The UK's Eurovision entry this year says he's surprised the BBC chose his "completely wacky" song Eins, Zwei, Drei.

Experimental musician Look Mum No Computer, real name Sam Battle, is a self-professed Eurovision fan. Battle played in two major label recording acts, including indie band Zibra, before launching his solo career in 2016.

But he's possibly better known for a YouTube channel where he builds and plays unusual synthesisers, including organs made from toys such as Furbies and Game Boys, as well as a "synthesiser bicycle" and a combination of a keyboard and a flame thrower.

"It's pretty mad, but yeah, I'm excited," he says of taking part in the contest. "[I'm] working hard to do the best that I can do."

• Eins, Zwei, Drei is "delightfully, mesmerisingly bonkers", says our music correspondent Mark Savage - read his full interview with Battle here.

The UK may not (yet) be the favourite to win tonight, but these Eurovision fans in the home town of UK act Sam Battle AKA Look Mum No Computer have been showing him all the love.

The group spoke to the BBC at a watch party in Ramsgate and said Battle was their unanimous favourite to win.

Since they actually cannot vote for him, the group said their other peak performances so far had come from Cyprus, Finland and Norway.

"It's the energy, its the excitement, its the glamour... [it's] cheesy," said one punter, asked why she loves Eurovision.

"Everyone can enjoy it," said another.

Look Mum No Computer is now on stage - let's see if he can do them proud.

Mark Savage
Music correspondent, at the Eurovision Song Contest

Another gear shift, as we go from the spooky wildwood sounds of Lelék to the electro-madness of the UK’s Look Mum No Computer.

We’re dropped into a dreary office, where the cubicles are occupied by robotic man-machines, until our hero comes along and plugs them into… er, his synthesiser?!

It makes absolutely no sense but it’s gone down a storm at dress rehearsals, with Austrian audiences chanting the German-language chorus. The question is, what will voters at home think?

Greece's quirky club track gets the best reception so farpublished at 21:21 BST 16 May

21:21 BST 16 May

Mark Savage
Music correspondent, at the Eurovision Song Contest

With Croatia on stage, we're now half-way through the show. So, what have your highlights been?

Here in the media centre, Greece's quirky club track Ferto got the best reception, possibly due to the fact that their team has been handing out beanie hats to reporters all week.

Israel's Noam Bettan took to the stage with minimal heckling. I heard chants of "Noam, Noam, Noam," echoing around the arena, not to mention the sort of screams you typically hear on archive footage of the Beatles.

Delta Goodrem, meanwhile, was on fire. I've been impressed by her vocal performance all week - but it turns out she'd been holding back in rehearsals. That final high note gave me chills.

There were gasps during Czechia's performance as the video feed froze. If that affected the TV broadcast too, their contestant Daniel Zizka could be offered the chance to perform again.

And, finally, I've made no secret of the fact my favourite song this year is Dara's Bangarang. Her intricately-choreographed performance has already won the "artistic award" for best staging. I reckon it could make the top five later, too.

Mark Savage
Music correspondent, at the Eurovision Song Contest

Image source, AFP via Getty Images

A big change of pace, now, as we drink in the beautifully layered harmonies of Croatian five-piece Lelék.

Combining folk melodies with ominous, stalking basslines, it tells a story about the suppression of Christianity in the Ottoman empire, and the resistance of Catholic women, who’d tattoo themselves with religious symbols.

The band have stencilled those same symbols on their faces, delivering one of the night’s most chilling and powerful moments.

Greece, Ukraine, Australia, Serbia and Malta have all graced the stage.

High notes, high energy and an actual "Eclipse", here's a run down of more of tonight's performances.

Image source, HANNIBAL HANSCHKE/EPA/Shutterstock

Image source, AFP via Getty Images

Image source, AFP via Getty Images

Image source, AFP via Getty Images

Image source, AFP via Getty Images

Mark Savage
Music correspondent, at the Eurovision Song Contest

Right, pay attention, folks. This is unashamedly my favourite performance of the night.

27-year-old Dara is a force of nature, jerking around the stage like a woman possessed during her club banger Bangaranga – which means “uproar”.

It’s big and loud and unapologetically fun, but it also addresses Dara’s commitment to overcoming anxiety and ADHD, which she was diagnosed with last year.

On stage, she’s flanked by dancers scaring away evil spirits, in the ancient Bulgairian tradition of Kukeri.

But honestly, you don’t have to do anything deeper than enjoy the mania. Superb.

Image source, AFP via Getty Images

Mark Savage
Music correspondent, at the Eurovision Song Contest

Image source, AFP via Getty Images

One of this year’s youngest competitors, Czechia's Daniel Zizka performs in a hall of mirrors – reflecting (ha!) the theme of his song, which is all about the difficulty of making decisions in an era of information overload.

An earnest indie-pop song, it stands out for its refusal to adhere to Eurovision tropes. Daniel, who wrote the song on a trip to Japan, says that’s entirely on purpose.

“I made a rule for myself that I wouldn’t write ‘a Eurovision song’,” he told Radio Prague.

“I told myself I would make the song exactly the way I would if I were putting it on my own EP.”

Well this is dedication!

Chris is Eurovision-ready, and sent us their brand-new, sparkling "disco-heart tattoo", with "absolutely no intention of watching quietly. Douze points!"

Image source, Chris/BBC

Mark Savage
Music correspondent, at the Eurovision Song Contest

Image source, Reuters

A soppy Mediterranean ballad, Bella is the song your summer fling serenades you with the night before you catch your flight home.

In this case, it’s performed by Aidan – a pretty big deal back home in Malta – who performs in the centre of a gazebo, as a pretty girl dances around him on the video screens.

