LadyDot Review: Swing’it – Prohibition
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Does the band Swing’it have a chance to represent Norway at the Eurovision Song Contest? Review of the song Swing’it – “Prohibition”
There are some songs that, from the first listen, make their way onto our favourite song playlists. That we love to return to, play at our parties and listen to to lift our mood. When I heard that Swing’it were preparing their song as a song proposal for Eurovision, I knew straight away that it would be a truly brilliant composition.
I was hoping it would be a real banger and I wasn’t wrong! Are you curious to know what I think of ‘Prohibition’ and Swing’it’s live performance? Be sure to read this review! 😊
‘Prohibition’ – The Perfect Song For Eurovision?
In a previous article in the Electro Swing News series (you can read it HERE), I mentioned that ‘Prohibition’ would definitely appeal to people who like the band’s previous singles ‘Party Like It’s 1923’ and ‘Champagne’. When this track was released on the 16th of January in its entirety, I knew I wasn’t wrong. More than that, I thought it was their best song! Why?
Listen carefully to ‘Prohibition’ and you will notice many elements that attest to its excellence. First of all, it’s a song filled to the brim with perfectly crafted sounds coming from a variety of instruments: piano, double bass, trumpet, trombone, saxophone and drums. You can, of course, guess that my favourite is Sam Norris, the saxophonist. He put together such an outstanding solo for ‘Prohibition’ that I have to confess to looping this part of the song several times in a row – I love it so much! And the vocals… What can I say, the soul-swing sound of the voice totally captivated me. A huge round of applause for such smooth transitions between low and high notes!
Honestly, how did you feel when you listened to ‘Prohibition’? I, for one, was sure it was going to be an Electro Swing hit. Secondly, I was incredibly proud of Swing’it for creating such an expansive and polished song. And thirdly, I was extremely hopeful that they would make it to the Melodi Grand Prix final. And luckily, I was right! 😊
They Know How To Put On A Show!
Speaking of ‘Prohibition’, it’s impossible not to mention the live performance. I was looking forward to the 21st of January, because that was when the second semi-final of the Melodi Grand Prix, the Norwegian qualifiers for the Eurovision Song Contest, was taking place. I set a reminder on my phone and found the online broadcast of this show. And when I started watching Melodi Grand Prix, I came to two conclusions:
1. Norwegian is a really fascinating language – unfortunately, I absolutely couldn’t understand what the artists and presenters were saying, but it didn’t bother me at all. Who knows, it might be the next language I want to learn. :)
2. After watching all the performances, I knew Swing’it would have one strong competitor (I mean Elsie Bay, who is a great singer – her voice is very similar to Lorde’s, by the way), but I didn’t doubt their chances of qualifying for the final round.
Let’s focus on how Swing’it performed. First of all, they charmed me with the retro elements – that Martin announcement on the old TV and the whole set design with the lamps – everything fitted together perfectly! The guys gave great dance and acrobatic performances – it’s great, because even if the Eurovision rules wouldn’t limit the number of people on stage, it was still enough to impress the audience.
The brass section, saxophonist and double bass player were going crazy in such a way that sitting in front of the TV I could totally feel the energy. At the beginning I had the impression that the lead singer was a bit stressed, but by the time the chorus rolled around, he was already rocking out and singing with great passion and with that unmistakable swing vibe that I love so much. Do you know what all the charm of the Swing’it band is? The fact that they are able to have such a fantastic time with the music, have a great rapport with the audience and get even those who usually prop up the walls at parties to dance.
On The 4th Of February, We’re All Rooting For Swing’it!
Are you looking forward to the Melodi Grand Prix final? I’m already looking forward to it too… 😊 On the 4th of February we’ll see Swing’it on stage again, and I think both me and all Electro Swing fans hope that they will be the ones to represent Norway at Eurovision!
You can watch all the semi-finals of the Melodi Grand Prix 2023 HERE!
I really hope that with Swing’it, the Electro Swing craze will sweep across Europe – and maybe even the whole world! 😊
Written & reviewed by LadyDot (Ja, Wizeruk) Date: 2023-01-30
Bio – LadyDot
Anna (LadyDot) was born in ’94, but always felt she came from the Golden Twenties. “Polka” in Polish means “girl from Poland”, so she’s “Polka in polka dots”. She loves vintage style and spontaneous travels around Europe. But her greatest love (apart from her husband) is of course music, especially Electro Swing.
On her own Blog www.jawizeruk.pl she writes about various music genres. She is a copywriter, so writing is her strong point. Anna likes singing (not only in the shower!) and cooking (especially Italian and Hungarian cuisine).