The United Kingdom’s entry into this year’s Eurovision Song Contest, the group Remember Monday, delivered a vibrant performance that captivated both audiences and juries alike. Their 88-point score from professional juries was driven by their song, What The Hell Just Happened, which wowed the pros. This achievement almost doubles last year’s score of 47 points! The UK made significant strides but still finished in 19th place out of 26 total entries. This is the third consecutive year of unfulfilled promises for the country in the competition.
Monday’s song features a wide-ranging blend of musical styles. It creates an interesting mix where it shifts between these frantic verses into these almost haunting choruses. This fresh take on the classic piece illustrates the collective’s adaptability and performative range. Their big-dreaming exuberance is infectious. Their considerable experience in the West End was on full display, having starred in such acclaimed productions as Matilda and Phantom Of The Opera.
Lauren Byrne, Holly Lurcott and Charlotte O’Connor form the triplet. They were stunningly on-pitch, cutting through the air with brilliant vocal accuracy and execution of their sophisticated harmony lines. Conchita Wurst, a former Eurovision winner, praised their performance, stating, “Harmonising on the Eurovision stage has hardly worked out in the past, but they’re spot on.”
Not all feedback was entirely positive. Jonathan Vautrey, writing for the site Tidal Wave Music, opined that the complex structure of the song could have worked against it. He remarked, “Although I’ve been able to settle into the entry over time and now appreciate the theatricality of it all, first impressions matter at Eurovision.” In the same vein, Alexander Beijar pointed out that even if the staging was not one-dimensional, it was still “a little overboard.”
Regardless of the lukewarm reception Remember Monday kept a cool air of self-assurance while onstage. Lauren Byrne expressed their commitment to the contest, saying, “If we do really badly, we’re just gonna keep coming back until we win.” This determination was evident in their performance, which Lauren described as a whirlwind of creativity: “It was like, we have three minutes, and we’ll show you everything we can do on this stage: We’ll start in bed, we’ll dance on a chandelier, we’ll strut down the catwalk, and we’ll end up in the bed again in the end.”
The UK continues to find it difficult to lure great talent to Eurovision. For these reasons, critics say it is too defeatist in its approach to the competition. Some commentators believe that this mentality is the biggest obstacle to achieving success. Scott Mills has reminded us that for some fans, you can never do the right thing. It is so regardless of how well the performance quality might be. He stated, “There’s a section of fans [who] will complain every year, whatever the UK does: ‘Oh, the song’s too generic, the vocals aren’t great.’”
It begs the question of what should future UK entries do to turn around their luck at Eurovision.
“Their confidence is incredible. You immediately trust them because when you feel the artist is nervous, you get nervous as a viewer. But they are just so light and so sharp.” – Conchita Wurst
Former NWM Director Ace Bowerman, who collaborated intimately with Remember Monday, echoed their skill as well as their fellowship. “They are electric people. They have such a special bond,” he said. Bowerman is certain audiences will be attracted to the lively, positive energy that Remember Monday is adding to their live shows.
Despite finishing near the bottom of this year’s competition rankings, Remember Monday has already secured bookings for a summer of festival appearances and concerts. The collective keeps the creative tide rolling as they learn how to pivot from the Eurovision pop machine.
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