If you find yourself thinking of Rolf and Liesl singing Sixteen Going On Seventeen in The Sound Of Music, you wouldn’t be the only one.

Emma Saunders
Culture reporter

Image source, Getty Images

We've just heard from Australia's act, Delta Goodrem, but given the country is not in Europe what happens if she wins?

Australia has been taking part in Eurovision since 2015. Organisers issued a one-off invitation as part of the contest's 60th anniversary celebrations but the country has been represented every year since (no complaints from us!)

The contest is hugely popular in Oz.

This year's Australian entrant, former soap star Delta Goodrem, is now one of the favourites to win, having put in a barnstorming performance during Thursday's semi-final (the Beyoncé-style podium might have also helped).

Of course, the winners of Eurovision usually host the contest the following year. But what happens if Australia does triumph? Will the whole of Europe have to decamp down under?

Sadly, that isn't on the cards. Eurovision says Australia would nominate a European country to hold the contest on its behalf.

Find out where the BBC's Pete Allison thinks it may end up, should Delta do the biz.

Mark Savage
Music correspondent, at the Eurovision Song Contest

Image source, AFP via Getty Images

From the sublime to the sinister – here’s Serbian metal band Lavina to give your dog a fright.

They’re performing Kraj Mene (“Next To Me”), a story of one-sided love that ends with a blood-curdling exorcism from singer Luka Aranđelović.

Helen Bushby
Culture reporter

Each year we raise a glass and remember the late broadcasting legend, Sir Terry Wogan, who of course was the BBC's Eurovision commentator for nearly 40 years.

And why during song nine? When Graham Norton took over the show's commentary in 2009, he said Sir Terry advised him to have a drink early on in the show, and he settled on song nine. So now you know.

We are of course sipping non-alcoholic drinks, although we do have some very good party snacks.

Cheers, Sir Terry!

Up next, it's Serbia.

Mark Savage
Music correspondent, at the Eurovision Song Contest

Towards the end of Australia's Delta Goodrem’s performance, she stands on top of her piano and a platform shoots her into the sky.

"I've stood on a lot of pianos. I've played a lot of pianos, and I've jumped on a lot of pianos. But I was so excited because I've never been lifted out of a piano," she said during the week.

But eagle-eyed viewers have spotted that the platform looks a lot like one Beyoncé used in Dubai back in January 2023. So at a press conference earlier this week, an enterprising reporter asked her where it came from.

"Look, where ever it came from, it actually did get flown in. But I can't remember where it is from," she obfuscated.

So we put the same question to Eurovision stage designer Florian Wieder, whose former clients include Queen Bey herself.

"It was flown in from the US," he confirmed, "so it’s got to be possible".

Denmark, Germany, Israel, Belgium and Albania were the first five countries to perform tonight, with the singers from each country putting on dramatic spectacles.

Here's a look at some of the best images:

Image source, AFP via Getty Images

Image source, AFP via Getty Images

Image source, AFP via Getty Images

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Image source, AFP via Getty Images

Mark Savage
Music correspondent, at the Eurovision Song Contest

Image source, AFP via Getty Images

Listening to Australian star Delta Goodrem perform, it's hard to believe that, eight years ago, she had to relearn how to talk and sing.

The musician – one of Australia’s biggest-selling female artists – was left with a paralysed tongue after surgery to remove her salivary gland.

She later said she was "super embarrassed" by the length of her rehabilitation. “It gets really tiring trying to get your brain to talk to your tongue,” she said.

But here she is at Eurovision, where her odds of winning have been slashed after a powerful semi-final performance of her power ballad, Eclipse.

“Delta for the win,” shouted one fan during Friday’s dress rehearsal. I wouldn’t count her out.

Well done to young fan Matilda, aged 10, who's made her own scoring sheet with flag designs. What an eye for detail she has - she's even written the countries' names in colours relating to their flags.

Ashley tells us Matilda has also included her own judging categories, including outfit and Eurovision craziness! We're going to see plenty of that tonight...

Let us know who wins on your scorecard Matilda!

Image source, Ashley

Mark Savage
Music correspondent, at the Eurovision Song Contest

Ukraine is one of the most consistent countries at Eurovision. Since joining in 2003, they’ve qualified from the semi-finals every year, earning a top 10 place at 70% of the finals, and won three times.

This year they’re represented by Victoria Leleka, whose song Ridnym carries a dual meaning.

It’s about surviving her own mental health struggles, while acting as a message of resilience to Ukraine’s citizens as they endure a fourth year of war.

Subtle and beautiful, it also features the longest sustained note in Eurovision history – a lung-busting 30 seconds.

Image source, AFP via Getty Images

Mark Savage
Music correspondent, at the Eurovision Song Contest

Image source, AFP via Getty Images

Under Eurovision rules, songs can last a maximum of three minutes - so you’ll be amazed at how much stuff Akylas crams into his 180 seconds on stage.

Prepare yourself for Greek statues, a fireman’s pole, video game graphics, dozens of pyrotechnics, a bank vault, a knitting grandmother, a scooter and our hero Akylas performing inside what appears to be a giant Pringles tube.

It’s a lot to take in… but the maximalism hides a sweet message about working hard to pull your parents out of poverty. Buckle up!

Mark Savage
Music correspondent, at the Eurovision Song Contest

Image source, AFP via Getty Images

There's a personal story behind Alis’s stirring ballad, Nân, which tells the story of a mother standing on the doorstep, waiting for her child to return home.

It's a familiar story in Albania where, since the fall of communism in 1991, about 40% of the population has emigrated.

On stage, Alis’s mother is played by the renowned actress Rajmonda Bulku, who gives the song an extra emotional heft.