Yes Anouk is a bit Bonnie Tyler (a good thing) and perhaps a stronger song would suit this cavernous voice - but it (with the wxception of the poor Uh-oh-uh-oh-uh) is less annoying than the French. Anouk over Nelle’s backing, now that might be interesting. Close, but Dutch.

Meanwhile what this most unpredictable of French teams is up to is anyone’s guess. I spent half the tie wandering if they were going to backheel into their own net. They’ve eschewed the pretty passing game of their first match and tried to win ugly, but I’ve heard Yelle do better than this and there just isn’t much of a tune. However, when they throw everyone forward in the final minute its gets better, and the resulting scramble sees the winner go in off a wobbly synth player’s derriere. But they all count.

AND I STILL HATE YELLE A LOT. god she’s annoying. this is some sort of nadir for “deliberately shitty hipster rapping”, yeah? god I don’t know why people do shit like this, you really feel the need to ~cleanse~ yourself afterwards with some jay-z or lil’ kim or someone with more than one cadence to their flow AARGH MY EARS. srsly even uffie is a less annoying rapper!

haha anouk is all massive hair and wind machines turned up to the max. not the sort of thing I’d listen to in my own time but superb for drunken karaoke and so on. don’t like it enough to d/l but it’s not just a default vote.

As for the Dutch, hmmm, borrowing tactics from the Swiss, are we? Take metal riffs, a strong-voiced hussy, eyeliner, melody. I’d say the Scandis and the Angelenos do it better, but I’m liking this; it builds and then holds all through. And I think I kind of owe the Dutch after I’d penalized the squad a goal and a half last time for their Golden Earring gambit. So, my vote goes to Anouk, though I enjoyed both sides of the competition.

As for the French manager’s threats, I consider “Dur dur d’être bébé” a gift from the Gods, so I wouldn’t mind it as a gift from the Internets either, though I think I may have a cassette of it kicking around my apartment somewhere.

There was a potential disciplinary issue with the Yelle song which actually turned up on the League Of Pop last year but i) in the LOP songs are submitted for the judgement of one person, not all, ii) the France manager didn’t play in the League Of Pop so there’s no reason she’d have known, iii) she’s in Miami so couldnt get me an alternative track once I’d realised! So France are cleared.