While the 2026 Eurovision Song Contest (ESC) in Vienna was certainly a spectacle, the entire event was overshadowed by tensions surrounding the Middle East and how Israel’s inclusion is at odds with the ESC’s principles of peace and unity. Israel and their national broadcaster Kan are still participating in the annual contest despite Israel’s controversial ongoing activities in Gaza and the occupied Palestinian West Bank, as well as the wars with Iran and Lebanon. Following a failed bid to suspend Israel, five nations withdrew from the 2026 ESC – Spain, Ireland, Iceland, Slovenia and The Netherlands.

Earlier this month, the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), the body formed by the national broadcasters from participating nations which runs the ESC, made changes to Eurovision’s rules which would prohibit a country in active conflict from hosting the next year’s event should they win. This move will be seen by many as a direct attempt to curb the drama surrounding Israel’s participation, following their second place finishes in the last two contests.

However, the EBU’s rule change has not reassured Avrotros – in a statement today announcing their decision to withdraw, the Dutch broadcaster has said the changes “do not provide sufficient confidence that ‌the ⁠independent and neutral character of the Eurovision Song Contest has been restored”. Avrotros’s statement also says “The severe humanitarian suffering in Gaza and the ongoing restrictions on press freedom have contributed to increasing divisions surrounding the Eurovision Song Contest in recent years.”

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Taco Zimmerman, the director general for Avrotros, has directly addressed the move, saying that while the contest was “was originally created to bring people and countries together”, it has now become “a platform for division”, adding “It is undeniable that international conflicts are increasingly affecting the contest, undermining its neutral character.”. Zimmerman continues – “The Eurovision Song Contest has therefore become a platform for division. As a public broadcaster, we remain committed to our values. They guide us in everything we do, even when that means stepping away from an event that is very close to our hearts. That is painful as we would have very much liked to be part of the contest again next year.”

 
Avrotros exiting the 2027 Song Contest does not mean The Netherlands have no chance of appearing. NPO, the umbrella organisation supervising Dutch broadcasters is currently considering its options, should another broadcaster wish to take on Eurovision duties, though several of them have already ruled themselves out. The NPO has stated that they “respect Avrotros’s decision”, with a comment that says “We also recognise that the geopolitical tensions are having a divisive effect.” and “That’s why this hasn’t been an easy decision for our colleagues. We will reflect on the upcoming edition and will come back to this at the right moment.”

 
ESC director Martin Green has responded to the news with a statement that says “We regret AVROTROS’ decision to no longer participate in the Eurovision Song Contest but understand their choice and respect the views of our member broadcasters. The Eurovision Song Contest has always been a place to bring people together, celebrate diverse communities, and show that a better world is possible even in the most difficult times. We will now continue our dialogue with NPO, the umbrella organization for Dutch public service media, regarding the opportunities for another broadcaster to participate. We very much hope that audiences and artists in the Netherlands can continue to be represented in the Eurovision Song Contest.” Following Bulgaria’s shock 2026 victory with singer Dara’s vibrant party anthem ‘Bangaranga’, the 2027 Eurovision Song Contest is heading to the city Burgas on the coastline of the Black Sea. Arena Burgas will host the semi finals on May 11 and 13, before the grand final on May 15.  

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Artist Sam Battle, whose musical vehicle Look Mum No Computer was selected by the BBC’s panel of judges, is an innovator and developer of curious objects, chief among them unique analogue synthesisers. He uses them to create his own brand of electronic pop, forgoing modern computerised effects which make up a vast majority of current chart music instrumentation. His single ‘Eins, Zwei, Drei’ made its debut on Scott Mills’ BBC Radio 2 Breakfast Show last Friday, marking a real shift from the instantly-accessible theme of past Eurovision entries.

The song is a pulsating, energetic synth-pop banger, with vocals and lyrics in the style of 90s Britpop icons Blur. While the music has a eurobeat feel to it and the anthemic chorus refrain is in German, the vibe of the track is quintessentially British. The accompanying music video sells the story of escaping the 9-5 working existence and indulges in niche British cultural icons such as the humble “roly-poly” dessert, while showcasing Sam’s custom “Kosmo” synthesiser unit. Ending with him riding a modified Mini with a payload of speakers and synths into the sky, this is a very novel piece, even for the ESC’s threshold for weirdness. The full package is a far cry from 2025’s glamorous-but-safe entry ‘What The Hell Just Happened?’ performed by Remember Monday.

Battle explains the story behind the song in interviews with the BBC, with the origins being quite humorous. When talking to BBC Radio Kent, he explains that he’d initially approached the UK’s Eurovision committee to aid with writing an entry for another artist, but was shocked to find they wanted to write one in collaboration for him to perform – “somehow my manager managed to get in front of them and they said ‘oh you could try and write a song I suppose,’ so I tried to write a song and it was very conventional. But then I went to a writing session, and because I’m a songwriter for people, I was expecting I was going to write for people. And I was like ‘who are we writing for today? Which one of us are we writing for today?’ and they were like ‘we’re writing for you!’”

In another interview with BBC’s Mark Savage, he tells that the song’s name comes from a serendipitous incident during the writing session. “It’s ‘one, two, three’ in German. It’s completely wacky, the situation that happened. When I was coming up with the actual ‘Eins, Zwei, Drei,’ I was actually moving a sofa to get my synth set up and I was shouting ‘eins, zwei, drei’ and that’s when they were like ‘that’s the name of the song!’” With the ESC’s Grand Final taking place in Vienna, the German language chorus may be a hit with the local Austrian crowd. According to the BBC, the song has more German words than Germany’s own entry, ‘Fire’ performed by Sarah Engels.

The song was co-written by an all-star team of composers behind past Eurovision winners – Lasse Midtsian Nymann (NYLAN) who wrote on 2024 Swiss winner ‘The Code’ by Nemo; Julie ‘Kill J’ Aagaard, a multi-platinum singer-songwriter; and Thomas Stengaard, who contributed to 2013’s Danish champion ‘Only Teardrops’ by Emmelie De Forest. The live choreography for the performance is corralled by Fredrik ‘Benke’ Rydman, the visionary behind the spectacular staging of ‘The Code’, who has also dabbled in the bizarre with Käärijä’s hugely-memorable ‘Cha Cha Cha’ for Finland in 2023.

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Look Mum No Computer will bring his voice, his synthesisers, and no doubt his Mini to the Wiener Stadthalle for the Eurovision Song Contest Grand Final on the 16th of May. Currently, speculation is very positive with this brave new approach from the UK, but we’ll have to wait and see how the European fans embrace it. You can follow Sam’s journey through his Youtube channel, his Instagram account, or his personal website, with the BBC also covering his course to May.