(Click here if you can't see the video panel above, then rub your eyes in disbelief…) Do you ever watch a performer embarking into a song and start thinking "No mate, stop, Please stop. For your own good, just back out now!"? We do. Fairly often, in fact. But probably none more just lately than this little beast of an appearance. Seriously, we got just five seconds in before the collective citizens of the Apocalypse sofa started shouting "Noooo!", and "Make it stop!" (that last one was Mrs A, mostly). But somehow, like a car accident or a bad wig, we just couldn't stop staring at it, wo ..read more

(Click here of you can't see the video panel above for something of a medley…) With all the rush of national finals over the last week or so we forgot to point out a very interesting little song from Switzerland that snuck out and had it climbing up the betting somewhat steadily. "But what genre is it?", you may ask. "Yes," would be our most accurate reply. Indeed, it's one of those. Young Nemo here is an interesting character, and appears to have crammed his entire artistic showreel into a three-minute chunk of bonkers loveliness. Moody indie pop? Check! Operatic vocal flecks? Check! Unexpec ..read more

  (Click here if you can't see the video panel above. You'll scarcely believe your eyes…) Sometimes you wonder what people were thinking in their attempts to plan a Eurovision contender. The boy Baša here appears to have a decent concept regarding our reliance on electronic equipment and personal relationships, but what was the planning meeting like for the staging, you have to wonder. "Right then, I've gathered you together for the first run through of the staging plans. I'm going to emerge from a festival toilet dressed as a hipster ringleader and I'm going to… what was that? Yes, a ..read more

(Click here if you can't see the video panel above…) Iceland narrowly missed out on an opportunity to do something really very interesting at the weekend. When it was announced that the Palestinian artist Bashar Murad had declared as a contestant the frosty island nation dashed to the top of the betting in the volatile early fumes of the Eurovision betting market. Of course, the usual grumblers complained for all their usual well-trodden, ill-researched reasons, but Murad does have form in Iceland, having worked with leather-clad local heroes Hatari in the past. But when the song finally emer ..read more

  (Click here if the video box above doesn't work and sends you, ahem, Dizzy…) Now then, after and age of teasing beginning with that impromptu appearance on Strictly, the 2024 UK Eurovision entry is finally out, and we must confess we actually quite like it. We wouldn't go so far as to say that we love it, but it's certainly got its charms. The instrumentation is fabulous, with so many nods to electro pop gems of the past it's almost a bits-and-pieces quiz in itself. And of course, Olly himself sells it perfectly. But somehow it's still missing that blimey wow factor. And that's a concer ..read more

(Click here if you can't see the video panel above…) It's been one of the most hotly anticipated songs of the season in some Eurovision circles. As videos began to circulate of the artist commanding massive crowds to leap about like loons to his stadium hardstyle, we all began to wonder if finally we were going to get that massive gurt happy hardcore banger that we've been dreaming of since the eighties! But hold on, some friendly Dutch types told us. The boy Joost is also known for switching it down into some of the most poignant pathos you can ever imagine, so this could have gone one of ma ..read more

(Click here if you can't see the panel above cos your browser hasn't been undated since 1111…) Now hereby hangs a complicated tale of international Eurovisionistics and allegiance shifting. Around this time last year a moderately gothicky techno pub metal band called Megara had a stab at representing Spain at Eurovision. Having just scraped through the Benidorm Fest semi-final they came a creditable fourth to this historically risk averse country. Buoyed on by this encouraging result it appeared that they wanted another go this year. Now we can't be sure, but we suspect they might have had an ..read more

  (Click here for three minutes of pure joy!…) One of the ways to identify who the truly hardcore members of Eurovision fandom are during national selection season is to find those who watch every last minute of the Samarinese semi-finals. There's just so much wonky outsider beauty on display that it's almost too much to watch a whole show at one time without being absolutely flabbergasted. Indeed, it's often tricky to pick out just one special moment from amongst the hopeful masses who buy their way onto the show in the hope that this might just be the thing that escalates into supers ..read more

  (Click here if you can't see the panel above for a nice rural dance about…) An important but oft-overlooked record was broken in Estonia last night - that of the longest ever song title ever to reach the Eurovision stage. Yep, beating the previous record holder (San Marino's curious 2012 confection The Social Network Song - (Oh Oh - Uh - Oh Oh)) by a clear six characters, (Nendest) Narkootikumidest Ei Tea Me (Küll) Midagi is now top of a pile mostly inhabited by wordy French titles of the sixties. We feel the contest is far better off because of it! But what does it all mean? Well the ..read more

(Click here if you can't see the video panel above…) One of the most interesting things about Eurovision national final season is that it throws up all kinds of obscure local genres that you've never previously heard of. And we discovered this one when some Swedish relatives started talking about this song as if it were the Sex Pistols on Bill Grundy in 1976 all over again! So what is the offending musical ouvre? A curious thing called Epadunk. It's a music almost entirely aimed at Swedish kids who drive around in underpowered cars, who like the bawdy lyrical content and bouncy bouncy basslin ..read more