Meet the representative of OGAE UK:

Meet Il Faux-lo, the representative of OGAE UK in FANvision 2024.

It’s time for the first group act at FANvision 2024: OGAE UK will send the trio “Il Faux-lo” to Hamburg. The three members Alasdair Rendall, Rob Wells & Stephen Woodward are going to perform the Italian song “Grande Amore” by Il Volo.

In October 2023 the three guys won the contest “Eurostars” at OGAE UKs annual meeting “Eurobash” in Liverpool. Despite having entered that competition just for fun they are now

AR – Alasdair Rendall

RW – Rob Wells

SW – Stephen Woodward

Why did you choose this song, what does it mean to you?

AR – My friend Stephen persuaded me and our other friend Rob to take to the Eurostars stage at the OGAE UK Eurobash. Whilst I've taken part as a soloist before, I thought this would be a fun and unique thing to do, especially to sing alongside two other people who are never going to win awards in the height category! And singing in Italian is always bellissimo!
RW – It was Stephen's idea, but one of my favourite songs, so I jumped at the opportunity. 
SW – I came up with the idea of entering our UK heat: EuroStars with my grande amicis Rob & Alasdair. I love the song, thought that we might have a shot at passably singing it and wanted to finally right the wrongs of 2015 and have it win!

What did you feel when you were nominated by your fan club to represent the club at FANvision?

AR – I'll be honest - whilst taking part in Eurostars was fun, I genuinely never expected to win. It was a really special moment when we were announced as winners. And having won in Liverpool, why not take the next step and perform in another great port city!
RW – We entered the UK fan club competition for a bit of fun.  There were so many other great singers I didn't think we would actually win it.  But when we did - and then also had the opportunity to bring our unique take on Il Volo to Hamburg - I felt so happy and proud.  I hope you will enjoy our presentation! 
SW – When we won EuroStars back in October it was pretty much the greatest moment of my life. After we were announced as winners (by Anne Marie-David no less!) it was all a euphoric blur.

Are you excited about coming to Hamburg?  Have you ever been in Hamburg/Germany? What do you wish for your stay in Hamburg?

AR – I have been to Germany many times (I studied German at university and did part of my Erasmus year in Essen). However I have never been to Hamburg, although I feel I know it well from Germany always giving the points from the Reeperbahn. If Barbara isn't there having a cheeky Stein of lager I shall be very disappointed.
RW – I have been to Germany many times before but never to Hamburg, so I am looking forward to exploring a new city. 
SW – I have never been to Hamburg before. The trip won't be complete unless we run into Barbara on the Reeperbahn. 

What are your personal interests?

AR – Music, travelling and politics (so I guess Eurovision is the perfect combination, no?)
RW – Eurovision and singing.  That's basically it, I don't have time for anything else.  I sing with a choir, the London Gay Men's Chorus, and that takes up half my time; and following the Eurovision national selection season seems to take up the other half.  Oh, and I have two cats, and a day job as a lawyer.  
SW – Despite the choice of song/act I'm a huge philhellene (a lover of all things Greek). I make my own wine and beer (with Eurovision themes!) and enjoy a good hike in the British countryside. 

What’s your connection to the Eurovision Song Contest? Maybe you want to share your first Eurovision memory with us?

AR – Whilst I have watched every contest live since 1988, my first proper memory is the 1990 contest, and the "false start" from Bandido. From that moment I was hooked. I joined the fan club in 1991 as the youngest member, and was President for six amazing years. I also had Nicki French come and sing at my wedding! 
RW – The first record I ever bought was by Bucks Fizz.  Yes, I am that old.  I loved watching Eurovision as a kid, and the obsession just got stronger as I grew older. 
SW – I have watched every contest but one since 1994 live. The only year I was missed was 2011 due to my university graduation ball, though I managed to stay ignorant of the result and watched the whole contest through at 3am to find out that I had not won £330 betting on Eric Saade. 

Is FANvision the biggest stage/ audience so far for you, what are your musical experiences, and what are your plans for the future?

AR – I have performed at Eurostars, the UK Eurovision convention, on four previous occasions. Whether you would describe them as a musical experience....well I'll let other people be the judge of that.
RW – I've been lucky.  I get to sing at some amazing venues with my choir friends, including King's Place concert hall, the London Palladium theatre and Buckingham Palace.  But it's one thing to be on stage as part of a large group - quite a different thing when it's just three of us, so I hope I don't get too nervous.  
SW – EuroStars was part of the OGAE-UK annual convention held in October in Liverpool and we performed on the stage that had served as the Euroclub for ESC 2023. This was the first time I had sang in public since being an orphan/pickpocket in the chorus of the musical Oliver! aged 9 at the Luton Theatre. I hear that the Hamburg audience will be similar in size to that at EuroStars. If we win perhaps I'll consider entering Una Voce Per San Marino (or even if we come 17th, quality doesn't seem to be a factor for UVPSM). 

What do you do in your life apart from being a Eurovision fan?

AR – I'm a journalist, turned press officer, and now have a nice quiet and uneventful job managing the Media Relations Team for the UK House of Commons.
RW – In theory, I'm supposed to be a serious lawyer type-person.  But in reality, Eurovision and singing have kind of taken over now. 
SW – Day to day I try to make History interesting for teenagers. I've been a teacher for the last decade. 

What’s your favorite Eurovision song of all time?

AR – Bandido, Spain 1990, just a millimetre ahead of Macedomienne, Belgium 1990.
RW – 'Is It True?' by Yohanna (Iceland, 2009) - such a beautiful song, and still one to sing along to in the shower all these years later. 
SW – You very well know that this a cheeky and impossible to answer question! I have a soft spot for Johnny Logan Hold Me Now, I know all the lyrics to Yassou Maria by Sarbel and think DoReDos were hard done by.  

Meet the British
Head of Delegation:

NAME	John Bennett
CLUB	OGAE UK
FUNCTION IN THE CLUB	Member
SOCIAL MEDIA	# ogaeuk

How did your club find your representative?

OGAE UK chose its representative at Eurobash, our annual fan event. Twelve acts competed at EuroStars in Camp + Furnance in Liverpool, the same venue as EuroClub in 2023. Alasdair, Rob and Stephen won over the audience of over 250 Eurovision fans and were announced as winners by none other than Anne-Marie David.

Does your club bring a lot of supporters for your act?

There will definitely be some UK fans in the audience. But there are many more fans rooting for Alasdair, Stephen and Rob back in the UK. 

Your club is in the race for winning FANvision, what’s outstanding about your club?

Having hosted Eurovision in 2023, the UK is still experiencing Eurovision fever and OGAE UK is the biggest of all the OGAE clubs. We’ve set up regional societies, meaning fans can make friends, meet up and do all things Eurovision throughout the year. UK fans are a very dedicated bunch! 

What's your favorite Eurovision song of all time?

This isn’t a hard question for me. Greece 2001 Antique - Die For You.

What do you appreciate in particular in a performance in FANvision? What would you want to see on stage and what might convince you to give a high vote?

I like when an act can recreate a big-budget, professional Eurovision performance in a fun way. I like seeing the creative ways acts try and replicate expensive staging or incredible choreography.