Bambie Thug - Ireland's Satanic-styled ‘queer witch’ pop performer - is now on the bookies' top-five shortlist to win the Eurovision Song Contest 2024

The odds for Bambie Thug to take the top spot in Saturday’s final have shortened considerably in the last 36 hours after she performed her Satanic-style act at the show’s semi-final on Tuesday night, securing Ireland’s first final slot since 2018.

She is far ahead of the UK in the race to win, bookies predict.

The favourite is Croatia, with odds of 10/11 according to Bet365, the UK’s biggest bookie.

Next is Switzerland (4/1), Italy (8/1), then Ukraine and Ireland jointly (9/1 each).

Some bookies place Ireland higher: Paddy Power and Betfair are both offering odds of 15/2 on Bambie Thug to win (as of 8pm on Wednesday).

All bookies put the UK several places behind her out of the list of 32 competitors.

Ahead of her semi-final performance on Tuesday, she had tried to encode a message onto her body in obscure medieval script, reportedly reading: ‘Free Palestine’.

She was stopped by the organisers for breaching political sloganeering rules, and removed it before her performance.

Afterwards she said the message had been “very important for me because I’m pro-justice and pro-peace”.

The European Broadcasting Union said: "The writing seen on Bambie Thug's body during dress rehearsals contravened contest rules that are designed to protect the non-political nature of the event.

"After discussions with the Irish delegation, they agreed to change the text for the live show."

The body had previously warned that Palestinian flags and symbols would not be allowed in Malmo Arena, Sweden.

Bambie Thug had been against allowing Israel to compete and some of her fans urged her to drop out, but she has persevered with the contest.

Her performance sees her sing a pop music/death metal song called Doomsday Blue dressed in demonic garb while dancing inside a giant pentagram (a symbol often associated with Satan, which she also has tattooed on her right hand).

Despite the prohibition on “political” symbols, she displayed the baby-blue-and-pink transgender flag without incident.

Bambie Thug is a vocal supporter of transgender activism and when speaking to media at the semi-final roared out that she was “special” because “I’m a queer and a witch”.

The 31-year-old has described her musical style as “ouiji pop” and once tweeted that Lucifer is her “main squeeze”.

She has also posted public messages about having had an abortion, saying: “Sitting next to a group of mothers who look younger than me and all they’ve been talking about is whether they’d have c-sections or not when they have next baby, and the best types of prams.

“I have never heard such a boring conversation! I'm so happy my baby is music and not flesh...

“Imagine if I didn’t have an abortion... my life would be these pram conversations. Universe thanks for taking me out of that, you slay.”

Ireland has not won since 1996 with Eimear Quinn's The Voice, with the UK’s last win being 1997 with Katrina and the Waves’ Love Shine a Light.

The UK entry this year is Olly Alexander (33) with ‘Dizzy’.

The contest will be on at 8pm until midnight on BBC1.