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Sang legendary punk songs like "God Save the Queen" or "Anarchy in the UK" with the Sex Pistols: Johnny Rotten
Photo: Gus Stewart / Redferns
But no anarchy in the UK: Punk icon Johnny Rotten has to bury his dream of taking part in this year's Eurovision Song Contest (ESC) in England.
He failed on Friday evening with his rock band Public Image Ltd in the Irish preliminary round for the ESC.
The winner was the band Wild Youth, who will now represent Ireland in the final of Europe's largest music competition in Liverpool in May.
Rotten was the lead singer of the seminal and scandalous 1970s punk band Sex Pistols.
The now 66-year-old musician, whose real name is John Lydon, was born in London, but his parents were both from Ireland.
He formed Public Image Ltd in 1978 after splitting from the Sex Pistols.
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With the band, Rotten has meanwhile strayed very far from the sound of the Sex Pistols.
The band's contribution to ESC, a song called "Hawaii", sounds more like a beach than punk.
According to the ESC website, Rotten himself describes it as “a thoughtful, personal and yet universal love song”.
Punk icon or not: Rotten obviously couldn't score with Irish viewers with this style.
Wild Youth won with the emotional pop song »We Are One«.
Frontman Conor O'Donohoe then expressed hope that the whole of Ireland would rally behind the band for the finale.
"We will give everything."
The ESC final will take place in Liverpool on May 13th.
The UK is the host, despite finishing in second place behind Ukrainian band Kalush Orchestra last year.
Because of Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine, the European broadcasting union EBU did not want the ESC final to take place in the country of last year's winner, as is usual.
As a result, Great Britain will now host the competition as the runner-up.
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