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  Supporting act, Sam Ryder, rose to prominence during the COVID-19 lockdown by posting music covers on social media platform TikTok. He was selected to represent the UK in the Eurovision Song Contest 2022, and his single “Space Man” peaked at no.2 on the UK charts and achieved the highest score ever by a UK contestant in the contest. He is set to go on a winter tour in the UK.

 

 

 

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McFly and Sam Ryder are both set to perform at Rock N Roll Circus, a festival that takes place over multiple days in summer 2025. It’s held in both Sheffield and Norwich, with McFly set to perform at the opening night in Norwich. The band have commented: “Rock N Roll Circus in Norwich sounds amazing. See you there.”

 

 

 

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The director of the festival, Ali O’Reilly, commented saying: “Rock N Roll Circus is launching in Norwich with a bang,” he said… McFly is the perfect act to open the show. Their energy and iconic hits will set the tone for an unforgettable weekend.”

With McFly’s success in the UK charts, and their continued sustained position in the spotlight, proved by their various wins in reality shows, is sure to create anticipation for the show. Both music lovers and McFly fans are sure to be in for a great show.

Other headliners include Olly Murs, Courteeners, and Reverend and the Makers. Information for other shows can be found here. Ticketing information can be found here. Tickets go on sale 9am, December 13.

In addition to his music career, he is also a Bafta-nominated actor, having played the lead role in Channel 4’s impactful Aids drama, It’s A Sin. Surprisingly, the announcement of his participation was made during the final of Strictly Come Dancing, months ahead of the usual confirmation of the BBC’s Eurovision plans.

Expressing his excitement, Alexander shared, “I love Eurovision so much, it’s a dream come true. I’m just so, so excited.” He further“I really can’t believe I’m going to be a part of such a special legacy and represent the UK in the most vibrant way possible. I’m determined to give it my all and deliver an outstanding and unforgettable performance for everyone!”

The song that he will perform in Malmö next May is still a secret, but it was co-written by Alexander and Danny L Harle, who has produced successful tracks for Dua Lipa, Chic, and Charli XCX. Alexander told the BBC, “It will have an electronic sound, something that you can groove to. “Unfortunately, I can’t reveal much more than that.”I am just so excited to go out there and meet the fans and everyone else involved,” he added. “It will definitely be the most exhilarating experience of my life.”

As a seasoned performer with a dedicated fanbase, Alexander has achieved great success in the past decade with Years and Years, including five UK top ten singles and two number one albums. The band has also enjoyed popularity in Eurovision countries such as Belgium, Ireland, Germany, Denmark, the Netherlands, and Sweden.

Interestingly, Harrogate, Alexander’s hometown, previously hosted the Eurovision Song Contest in 1982, following the UK’s victory the year before with Bucks Fizz.

Sweden has been chosen as the host country for Eurovision 2024 following the victory of Swedish icon Loreen, who won this year’s competition with her catchy pop anthem “Tattoo.” This marks Loreen’s second Eurovision win, as she previously triumphed in 2012 with her song “Euphoria.” With this latest victory, Sweden is now tied with Ireland for the most Eurovision victories, with both countries having won the competition seven times. In contrast, the United Kingdom’s performance in Eurovision has been lackluster, with their last win dating back to 1997.

In recent years, Michael Rice and James Newman finished last in 2019 and 2021 respectively, while Mae Muller narrowly avoided the same fate this year thanks to German rock band Lord of the Lost. However, there was a glimmer of hope for the UK when Sam Ryder secured second place in Turin in 2022 with his pop-rock anthem “Spaceman.” Ryder, who is currently vying for the Christmas number one spot with his festive song “You’re Christmas To Me,” sent Alexander, the representative for Sweden, a message of good luck.

While the UK tends to send newer and lesser-known singers to Eurovision, other countries often send their biggest stars to the competition. For example, Italy was represented this year by Marco Mengoni, a highly successful balladeer with 70 platinum records to his name. In 2003, Russia put forward the globally successful pop duo Tatu, and Sweden’s Måns Zelmerlöw had three number one albums before winning Eurovision in 2015 with his song “Heroes;” However, with Olly Alexander well known for being part of  Years and Years, the UK are in a great position for seeing a winner in Olly.

