It explains that each team chooses a tune for when their line-ups are announced, and when they score a goal.
Argentina, for instance, have chosen Los Fabulosos Cadillacs' "El Matador" (literally, "the killer") as their warm-up and goal song. This relates to dictatorships in the 1970s.
The track, with its chorus of "Matador! Matador!" may sound like it's celebrating the deadly goal skills of Lionel Messi.
The Ghanaian duo DopeNation's irresistible 2025 dance track "Kakalika" is both the signature and goal tune for Ghana. This is intended to embrace diversity and encourage listeners to enjoy themselves.
Daft Punk's "One More Time" plays when Kylian Mbappé scores...
Australia go back to the 80s for their tune...
Mexico went for Mariachi bands. South Korea had an easy job with K-Pop tunes from BTS and Blackpink (as described by Carl Lee in a guest post).
The USA had the good taste to adopt some John Denver...
This was hosted at the Brighton Dome. I've seen a few bands there since, including Sigur Rós.
The competition was much smaller back then and voting was done very differently. And of course Australia hadn't moved to Europe back then...
The details of who voted for who are outlined on the Wikipedia entry for the competition. These days there is a very geographical pattern to where votes are cast...
An alphabet of bands and artists as a series for February. These were selected by the Spotify algorithm.
Not surprising that this came up via the Spotify algorithm as I'd been listening to a lot of his music before and since seeing the Wild God tour at the O2 arena. The album is now out on CD and in other formats.
Image: Nick Cave at the O2 - Alan Parkinson, shared on Flickr under CC license
His concerts are real experiences, like a church service. He prowls and draws in the audience with his lyrics, which often feature dark themes.
The musicians he accompanies himself with are also excellent. We saw a band which included Jonny Greenwood - the bassist from Radiohead - who sold out the O2 in November last year with hefty ticket prices as a result - and also some other top musicians.
He has usually collaborated with the musician Warren Ellis, who is Australian like him, and has composed a whole range of soundtracks, including a film about Jesse James. Warren Ellis' stage persona is wonderful.
My son also had the chance to meet him and say hello when he was down at the London Film Festival, as he had been involved in a film about Marianne Faithful. My son was coincidentally wearing his Nick Cave tour t-shirt from the O2 arena show. On the way there, we had also seen Mark Kermode on the tube, and as my son is a massive student of film, he had the chance to say hello to him too - more 2nd hand encounters of the first kind.
There are a few stand out tracks that I particularly like.
The encore at his recent UK concerts was a solo song at the piano: "Into my Arms".
A virtual exhibition has also opened up.
Selected discography - produced by AI
Any Nick Cave related stories welcome.... and what comes up in your 'N'?
