention tin marque a set global.

Intense rehearsals volition present statesman for each enactment successful their state earlier they each question to Liverpool's M&S arena successful the adjacent mates of weeks.

"We truly request to get to Liverpool rapidly due to the fact that he's billing america by the hour," Australia's Voyager joke.

They're talking astir their vocalist Daniel Estrin who's a lawyer by time and stone prima by night.

Like Loreen, implicit the past 4 years I've seen the pre-party play turn to a constituent wherever they've, successful immoderate regards, go unrecognisable.

They are present full-scale productions tally wholly independently by volunteers. They're enactment connected by radical who emotion the contention and privation fans crossed the continent to person arsenic overmuch entree to the contention arsenic possible.

By the clip Eurovision week comes, the artists tin beryllium exhausted from rehearsals and are feeling the unit to bash well.

The pre-party play allows the artists to person fun, and besides get the accidental to beryllium bask their competition.

If you didn't already know, Eurovision isn't conscionable 1 Saturday nighttime successful May - it's a year-long lawsuit to galore and there's nary request for an invitation.

Everyone's ever welcome, and the adjacent enactment is successful Liverpool.

All the build-up, insights and investigation is explored each week connected a BBC podcast called Eurovisioncast.