Reflecting on its unexpected success, Sam acknowledges that while many people are enjoying the song, there are still a significant number who are unaware of its existence. As a 34-year-old artist, Sam faces tough competition from holiday classics such as Wham’s “Last Christmas,” Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas Is You,” and the resurgence of “Fairytale of New York” following the passing of Pogues frontman Shane MacGowan. Additionally, Noah Kahan’s “Stick Season” has gained momentum after being covered by Olivia Rodrigo on Radio 1’s Live Lounge, posing a potential upset. Despite these challenges, Sam Ryder remains hopeful and determined to make a mark with his festive tune.

Sam acknowledges that while he had hoped for his track from Your Christmas or Mine 2 to become a popular holiday hit, he understands that it may only resonate with a niche audience who watch the film.

He recognises that the song may not have a widespread impact on the culture or the music charts. Therefore, he and his team recorded it purely out of love for the project. Despite writing the song in August, Sam found it surprisingly easy to get into the festive spirit, even during the summer months. He recalls,“It was quite a gloomy day and I was like, ‘this is actually quite perfect’. I can just pretend it’s Christmas.”

Sam’s latest release, “You’re Christmas To Me,” has the potential to become his first Christmas number one. This achievement holds even more significance as it marks his debut as an independent artist following his departure from Parlophone Records in September. Sam describes this transition as a “free-ng experience,” Sam added, “Your team becomes so much smaller, it becomes so much more potent because it’s made up mostly of your pals. And even if you get battered and bruised by the end of whatever it is that you’re after, it doesn’t matter because you’re in it together. And it’s such a lovely experience.”

In other news, Wham! has made a triumphant return to the top of the Christmas chart race. Additionally, Sam Ryder’s remarkable year continues to unfold after the success of his hit single, “Space Man.” Furthermore, Sam reflects on how a surfing accident has profoundly impacted his life.

Sam is often described as a glass-half-full individual, exuding an abundance of positive energy.” He said, “When I was in college, my tutors used to call me Tigger,” he says. “I think I was always just a bit too, like, annoyingly enthusiastic about things.”

He firmly believes that being cool is overrated, particularly in the arts, where people tend to place value on being enigmatic and detached. Sam rejects this notion, asserting that life is too short. Sam added further, “Cool is the enemy,” he says. “I’ve always thought that, especially in the arts, people put this currency on being deep and mysterious and aloof. To hell with that. Life’s too preciously short to not be bounding for joy and gratitude.”

The song, titled “Eurovusion (Open Up)” can be heard below:

New Zealand’s Eurovision bid is being backed by a Kiwi brewery, Yeastie Boys. The brewery owners have started a petition to let New Zealand join the Eurovision contest, alongside their Australian neighbours who are already included.

Nearly 50k views on our song to launch Aotearoa New Zealand’s bid for an invitation to @Eurovision. https://t.co/gL3JDv9Tox

Surely it’s time @bbceurovision gave it some airtime. If this was in the competition it would be a finalist, for sure.

— Yeastie Boys (@yeastieboys) May 8, 2023

Stu McKinlay, founder of Yeastie Boys, said, “We’ve become big Eurovision fans since arriving here in the UK but we really miss having our own country to cringe at while simultaneously supporting unwaveringly.”

Discussing Australia being included but not his native New Zealand, McKinlay continued, “I was the youngest of five kids and whenever my older siblings went to gigs, I was too young to join them. Australia being in Eurovision, when New Zealand hasn’t been invited, gives me the same vibes and I don’t like it.”

He added, “New Zealanders grow up with a sense of social justice being very important and Australia being invited to Eurovision without New Zealand is like inviting someone to your wedding but not giving them a plus one! Everyone loves New Zealand and finds us cute and non-threatening and that makes us a sure thing for doing well in the public vote. I mean who really likes Australia?”

