SONG OF THE WEEK: Dancing With Demons by Cyan Kicks (week beginning 5 February 2024)

WORTH A LOOK?: ****

Rock quartet Cyan Kicks finished runners up in Finland’s Eurovision selection show UMK (Uuden Musiikin Kilpailu) in 2022 and on Saturday (10 February 2024) return again with this song.

  • Read on for reasons including who Cyan Kicks’ main UMK competition is
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PREVIEW: Finland’s Eurovision selection show UMK starring Keira, Robin Packalen & Benjamin

By Neil Durham

WHEN?: Saturday 25 February 2023

HOW DO I WATCH?: YLE

Finland’s Eurovision selection show UMK continues to be 1 of the season’s highlights and there’s a lot of quality here in the race to succeed internationally-renowned rock band The Rasmus who represented the country last year, finishing 21st.

  • Read on for reasons including Robin Packalan, Benjamin and Käärijä
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9 reasons why we can’t wait for February 2023 starring Sheridan Smith as Shirley Valentine

  1. Sheridan Smith is Shirley Valentine

Smith (Funny Girl, Savoy) returns to the stage for the 1st time since Joseph and The Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat at the Palladium and this beloved Willy Russell one-woman comedy about a woman who finds love on holiday abroad is the perfect choice. Runs 17 February through 3 June at the Duke Of York’s. Tickets 1st preview review

  • Read on for reasons including Callum Scott Howells at the National, Standing At The Sky’s Edge and Benidorm Fest
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PREVIEW: Finland’s Eurovision selection show UMK starring Isaac Sene, BESS and The Rasmus

By Aline Mahrud

WHEN?: 26 February 2022

HOW DO I WATCH? YLE

Finland performed far better than we expected in 2021 when rock group Blind Channel finished 6th and in 2022 they have a diverse 7-song final including The Rasmus who had a worldwide hit in 2003 with In The Shadows.

  • Read on for reasons including how The Rasmus song is a little cliched and how they risk having their thunder stolen
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PREVIEW: 9 reasons why we can’t wait for February 2021 starring Lucy Spraggan

  1. Lucy Spraggan releases new album

Spraggan won our gig of the year monsta in 2020 and we said then: ‘Her warmth and empathy really shine bright in the guitar-based, folk-influenced material that she writes and performs.’ Her 6th album Choices is released 26/2/21 and includes Sober, a song of the month for us in November. Tickets were on sale for an April tour which has now been cancelled because of Covid-19 but you can watch that gig of the year. Details

  • Read on for reasons including the return of KEiiNO, Melodifestivalen 2021 and Deutschland ’89

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SONG OF THE WEEK: I Love You by Teflon Brothers x Pandora (week beginning 23 January 2021)

WORTH A LOOK?: ****

OUT: now

The selection competitions for 2021’s Eurovision Song Contest are starting all over Europe and this synth gem from Finland’s Uuden Musiikin Kilpailu (UMK) is our pick of this week.

  • Read on for reasons including to watch the lyric video of I Love You

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TV PREVIEW: Finland 2018 Eurovision selection starring Saara Aalto

WHEN?: 3/3/18

We wouldn’t usually cover Finland’s Eurovision selection show, Uuden Musiikin Kilpailu (UMK), but we’re doing so this year because it has chosen UK X Factor runner-up Saara Aalto to sing each of three songs.

  • Read on for reasons including our view of Saara’s 1st entry Monsters

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