When I started this blog it was with the sole intention of looking at the Contest in a light-hearted, hopefully humorous, manner. However, since the events of Thursday afternoon I have come to the conclusion that this will no longer be possible this year. I cannot in good conscience attend or cover an event where one of the competing nations is committing such heinous atrocities. Therefore, I will not be attending the shows in Malmö nor covering the Contest for the foreseeable future. My hope is that between RÚV and the participants who have expressed a yearning for action previously are able ..read more

Is this a Super Saturday? In the strict sense of it being a Saturday night with many streams running simultaneously, then yes it is. But can one really call it that super? After a middling German selection turned down the very little standout quality they had last night, tonight’s selections feel much more like Sub-standard Saturday than Super Saturday. Let’s kick off chronologically with the Moldovan national final, Etapa Națională. In a year when female vocalists are out there kicking arse (how many Rebecca Welton quotes can I get in here?) it’s no surprise in Moldova we have as many songs ..read more

After a week in which a scientologist was made to look a fool (no bad thing) and another Hollywood legend subsequently rinsed the other the next day (also no bad thing) we are now at the business end of Sanremo week. After four nights of seemingly endless glitz and glam the second best week of the year is reaching it’s conclusion. However, for those of us looking the first solo Italian vocalist at Eurovision since 2016 or those hoping for Mahmood to maintain his 100% winning record…we may be left feeling as let down as Travolta did on Wednesday. If this is to be artistic director and show hos ..read more

Whilst we have many artists confirmed for the Contest and more songs at this point in the year compared to recent editions, it’s still been the usual leisurely start to the year. Sure, we’ve already had a few proper finals and Saturdays with two or three streams to watch simultaneously but that’s nothing compared to what’s to come. With seven shows tomorrow, four of which selecting their entry outright, it’s going to be a busy one! A Eurovision fan’s front room on a Saturday night in February. Let’s go chronologically and start with Vidbir, which returns to it’s usual February date having last ..read more

Whilst we’ve not quite hit a Super Saturday yet, this weekend still offers an intriguing mix of selections. Lithuania will continue their search, Norway will complete their line up for the MGP finale and we’ll find out who’ll be the first artist to represent Luxembourg at Eurovision for the first time in over three decades. Before all that though…all eyes are on Ireland. Since Ireland’s Eurosong returned to The Late Late Show there have been plenty of highlights. Sure, no one’s been called an odious little man yet (there’s always time!) but we have seen Auntie Maureen in the crowd, a year’s su ..read more

A Covid-hit, deferred New Year’s party meant I missed our first round of national final shows last weekend. So last night I settled down, two laptops and a TV ready to go for my first night of multi screen madness. Some quality, some shocks & surprises, but all pure entertainment. In a bizarre turn of events, my own pre-show personal pick of the six acts in Norway’s MGP actually made it through. Gåte’s enchanted forest set to music and the country inspired Judge Tenderly of Me are both classy additions to the final. Although the latter making it through may have been something of a surpri ..read more

I may be a tad late on this one but this week it feels like the 2024 Eurovision season got properly underway. I just can’t find myself getting too invested in the Eurovision bubble in December. It’s like watching The Muppets’ Christmas Carol in August. Actually, that’s a bad analogy…I absolutely already do that. Live scenes of me listening through this year’s bunch. Yes, I know we had our first song in November. And I know we’ve had two national finals already. And I know even the UK got going with Olly Alexander popping himself through Claudia’s sparkly danglers live on BBC One. It may have b ..read more

To the people of Liverpool, Thank you! Thank you for embracing Eurovision with all of it’s absurdities and idiosyncracies for the previous few weeks, especially the last eight days. I know with my few past attendances I’d never seen anything like it previously, but even colleagues and friends who’ve been doing this for decades agreed, this was something special. We spent the week marveling at your warmth and hospitality. From the moment I got off the bus on the Saturday before the Contest a scouse grandma approached, greeting me with a “Not leaving so soon are you love?”. Once I reassured her ..read more

Well then, here goes nothing. With the unique situation Eurovision has found itself in this has been a Contest like no other, and tonight’s grand final is one for the ages. The BBC has pulled all the stops to create this one of a kind joint hosting experience. It’s immediately apparent in the opening performance from reigning champions, Kalush Orchestra, that this is Ukraine’s show. Just in Liverpool’s gaffe. This blend of two locations is further bolstered by the exquisite flag parade sequence. The formalities and pleasantries will be run through, the stage will be set and then we’ll get to…T ..read more

And just like that, 37 has become 32. We lost five plucky hopefuls from last night and as tradition dictates, I failed to hit the full ten. In the end, there just wasn’t enough in the Dutch entry to take the Netherlands through, but otherwise, a flawless set of picks. Still happy with 9/10 though. But enough of the past, now we must luck to the future. The first semi was tough to predict because of the sheer quality on show. Semi final two is just as hard to call for…different reasons. There are still quality acts on show, perhaps just a few less than on Tuesday. Let’s start easy enough with ..read more