On the petition page, McKinlay writes, “New Zealand is a country with a rich musical heritage that could bring a lot to the Eurovision party. Just ask Lorde, Crowded House or Dane Rumble.We have taken it upon ourselves to highlight this injustice and right this wrong by inviting fellow New Zealand pals Two Hearts to launch the first ever official unofficial Eurovision entry.”

Ultimately, New Zealand asks, “Why the hell are Australia in it? Can New Zealand come and play too?”

The UK is set to host the 2023 Eurovision Song Contest next week, honouring Ukraine who won last year. The 2023 finals will take place on 9th May and 11th May, with the grand finals on 13th May.

The event will be hosted in Liverpool, with Liverpool-based band Frankie Goes to Hollywood reuniting to open this year’s contest.

Eurovision co-host Alisha Dixon has called this year’s event “so much more than a competition” as the nations gather to honour Ukraine. Dixon said the event is “very important. We feel that sense of responsibility to do it with joy, love.”

Mae Muller is the official UK entrant for 2023, releasing “I Wrote a Song” in hopes of scoring as highly as last year’s UK contestant, Sam Ryder. Listen to Muller’s song here:

Liverpool will host #Eurovision 2023 on behalf of Ukraine…and it’s gonna be proper boss

Find out all about Liverpool 2023 right here: https://t.co/a1zGojGfbr pic.twitter.com/7sZ7SaYjg2

— Eurovision Song Contest (@Eurovision) October 7, 2022

Popular British talk show host Graham Norton made the announcement on Friday 7th October 2022, whilst appearing on The One Show; the host of Eurovision stated, “The city that will host the 67th Eurovision Song Contest in 2023 is Liverpool“. Norton went on to praise Eurovision 2022 contestant Sam Ryder for abolishing “the curse of Eurovision” for Britain. The 59-year-old presenter then urged viewers to tune in and stated, “pop that in your calendar”.

As per Eurovision tradition, the previous year’s winning country is responsible for the following year’s hosting duties. At the 2022 Eurovision Song Contest, Ukraine’s entry Kalush Orchestra was announced as the winner at the ceremony held in Italy’s Turin. However, due to recent conflict and issues that have arisen in Ukraine, the event and producers from the Europen Broadcasting Union made a decision that it would not be safe to hold the event in Ukraine.

A statement issued by the group states,  “We are very pleased that next year’s Eurovision Song Contest will take place in Liverpool. Though we haven’t had the privilege of visiting yet, the musical heritage of the city is known all over the world. Playing in the same place that The Beatles started out will be a moment we’ll never forget! Although we are sad that next year’s competition cannot take place in our homeland, we know that the people of Liverpool will be warm hosts and the organisers will be able to add a real Ukrainian flavour to Eurovision 2023 in this city.”

Steve Rotheram, Metro Mayor of the Liverpool City Region, has also given a statement, “While we came up against stiff competition from Glasgow, who deserve more than the nil points they have received on this occasion, nowhere is more experienced or qualified, and nowhere throws a party quite like we do. We want to put on a show that Ukraine would be proud of, and we have been working closely with Liverpool’s sister city of Odesa to ensure that this is their event as much as our own.“

He continues, “Now the hard work begins. Putting on a show that will give millions a night they will never forget in one of the most turbulent and trying years for our continent is no mean feat. If anywhere is capable of it, it is the Liverpool City Region, with a little help from our friends in Ukraine.”

Although the country is unable to host the event, Ukraine’s involvement in the 2023 contest will still be honoured, an official logo for the 67th year of Eurovision has been released to celebrate the country. Whilst the confirmation of Liverpool’s hosting duties was announced, the new logo design was also released. The new image features Ukraine’s flag encased within a heart; the new logo shows that although the UK will host The Eurovision Song Contest 2023, it will be hosting the event on behalf of Ukraine.

