17 March – I dance with the devil

It’s good to see something different tried at a Eurovision Song Contest. Usually anyway. Sometimes, Schlager can get a bit staid, and how many have suffered death-by-ballad? So something a bit folksy can stand out.

Take 2022 for example. Our friends in France had finished second in 2021, and were looking for something better (to coin a phrase). So they tried something really different and sent an act in Breton. Now this wasn’t the first Breton song, but the fannage out there were getting rather excited by the vocal group Ahez accompanied by today’s birthday boy Alvan (né Alexis Morvan Rosius). It’s bound to do better than 1996, isn’t it? Hmmm, sadly not. Alvan and his chums might have slightly misjudged the mood amongst Europe and could only manage 24th place in the Grand Final, with only 17 points. In the song’s defence, the 17 points were almost split 50/50 between jury and televote points.

Alvan is 30 today.

Bonne anniversaire/Deiz-ha-bloaz laouen, Alvan!