Contestants »

Italy - Poland - Iceland - United Kingdom - Russia - Hungary - Ireland - Greece - Germany - Sweden

ITALY — VESUVIA VERSACE
Don’t Say “Ti Amo”
Vesuvia Versace has come a long was from the little Ligurian town of Zoagli to be representing Italy this evening — approximately 748 km in fact which involved a bicycle, two trains, three buses and a donkey drawn cart. Back home her lively interpretations of liturgical classics have been the sensation of church choirs throughout much of her native province. Happily for the world of contemporary pop music her efforts to become a nun have been discouraged by every convent she has approached - the wise Mother Superiors understanding perhaps better than Vesuvia that talent like hers is a gift from rather than for Our Good Lord and is something that deserves to be shared with the world. This is evidenced by the number of people who have been known to mutter “Oh God!” as soon as she starts singing. We are sure you will understand and share their reaction tonight.

POLAND — TOOMAS JERKER & THE HARD POLE DANCERS
Together Again 
Poland is represented by former Estonian pop star Toomas Jerker, famous throughout Eastern Europe for his rise to the top after a troubled early life where he was jailed in the 1990s for running an illegal Liza Minelli fan club. Leaving behind the land of bauxite and bogs as well as his original backing group the Stone Hard Boys, Toomas joined up with Polish aerobic instructors Alojzy Tokarski and Czeslaw Paluchniak, better known around Krakow as the Hard Pole Dancers, to create an entertainment ensemble that will makes your eyes water. Toomas claims diplomatic immunity on the grounds of his grandmother having dated a Polish cabinet maker in 1951. “I have always been happiest surrounded by Polish peoples’, Jerker says “And have often felt a Pole inside”. Follow Toomas on his on-the-road adventures here.

ICELAND - GERT GROLLMERSDETTER
Love Ballad #3a
Iceland declined to offer any biographical information about this year’s entrant Gert Grollmersdetter but she was insistent that there be no reference made to her past career as a prostitute.

UNITED KINGDOM - RAYNE & SHEINER
I Love To Love To Love (Love)
If ever an act was poised to rekindle the excitement of the British invasion of the 1960s it is the new pop sensation Rayne & Sheiner who are comprised of the delectable Hattie Windsor Rayne and the remarkable Stevie Sheiner. This fabulously exciting duo were well loved in their local Blackpool, entertaining summer holidaymakers on the pier until they were discovered (and none to soon for a British public so desperate to erase the humiliation of recent Eurovision debacles) by entrepreneur Terry Titshall, the man who is responsible for the recent hugely successful comeback of R.and J Stone (of ‘We Do It’ fame). Rayne & Sheiner are gonna use this year’s Eurovision Song Contest to blast themselves into orbit. We wait with anticipation!

RUSSIA - KG BOYZ
Ice Queen
The KGBoyz are part of the exciting new wave of contemporary artists that are thrilling music lovers from Siberia to the Carpathian mountains in modern Russia. Their tight harmonies and innovative dance moves have earned them a reputation as an exciting live act. Their recent appearance in the Petropavlosk music festival alongside Western superstars Air Supply broke attendance records for any cultural event in that city. These cutting edge dudes are totally in da house and plan to shake up Eurovision with their funkadelic performance. Anyone who accuses them of being derivative of American pop culture are, to quote band member Yuri ’Puff Blini’ Vladivinsk, “totally vack”.

HUNGARY - THE MOLNAR SISTERS
Apró Madarakkal 
The Molnar Sisters had their first public performance in 1973 when they were 16, as part of the annual Blessing of the Kransky Festival in their home town of Litka. After being discovered by one of Hungary’s major music managers, The Molnar Sisters toured regional Hungary before making their national debut at the Vigszinház in Budapest. Shortly after this Magda Molnar chose to leave the group to pursue a highly unsuccessful solo career, to be replaced by Cili Mihály. The new look trio played to sell out crowds in Malta, Lichtenstein and Bulgaria before the twins, Eszti and Firenze Molnar, left to pursue a lucrative film deal in Egypt. The twins were replaced by Lujza Kézisozótár and Phoebe Smythe, one of Manchester’s leading pro-am pantomime performers. After many years on the club circuit, Cili Mihály was replaced by original member Magda Molnar. Unfortunately in the weeks leading up to Eurovision 2003 the rigorous touring schedule took its toll and she sadly had to withdraw, being replaced by Tzigane Tamás.

IRELAND - RONAN CORR
La La La 
Ronan Corr was the last child born to that well known Irish musical family, unfortunately at the time of the small Potato Famine of 1973. As a result of his family’s financial difficulty at the time he was given up for adoption. While his brother and sisters went on to achieve moderate success in their own band, Ronan took a more low key path, performing at weddings and church fetes until he was discovered singing in an Enya covers band late last year. His version of Enya’s classic song ‘Ahh Ahh Ahh (The Sound of Boulders Breathing)’ brought him to the attention of the nation and he became the obvious choice to continue Ireland’s proud Eurovision tradition.

GREECE - PERSEPHONE
Oh Aphrodite
Like her namesake from Greek mythology, the artist known only as Persephone is a creature of both light and darkness. Did she rise like Venus from a scallop shell with the ocean foaming around her knees? Was she a princess abandoned on a Greek island to be raised by humble goatherds? Could she be a spy in the international house of love? Because the truth of the matter is that she was born to a family of fishmongers and studied to be a secretary in Athens, she prefers these questions to be asked and remained unanswered. It was an unexpected win at a karaoke competition on Mykonos that propelled her into the glamourous role of representing Greece in this year's event. First prize was in fact to become the Greek representative, an honour that intimidated many of the country's better known performing artists. Persephone's naïveté and humility are qualities she might convince the more gullible of her audience members to believe in but few could ignore the passionate temptress that lay simmering underneath the surface of her innocent exterior. Prepare to be astounded!

GERMANY - NEPOTISM
Be-Bop For Veronda
Formed in Planken, Liechtenstein during 1998, Nepotism are post industrial, post post modernist trio influenced by Devo, Kraftwerk, Tortoise, Philip Glass and Karlheinz Stockhausen. At the beginning of their career they played many impromptu shows outside the Liechtenstein National Museum in Vaduz, where they came to the attention of visiting Jamaican conceptual artist Suzelle Narcotic, earning themselves a slot on her 2002 world tour. Since then they have captured the hearts and imaginations of the inhabitants of their vibrant little principality through such musical excursions as their exciting cover version of the alternative underground classic ‘I’ve Lost My Place’ which was a local number one record earlier this year. They were unavailable for comment about how they felt about representing Germany in this year’s contest.

SWEDEN — AVLA
Same Old Song
The AVLA story began in 2002, when brother and sister yodeling duo 'Svingin' (SVen' and ELcie' Olaf) met sibling ice-skaters (Lars' and Ana' Hansell) on Swedish reality show 'Changing Partners'. The pairs decided to experiment and by the end of the second episode AVLA was born. The following year 'Changing Partners' hired the foursome to write their theme song and the number one hit propelled them to stardom. AVLA would like to dedicate their Eurovision performance to their mentor Cate Haedönsliv, who taught them that dreams could come true (and never underestimate the importance of sequins).