Speaking on the new logo and its meaning, the head of Managing board of UA: PBC, Ukraine’s public broadcaster Mykola Chernotytskyi, has stated, “It is symbolic that the 2023 Eurovision Song Contest will be held in Liverpool, a twin city of Odesa. The organisation of a contest of this level sets super demanding requirements. I am confident that the city recognised as the capital of pop music will meet them in the best way and will deliver the celebration of music that will amaze both delegations and fans of Eurovision.“

In an interview with BBC News, Ryder said he used an “old-fashioned mailing list situation,” and “sent out an email saying ‘hey do you wanna come and sing with us?” Fans could sign up via a link to get an invite to join Sam and his team. “A bunch of people came down,” he said “we just sang the song over and over again. I think I sang it about 50 times today.”

His two singles are the first released from his upcoming album There’s Nothing But Space, Man! which is set to be released on 14th October. ‘Somebody‘ is co-written by Sam with Jon Green and Max Wolfgang who also co-wrote Sam’s Eurovision 2022 entry. “I didn’t really know that I was making the album,” he told NME, “Last year, I wrote about 100 songs, and not all of them are good, it’s just the nature of writing songs.” “Some of my favourites we’ve put together for an album. It’s done, you’re just curating the thing. You’ve got this collection of work and you’re putting it together now, and then making the final touches and then listening back to ones and going, ‘God, that line’s a shocker, I’ll have to change that next week’.”

Sam’s success at Eurovision means the UK is set to host the 2023 edition of the contest. “It’s really exciting that it’s on home soil,” he told the BBC, “but it’s also really important to remember why it’s being held here and the responsibility that we have to throw the best party that shows off and celebrates all of the beauty and rich history of Ukrainian culture.”

Introducing our National Album Day 2022 Ambassadors!@SamRyderMusic @KSI @thestaves @Franz_Ferdinand @TheMysterines

Discover more about this year’s #NationalAlbumDay on our site: https://t.co/1lcrg78uvU pic.twitter.com/MZ6vG4T9Yj

— National Album Day (@AlbumDayUK) August 16, 2022

The annual event is held in celebration of the album format and the configuration’s over  70 years of history and critical influence across the music industry. This year the event will mark National Album Day’s fifth year and will be held on 15th October 2022, each year is allocated a theme. In previous years National Album Day has taken on the theme of Women in Music and the 80s, this year the annual celebration will hold the theme of Debuts. By adopting this theme, the event aims to honour a wide range of initial album releases from many variants of genres and eras.

This year im going to be an @AlbumDayUK ambassador, which means i’ll be looking at and discussing one of my favourite debut albums from an artist I love. What’s your favourite debut album? https://t.co/DHkP7Jd6VD — ksi (@KSI) August 16, 2022

Speaking on the event, Chief Executive BPI Geoff Taylor and Chief Executive ER Kim Bayley have issued a joint statement, “Artists love telling their stories through the artform of the album and fans love to listen, but in a world where there is more streaming of individual songs, we take the appeal of the album format for granted. National Album Day is about celebrating the continuing vitality and cultural relevance of the long player, in particular with the next generation of fans, and we invite everyone who loves the format to join in and enjoy this year’s National Album Day.“

Since its inception in 2018, National Album Day has put on and participated in a wide range of events. The long list of activities include The Record Club, Tim’s Twitter Listening Party, two exhibitions held with Network Rail and Classic Album Sundays. The annually held celebration of the beloved format is co-arranged with BPI, otherwise known as British Phonographic Industry, BPI is the trade association for British recorded music and is known for putting on the BRIT awards. National Album Day is also organised by ERA, The Digital Entertainment and Retail Association, ERA is a UK trade organisation known for its involvement in record store day.

Alex Kapranos, Franz Ferdinand frontman has also given a statement concerning the band’s ambassador status, “What a glorious medium the album is, On the most basic level it’s a bunch of songs that sound good together, but what I love is that it is a moment in time for the artist and the listener, a way to define a period of a lifetime. It’s the long form: a novel rather than a short story, a film rather than a trailer. Sure, you can get a panel of writers to construct a song to meet the criteria of the algorithm, and that’s a distinct skill, but it will never have the complexity or richness and deep reward of a good album.”

