By Andrew Mosley
WHEN?: 20 March 2025, tour runs through 19 September 2025
As Conor McGregor vows to stand for the Irish presidency on an anti-immigration platform after meeting Donald Trump, it shouldn’t need The Mary Wallopers or myself to point out the stupidity and ignorance behind his message.
By Neil Durham
WHEN?: Saturday 17 May 2025
WHERE?: St Jakobshalle, Basel, Switzerland
HOW DO I WATCH?: BBC1 at 8pm in the UK or eurovision.tv or SVT
Former child star Melody (above and below) threw everything including the kitchen sink at her victorious Benidorm Fest, Spain’s national selection, performance and below we predict how it and the other pre-qualified finalists will fare in the Eurovision Song Contest final.
By Neil Durham
WHEN?: Thursday 15 May 2025
WHERE?: St Jakobshalle, Basel, Switzerland
HOW DO I WATCH?: BBC1 at 8pm in the UK or eurovision.tv or SVT
We think this is by far the tougher of the 2 semi finals and also that it will be much more difficult to lose 6 of these songs ahead of Saturday’s final rather than the 5 that will go home early in Semi 1.
By Neil Durham
WHEN?: Tuesday 13 May 2025
WHERE?: St Jakobshalle, Basel, Switzerland
HOW DO I WATCH?: BBC1 at 8pm in the UK or eurovision.tv or SVT
Rather too many men in this easier of the 2 semi finals with the much tougher and saucier semi 2 taking place on the following Thursday.
WORTH A LOOK?: ****1/2
Tracklist: Disease; Abracadabra; Garden Of Eden; Perfect Celebrity; Vanish Into You; Killah; Zombieboy; Love Drug; How Bad Do U Want Me; Don’t Call Tonight; Shadow Of A Man; The Beast; Blade Of Grass; Die With A Smile
Lady Gaga’s 7th studio album pulls the magician’s trick of reminding fans of Mother Monster at her most successful while also pushing her boundaries musically into more credible territory before, we anticipate, a greatest hits album, world tour and then a career break.
By Neil Durham
WORTH A LOOK?: ****
WHEN? Saturday 8 March, tour runs through 16 August 2025
SETLIST: Jupiter Drive; Gravity; Forever; Warning Signs; Hate The Way I Love You; Statements; I’m In It With You; Dreams; Coming Close; Euphoria; Is it Love?; Tattoo
It’s International Women’s Day and while Sweden is choosing its Eurovision entry for 2025 the only woman to have won the competition twice is performing in Barcelona as part of an extensive European tour that reaches the UK and Ireland for 8 dates later this month.
By Aline Mahrud
WHEN?: Saturday 8 March 2025 Strawberry Arena, Stockholm 7pm UK time
WHERE DO I WATCH?: SVTPlay
We predict that this year’s Melfest does contain a potential Eurovision winner in Basle in May but that it isn’t 2015 victor Måns Zelmerlöw or Spotify comedy chartoppers KAJ.
WORTH A LOOK? *****
Mother Monster’s best single since Born This Way in 2011 finds her experimenting with industrial house and sampling/giving songwriting credits to Siouxsie and The Banshees as she tees up new album Mayhem.
By Aline Mahrud
WHEN?: Saturday 1 March 2025 7pm UK time
WHERE?: Husqvarna Garden, Jönköping
Male soloists have perhaps surprisingly won each of the 1st 4 MF heats and we’ve our fingers crossed for female duo Scarlet (pictured above) to step up on Saturday and break that run with their hard gothic rock.
