Between 22 and 26 May the Eurovision Song Contest is held in Baku with no less then 19 out of 42 countries singing in their native tongue. This is the highest amount since years. Since abandoning the rule that countries have to sing in their native tongue the festival have been swarmed with artists that choose English as their performing language. Since the Helsinki edition of 2007 which featured only 10 of those songs the amount of countries returning to their own language has grown steadily. On our special feature page you find a list of all countries performing in their own language this year (including England and Ireland). And in this we're not counting countries that just have one word or sentence but at least one couplet and refrain (this eliminates Pasha Parfeny from Moldavia since the only local word in his song is the songtitle 'Lăutar'). We added the order in which they will perform plus some extra background info, a link to their website and a review of what we think of the song. And last but not least what we think their chances are of going to the finals at the 26th. Go to the article.

This is a rare opportunity for people living outside Hungary to catch one of the leading Hungarian pop and rock performers live. Ákos Kovács will be performing in Amsterdam and London. Loyal followers of our magazine know we have him high on our list of interesting Europopmusic artists. His last album 'A katona imája' got a four star review from us and even more worth your money is his 2006 album 'Még közelebb'. His latest single 'Elökelö idegen' is a return to the synthi sound he had when he started in the Eighties with Bonanza Banzai. We assume a new album is in the making. For the video check Youtube. On the 25th of May Ákos will perform at the Clapham Grand in London (click here for tickets), The next week, June 3, he will be at the Sugar factory in Amsterdam (click here for tickets). Then he returns to Hungary where he will perform at the Volt festival, Balaton sound and eventually Sziget.

We missed this but some weeks ago Enrique Sierra, guitarist of Radio Futura, died of his long lasting kidney disease. He died at the age of 54 on 17 February in Hospital Clínico San Carlos in Madrid. His punky look and guitar sound was fundamental to the group’s songs and image. The project that would become one of the most influential in Spanish rock was put into motion by the brothers Luis and Santiago Auserón at the end of the seventies. Sierra came over from Kaka de Luxe. After that band dissolved in 1978, Enrique came to Radio Futura to stay. The first time his distictive sound was prominent was on the single Escuela de calor from the album La ley del desierto/La ley del mar.  The sound evolved further on  De un país en llamas (From a Country in Flames) in 1985, La canción de Juan Perro (The Song of Juan Perro (or Dog)) in 1987. As the band’s turns widened, the tension within the band increased. Enrique Sierra’s health also suffered. Two decades ago, he had his first kidney transplant, and some time later he had a second. In the years as a solo artists Sierra diversified his artistic career. From music (with Klub a.o.) to digital paintings which still can be seen on his web site.

It has been years since Italian singer Alice delivered a studio album. Her last was almost ten years ago called 'Viaggio in italia'. So it's no wonder that we're getting e-mails if we know what she's been up to (and if she even is still alive). She still is and on april 21th she gave a concert in the Swiss city Bellinzona under the title ' L'armonia dei canti'. What we gathered is that recordings for a new album have been finished and is on the release schedule for this summer. Meanwhile a tour is going to be annouced for this autumn. There's also sad news since Angelo Carrara, who produced Alice's hit albums in the Eighties died last March. And if you can't wait for a new album, Alice lend her voice to a track of Italian band Babylonia taken from their album 'The ethereal collection'. The song "Io Sono Il Deserto" was written by Robbie Rox. A clip can be watched on Youtube.

Next year Dionysos will be 20 years and their long awaited animated film La Mecanique du coeur will appear, but first frontman Mathias Malzieu teaches us the Bird'n'Roll. It is not only the title and the title track from the new album, a dance and a custom concept. For behind the retro-cool rock song, here are often laced with frivolous harmonies and primitive rhythms, deeper soils are hidden. Through the Bird'n'roll Malzieu gives us an insight into his attitude to life: "My songs, my books, my pictures, all my stories actually function as trees. They sit with their roots firmly in the ground (read: reality), but their branches fanning out lustily to the birds, the clouds and the free world that lies beyond imagination. " Read the interview with Mathias.

RoBERT:
Nuit gravement
♪♪♪♪

Dionysos:
Bird 'n roll
♪♪♪

Dominique A:
Vers les lueurs
♪♪♪♪♪

Juliette Gréco
Ça se traverse et c'est beau♪♪♪♪

Lise Westzynthius:
Tæt på en kold favn
♪♪♪♪

MIA.:
Tacheles
♪♪♪♪