How Can Europe Not Like Vodka?

We here at the Schlager Systems were well shocked with Morena not making it to the final last night! It is a euro-travesty! All that bloody boring Eastern Europe shite that got through. Well at least it's a Scandinavia fest in the final, our favourites being Charlotte and Euroband, although we do happen to love Maria Haukaas Storeng too! What the fuck was Finland all about?

All Roads Leeds to Schlager!

News just in at Schlager Systems headquarters, this summer leeds is the place to be for all your schlager needs! Andrew, Christopher, Lee and DJ Lisa T from http://www.schlagerleeds.co.uk/ have announced at fabulous schlager party on July 12th at Lens Bar and Champagne Lounge, tickets a fiver! More information on their fanatstic website! Hopefully we will be there to cover the event!

Interview With A Schlager Fan

Ok so everybody is in Belgrade warming up for Euro fever. We're not. We're back here in the UK! We are sure Euro will be fab, but there's only one Sweden and we do find it very difficult getting excited about that eastern block thing! Let us introduce Kevin to you. He is from Paisley and he is a HUGE schlager fan. This is the our first interview with a schlager fan, which we hope will become a regular feature.

Q: Whats Your Name?

A:Kevin

Q: Age?

A: 29

Q:Tell the us about yourself

A:…. Erm well i do like talking about myself abit in person but i dont know what to answer here. I have been obsessed by sweden and swedish music since 1991!

Q: Name your top five Schlager artists.

A: This is hard! 5. Lena Ph 4. Shirley Clamp 3. Charlotte Perrelli 2. Sanna Nielsen 1. Carola

Q: Tell us your top 5 schlager anthems AND why they mean so much to you.

A: 5. Alcazar - Alcastar (The hand claps in this are amazing! i liked Alcazar alot, but the whole production of this musically and vocally had me hooked after the first listen its as camp as tits and i love it) 4. Lena Ph - It Hurts (I liked this song as soon as i heard it but i didn't think it was amazing 'til i was in Newcastle a few years back and one of the bars played it and it was so loud and then it hit me what a great song it is), 3. Charlotte Perrelli - Hero (There seems to be a mixed reaction to this but i love it. I think its really powerful schlager. Very anthemic. I told my friend this was goin straight in near the top of my schlager faves list. I get tired of songs very quickly but i think this will be one of a few songs that i still get excited about hearing), 2. Magnus Carlsson - Live Forever (Hmmm This could really be my number one but i've thought hard about it and decided to put it to number two but its very close. Yes the key change is disguised but everything else about it is just so uplifting and camp schlager at its best. The kids singing at the end and the bass change in the last chorus just excite me. A schlager anthem and gay anthem! 1. Carola - Invincible (Another song which had some mixed reactions from schlager fans but i love it more and more everytime i listen to it and i listen to this alot. The BBC used the intrumental for the theme tune to the coverage of the European Athletics which suited it really well as i think this is such an anthem. I never ever get tired of watching the eurovision performance either i prefer the semi final one though...even though she does forget the words abit she pulls it off. Me and my friend are always saying we'll dress up us her, drag a wind machine out of the cupboard and do our own send-up of it but it's not happened....yet!)

Q: Did you follow Melodifestivalen 2008?

A: of course

Q: Who were your favourite acts and why?

A: Sanna, Linda and Charlotte...totally different songs but i loved them all but Charlotte's performance amazed me. L oved the stage the lighting the costume everything. There was some ok songs from Amy Diamond and Ola, but i was dissapointed with most of the other acts.

Q: If you could meet any of the Schlager stars, who would it be and what would you say to them?

A: This is another hard one.......can i just say them all? Lol well i would love to tell Carola how much i love invincible (evighet) and her performance at eurovision but not only would that be quite boring for her i'm sure she'd probably spit on me for being 'A Gay'....no im only jokin....oh this is so hard....I guess it would ultimatley be Alexander Bard. Army Of Lovers started my obsession with Sweden and Swedish music. Army of Lovers were the ultimate band for me. Like no other, but to be honest i would probably be so amazed at meeting him i wouldnt be able to talk even the thought of meeting any schlager star makes me nervous.

Q: What is your ultimate Schlager fantasy?

A: Well .... all my swedish favourites putting together a huge sparkly shiney UK tour for us fans! Not in a nightclub but in an arena, preferrably in Glasgow lol! They might not fill it but i'd take as many people as i could and make as much noise!! A 2 hour extravaganza, each artist performing 3 or 4 songs, then going backstage meeting them all drooling all over them then inviting them out for a night on the tiles!

Well thanks for that Kevin! Schlager is not just music, it's a way of life!

New TVS Track on Myspace!!!!!!!!

Marty and the gang have released their brand new track called 'Supernova' and it's available to listen to on myspace (http://www.myspace.com/thevodkasystems) this track takes our guys on a spaced out galactic journey!

