Montenegro – Can I have all the menu please?
I'm sat in a press room at 15:30 (ish) on a Wednesday afternoon, and I know I've been here for quite a long time,...
Eurovision Countdown 24 – Estonia according to Mo
Most years, we get a song like this – an entry that a kinder (but equally clueless) hack might describe as a ‘mixed age’...
28 October – The duvet is warming my body in vain
Many countries have never won the big prize in our favourite TV show. Some seem to have difficulties getting through semi-finals, even though they...
Another drive-by…
Switzerland the next to catch my beady gaze, and well... Sinplus are like little Duracell bunnies, aren't they? They've just been doing exactly the...
Norma John wins UMK in Finland … Kiev bound with added...
Indie pop duo Norma John have won the Finnish national final - UMK 2017 - and will represent the country at the 2017 Eurovision...
9 September – I’m touching you only in my sleep
OK, so I've gone for the same vintage year as yesterday. But 1991 was an interesting year when lots of songs got decent scores....
22 August – I only want to be close to you
It's a fact that the Eurovision semi-final isn't a 21st Century phenomenon. Semi-finals of sorts happened in 1993 and 1996. But it's always been...
Käärijä: Riding the Eurovision Wave
Käärijä - or Jere Pöyhönen as he was born - is not just any Finnish music artist. He's a rapper, a singer, a songwriter,...
28 June – Oh, why can’t the clocks stop?
Do you think it's true that some languages sound easier on the ear than others? French songs did well in the early days, before...
Monty’s Eurovision Countdown Part 15 – FRANCE
Mercy by Madame Monsieur
After two good results from internally selected entries it was a surprise to see a return to a national final in...