EUROVISION fans were left baffled after the UK’s entry, Remember Monday, took to the stage during tonight’s grand final.
Performing their track What the Hell Just Happened? in Basel, Switzerland, the country-pop trio sparked a flurry of reactions online.
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BBC viewers playfully branded them “pound shop Disney princesses” and echoed the song’s title in disbelief across social media.
The song, co-written by the band members, narrates a chaotic night out with comedy.
Trio Lauren Byrne, Holly-Anne Hull, both 30, and Charlotte Steele, 31, wore colourful ballgowns with corsets as they took to the stage at St. Jakobshalle.
But opinions were left divided, with one writing on X, formerly Twitter: “We sent the meal deal Disney Princesses into battle. They did her best. Let’s never speak of it again.”
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Another joked: “UK – pound shop atomic kitten watched bohemian rhapsody a few too many times.”
Someone else chimed in with: “Oh it was awful and screechy, out of tune. What the hell just happened is that we’re last.”
A fourth added: “UK entry What The Hell just Happened. More like WTF just Happened, lol. C**p.”
But others rushed to defend the band.
One wrote: “im a fan or remember monday the girls seem sweet.”
A second said: “Remember Monday smashed it!”
Despite the divided opinions, their performance marked the UK’s first girl group entry since 1999.
However, Remember Monday were dealt a crushing blow – even before they performed.
Bookies made them 66/1 to cause an upset tonight, meaning they’re more likely to finish in last place (3/1) than first, while 12/1 says they score ‘nul points’.
Alex Apati of Ladbrokes said: “Remember Monday need nothing short of a miracle to cause an upset in Switzerland tonight, if the latest odds are anything to go by.”
Inspired by their friendship after they met at school in Hampshire, Remember Monday were the eighth performance this evening.
They will be up against the noted contenders Sweden, who are represented by Swedish-speaking Finnish trio Kaj with their entry Bara Bada Bastu, a comedic song about Nordic sauna culture, and who will break Eurovision records if they win.
Ireland, whose 2025 representative Emmy Kristiansen failed to get through in Thursday’s semi-final, and Sweden are currently on seven wins each after Swedish singer Loreen’s victory in Liverpool in 2023.
Other favourites this year are Austria‘s JJ (Johannes Pietsch) with the emotional song Wasted Love, and Israeli singer Yuval Raphael, who will see her country join Luxembourg, France, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom on five wins if she lifts the trophy with the ballad New Day Will Rise.
Also in the mix are Finnish leather-wearing Erika Vikman with the innuendo-laden German language song Ich Komme, France‘s Louane with the soulful Maman, and Dutch singer Claude Kiambe’s touching C’est La Vie.
There has also been buzz around host country Switzerland‘s Zoe Me with Voyage, Estonia’s Tommy Cash with Italian parody Espresso Macchiato, and Malta’s Miriana Conte, who changed her song’s title, Kant, due to a complaint about its similarity to an English language swearword, to Serving.
The winner will be determined by a combination of points from national juries and viewer votes in the participating 26 countries, along with a separate rest of the world poll.
The UK’s national jury votes are set to be announced by singer Sophie Ellis-Bextor, after Doctor Who actor Ncuti Gatwa pulled out of being the British Eurovision spokesperson due to “unforeseen circumstances”.
The grand final will also see previous Eurovision runners-up Croatia‘s Baby Lasagna and Finland‘s Kaarija perform, as well as 2024 champion and Swiss singer Nemo with their new song Unexplainable.
There has also been speculation that Canadian singer Celine Dion, who won for the Swiss in 1988 with Ne Partez Pas Sans Moi, could take to the St Jakobshalle stage, amid her stepping back from touring due to health issues.
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