Sex Pistols frontman John Lydon has branded the Eurovision Song Contest "absolutely awful" despite hoping to represent Ireland.
The singer threw his hat into the ring as the Irish representative backed by his band Public Image Ltd (PiL). Irish broadcaster RTE announced PiL are among the six entries vying to represent the country in Liverpool in May.
The post-punk group, formed in 1978, have entered the song Hawaii, described as a "love letter" to John's wife of nearly 50 years, Nora, who has Alzheimer's disease but recent comments from John show he has less than favourable thoughts regarding the competition and its reputation.
READ MORE: Little-known passport rule that may stop you travelling to Europe
Speaking on RTE’s Radio 1, he said: "It’s absolutely awful, the songs, the whole thing of it is disgusting to me. I’m a songwriter, I perform live, and these shows just come across as so dreadfully phoney to me."
John said, despite his opinion on the contest, he's hoping to bring a change to the show's usual style. He added: "But look, we’re giving it a chance to break out of that mould."
The singer was quizzed on what exactly he'd bring to the show but wasn't able to give a confident answer. He said: "I’ve no idea. Apparently, I have to do karaoke over a backing track. What a fantastic opportunity these people have given me."
PiL will compete against Wild Youth, Adgy, Connolly, Leila Jane and K Muni & ND during a televised contest on The Late Late Show on Friday, February 3 in order to bag their spot as Ireland's representative for Eurovision 2023.
READ NEXT
- The Chase's Bradley Walsh 'sad' as 'best friend' exits show after blunder
- National Lottery: Luckiest jobs, star signs and numbers to win the jackpot
- Police to visit thousands of homes this week looking for 'dodgy boxes' in Sky, BT Sport and Amazon crackdown
- Thailand travel update as covid rules change again
- Little-known passport rule that may stop you travelling to Europe
The countdown has officially started. Join our Eurovision 2023 in Liverpool Facebook group
Receive newsletters with the biggest and breaking TV and showbiz news by signing up here