This year’s National Album Day will be conducted in association with Bowers and Wilkins, the event’s official audio partner. National Album Day is also presented alongside its official broadcast partner BBC Sounds. This year’s celebration will also include special broadcasts and exclusive releases, further details concerning these forthcoming events will be confirmed in due course.

This year, Sam Ryder, an online viral sensation, came second prompting EBU (European Broadcasting Union) to open talks with the BBC in June. Ryder provided the UK with their best result since 1998, whilst Kalush Orchestra took Ukraine to the top of the leaderboard with their song “Stefania”. Their win automatically qualifies them for the Grand Final, along with the Big Five, which includes the UK, France, Germany, Italy and Spain.

Whilst it has been confirmed that the UK will host the contest, the host city has yet to be decided. The EBU specifies that the host venue should be able to accommodate approximately 10,000 audience members, have a good distance to an international airport and have enough hotel accommodation for a minimum of 2,000 delegates, journalists and spectators.

Early interest has been expressed by several UK cities, London, Sheffield and Manchester have already confirmed they will be putting in an official bid. Glasgow has also announced that they have been “working hard” on a bid since last month and it appears to be the Scottish favourite. Their 14,000-capacity OVO Hydro was the world’s second busiest music venue in 2019 and has hosted a number of notable events including the MOBO Awards, the BBC Sports Personality of the Year Awards and the MTV Europe Music Awards. The bidding process is set to begin this week and The BBC and European Broadcasting Union (EBU) will publish the longlist later this summer. 

The news was welcomed by Boris Johnson and Culture Secretary Nadine Dorries. “Following a request from the European Broadcasting Union and the Ukrainian authorities, I’m delighted that the BBC has agreed to step in and host next year’s contest,” she said, “I’m just sorry that due to Russia’s continued acts of bloodshed it has not been possible to host the event in Ukraine, where it should be.”

The Grand Final usually takes place in May and last year tickets were available for nine shows, including the semi-finals and the grand final. Fans can expect tickets to go on sale late this year, or early 2023. Tickets massively varied in price last year with some fans managing to snap up tickets for just €10 (£8.50), whilst the most expensive sold for around €350 (£297).

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This week saw a tough competition to claim the UK’s number one single, with Styles’ smash hit and Eurovision contender Sam Ryder’s “Space Man” going head-to-head to reach the throne. Placing at number two within the charts, the latter was the UK’s 2022 entry into the Eurovision song contest and placed second within the Grand Final results. This week’s chart placement marks the first Eurovision entry to chart high in over twenty-five years, Gina G’s “Ooh Ahh.. Just A Little Bit” last took the charts by storm in 1996.

Originally released on 22nd February 2022, “Space Man” has also been named the UK’s most downloaded song of the week and has placed at number one within the Official Download Chart. Ryder has spoken to Officialcharts.com concerning a sense of stigma which some have placed on the Eurovision, “We wanted to take on this negative Eurovision stigma in the UK – this habitual loop of cynicism and telling ourselves Europe doesn’t like the UK. That was absolutely not the case, we don’t subscribe to that narrative whatsoever. The result gives strength to that idea. We’ve stripped away at the negativity and shone a bit of light in its place. Eurovision is my favourite thing in the world – I’m so stoked that I got to be a part of this story with my friends and my team.”

Ryder then continued to discuss the chart competition with Styles and the final placement of his single, “I feel like what Harry stands for, as a fan of his and listening to his music, he stands for the same things that Eurovision celebrates; a freedom of expression, of inclusivity. A celebration of music, joy and togetherness.”

Scott Mills, Official Chart presenter for BBC Radio 1 and Eurovision has also spoken on Ryder’s chart success, “I’m so proud of Sam Ryder for securing the UK’s Official Number 2 spot with Space Man. It’s the UK’s first Eurovision chart contender from this millennium and Sam deserves it so much after his incredible performance in Turin. We at Radio 1 have got behind Sam like no other Eurovision entry and the support for him right from the start has been amazing!”