Måneskin at the O2 London tour review: Eurovision rockers make Europe look sexy again

Måneskin, the Eurovision winners who broke the mold with their punk rock energy and raw sex appeal, leave fans at the O2 Arena in London begging for more
Maneskin band and Tom Morello attend the 73rd Sanremo Music Festival 2023 at Teatro Ariston (Photo by D.Venturelli/Daniele Venturelli/Getty Images )Maneskin band and Tom Morello attend the 73rd Sanremo Music Festival 2023 at Teatro Ariston (Photo by D.Venturelli/Daniele Venturelli/Getty Images )
Maneskin band and Tom Morello attend the 73rd Sanremo Music Festival 2023 at Teatro Ariston (Photo by D.Venturelli/Daniele Venturelli/Getty Images )

Sandwiched between the King’s Coronation and Eurovision 2023, punk royalty Måneskin hailed the O2 Arena in London, showcasing just why they are so very distinct from all of their contest predecessors. 

Unlike previous exports from Eurovision, the 2021 winners brought absolutely no gimmicks to the UK venue. No pianos being set on fire like Austria’s 2015 entry. No naked men and wolf holograms howling. And there were certainly no musicians playing fiddles while spinning around on a top. Okay, there was a small blaze during the quartet’s explosive tune Gasoline, but given the subject matter, it made perfect sense. 

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What makes lead vocalist Damiano David, bassist Victoria De Angelis, guitarist Thomas Raggi, and drummer Ethan Torchio unique is that for one, the average age of their fans appeared to include teens and twentiesomethings. Secondly, there was zero sign of dance-filled Europop making an appearance. A very different listen from the usual soppy ballad, cheesy pop, and hard rock hallelujahs.

On top of managing to avoid the curse of Eurovision ie. winning and then never being seen again, they were even able to bypass the hex of X-Factor as runner-ups of the Italian version of the show. The glam rockers gained international recognition with their song Zitti e Buoni and since then, the group have even gone on to be nominated for Best New Artist at the Grammy Awards. Only a few have managed to make that difficult transition from Europe to the world including Daft Punk, ABBA, First Aid Kit, Scorpions, David Guetta, and Bjork.

And right after their fiery rendition of Gasoline, the venue went pitch black, only for David and Raggi to appear on top of the sound engineering platform, serenading the crowd with Vent'anni or “Twenty Years”. The single is poignant, one of the only slow numbers they performed, written during the COVID-19 pandemic and dedicated to those who are no longer around. The room lit up with a sea of phone lights, and every one sang along in various languages. Despite me sitting miles away from the four-piece group, it did not stop the Roman citizens interacting with the audience, to the point that half the time they were jumping in the mosh pit, and running-in-and-out of the rabble.

The band's musical style is often described as a fusion of rock, and punk, and they have been compared to acts like The Strokes, Queen, and T. Rex. Måneskin's music often features catchy guitar riffs, high-energy performances, and lyrics in both English and Italian. It definitely resonated with the large Italian fan base in London, who cheered when David asked if there were any in the crowd. While their lyrics have often been seen as old-school emo and slightly unoriginal with their rebellious one-liners, it’s anthemic, as seen in their cover of the Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons track Beggin’.

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Vocalist David has been compared to the likes of 1970s veteran rocker Iggy Pop, so much so that apart from his shirtless ways, they collaborated on the single I Wanna Be Your Slave. Speaking to NME in December 2022, Pop praised the group, saying that their busking days was “where they got a little taste of poverty and obscurity, and I think that gives them a really nice edge.”

But what separates them from the crop is their raw sex appeal. Long has been the days since we’ve seen a band on Eurovision winning for being an idiosyncratic talent. Apart from the bumping and grinding on stage, and general leather-claddedness, the four have incredible chemistry, winding their bodies together as if they were fusing with their instruments. Their unreservedness is part of their allure. Raggi and David have even pushed the boundaries of social decorum in Poland by kissing each other on stage, at a time where the country moves further against LGBTQIA+ rights.

“We are hated around the world for doing this song”, David tells the sold out arena, as they sang their anti-drug anthem Kool Kids, which is rather ironic given their infamous Eurovision ‘scandal’. The singer was seen leaning down to a table during the 2021 live broadcast of the competition's final and then quickly standing up. Some viewers speculated that he was snorting drugs, but David quickly denied the allegations, saying he was simply picking up broken glass from the table. 

Turin will host the 2022 event after Italian rock band Måneskin took home the trophy last year. (Credit: Getty Images)Turin will host the 2022 event after Italian rock band Måneskin took home the trophy last year. (Credit: Getty Images)
Turin will host the 2022 event after Italian rock band Måneskin took home the trophy last year. (Credit: Getty Images)

After the incident, Eurovision organisers released a statement saying that they had reviewed footage of the incident and concluded that no drug use had taken place. The European Broadcasting Union (EBU), which oversees the contest, also released a statement in support of Måneskin, saying that they "were tested for drugs before their arrival in Rotterdam and the tests came back negative." Whilst they were cleared of any wrongdoing, there’s no doubt that they like to cause a bit of mischief. Screaming obscenities at the top of their lungs, David did not hold back, and the stage became a party with the ‘Kool Kids’ from the audience, mimicking Wayne’s World’s famous “we’re not worthy" scene.

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They finally returned to the stage, belting I Wanna Be Your Slave again as their encore, much to the enthusiasm of the audience who really did not care about the repetition. At the end of the day (or night in this case), the performers have done something quite rare - they have managed to escape their former uncool Eurovision and X-Factor cages, and have made Europe look sexy again. 

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