Shona Bids Farewell to the Schlager Systems

Shona Bipolar, Diva Superstar, Vodka Systems member and Schlager Systems reporter is stepping down from the world of schlager. Shona, pictured far right with Sanna Nielsen in Sweden earlier this year, feels that she can no longer contribute as much time and energy to the site as is required of her. Shona would like to thank everyone involved with the Schlager Systems website and wishes everyone well for the future. Marty, Kethan and Penny in return wish Shona all the best for the future!

Shona pictured last year the fabulous Anna Book

The Eurovision Preview - Miss Tempest goes to the Scala!

Miss Tempest (tempusfugitphotos@btinternet.com) had two cameras at the ready for the Eurovision Preview party last night at the Scala in London. Some say that her cameras are surgically attached to her fingers - who knows! Anyway here are some of the fab pictures she has taken for the Schlager Systems. No copying without permission or she will hunt you down and have you shot at dawn!

The mighty Bucks Fizz
Nice jumper Mike!
Sirusho
That Fucking Turkey

Morena

Isis Gee

Euroband
Ani Lorak

Morena singing one of our faves 'Vodka'

Maria Haukaas Storeng in a fetching orange frock!

Ruslan Alehno

Vlad and Nico

All stand for Her Royal Highness Princess Nanne of Grönvall - Nanne sang Avundsjuk, Men and Håll och Mig.

Andy who?

Euroband camping it up Icelandic style!

The biggest teeth in Eurovision award goes to.... Isis Gee

Ani Lorak gets all 'Shady'

Paul Oscar from Iceland - How exciting!

Scala Schlagertastic Sensation!

What can one say to a fabulous night of music & entertainment the crowds were like a volcano of bubbles that kept on erupting.

Barry Viniker and his team, should be commended on such a brilliant nights entertainment taking into consideration the evening was planned organised and excuted in 4 weeks and if you were there you would have thought it had been arranged months ago as the night went very smoothly.

Final thought if you missed this fantastic night then you know what to do book NOW for May 31st at the Scala, see you there. Miss Tempest

(Captions edited by Marty Musika)

Sanna Nielsen Gets So Much 'Stronger'

Well Sanna was the people's favourite at this years Melodifestivalen and on the back of 'Empty Room' Sanna releases her debut english language album in Sweden titled 'Stronger'. Stronger couldn't be a more fitting title for this long player and those out there hoping for a balled-fest will be sorely disappointed because 'Stronger' kicks ass in places. Sanna has somewhat suffered in Sweden for being 'too good', 'too wholesome' in the past but this collection of songs should definitely redefine her image at home and hopefully will lead the way for a global launch (one can only hope). 'Stronger' sees Sanna stray into unfamiliar territory which really opens her up as an artist and shows how vocally mature and diverse she can be. The opening track 'Strong' is a dead cert hit, upbeat pop/electronica number with treated vocals and a multi-tracked textured ambience, the complete opposite of 'Empty Room' which is Sanna stripped almost bare. The next track 'Nobody But You' changes the mood of the album and no expense is spared in the production, comparisson with Sanna's hero Celine Dion are inavoidable in the super charged chorus, but Sanna has enough of her own prescence to make the song her own. 'I Believe it's You' - Sanna's band get their guitars out for this one, uptempo and uplifting, this track should kick it live, nice key change and big stadium sound, one of my personal favourites. 'Heart of Me' draws you into a classic Sanna power ballad where her vocal performance is faultless. 'Tomorrow End's Today' is dreamy mid tempo song which has a trancy quality where Sanna's voice is more restrained than on the previous track. If there are songs on this album that could break Sanna in the US then 'Impatiently Waiting on You' is one of them, the band get the guitars out again and rock up a storm, the other song that could do well in the States is 'Thoses Were the Days and Nights of Loving You' which is almost nu-country with an anthemic chorus. 'Out Of Reach' is another great power ballad with lush orchestration and a punchy dramatic middle eight which has a a slight spanish feel. 'I Know What I Want' starts suspiciously like Lionel Ritchie's 'Dancing on the Ceiling' then we hear Sanna sing 'Dancin' on the ceiling ain't my style', just then the song rocks into the guitar driven chorus almost Lavigne like in style. 'Broken in Two' reminds me very slightly of a slower 'hold on be strong' by Maria Haukaas Storeng and is one of the less strong songs on the album. 'Magic' again is a departure for our schlager star and schlager this is not as Sanna grooves into a heavier jagged chorus. 'I Can Catch the Moon' - this is more familiar Sanna territory, with the big strings and key change. 'This Is My Thanks' is a piano song which brings the album to it's close... or dose it! At 6.59 of 'This is my thanks' a hidden track is revealed, 'I'm In paradise' sounds like a demo that Sanna and her team just couldn't let slip from the album, then the track breaks down with laughs and speaking in Swedish (Abba undeleted style).

We here at the Schlager system hope that this will album will be a new dawn for Sanna, she has developed so much, from child star to schlager star and now we are ready to see the emergence of the superstar!