Monty: A Bear With A Sore Head

Uuuff! I am a bear with a sore head this morning. OK, this afternoon. There are times during Eurovision week that even for a hardened pro like myself you need a night off. Last night was one of those. I was hanging and ready for bed at at 11 o'clock. Then all of a sudden what happens? Well the OGAE International fan club network only go and throw the best bloody party of the week!

It started gently: we sat and watched the first rehearsal from the press centre and then Rosé and I were joined by the lovely Konstantin (DJ Ohrmeister), the lovely Paddy O'Connell (always up for a bit of mischief) and our friend Betty from Israel (celebrating her first ever Eurovision) to head to the Eurovision Village where the Big 5 were performing. Somehow we managed to bag prime spots in the overlooking bar, essentially giving us the equivalent of a VIP viewing platform at some gig or other event but with whopping great beers to boot. It was a superb show, giving locals with no accreditation the opportunity to see some of the big names in this year's Contest for free. Huge kudos to the Big 5 broadcasters for doing this. Bonnie received an enormous round of applause and chants of Bonnie! Bonnie!  However we did speak to a very excited local lady called Ingrid afterwards who said she could barely believe someone of Bonnie's standing was doing Eurovision, but that she'd still be voting for Denmark. Well, that's the last time you get in a photo with us, missy!

There were loads of friends and new people around to chat to so we ended up having quite a few scoops of the local brew then decided to show our faces at the OGAE party, especially as we'd heard t would feature a number of artists. When I arrived I had to take a  few minutes out to recline on a Loius XIV style chaise and gather myself, promising to leave once the acts had been on and get some much-needed shut-eye. Famous last words....

We were treated to performances by Russia, Belgium, Montenegro (still happy despite not qualifying), Sweden (doing an acoustic version of his song), Albania (direkt from the rehearsal) and best of all those lovely Greek boys. So, let's just finish that beer and head home. Oh, but before I do I'll just pop into the garden for a breath of fresh air...

Well, what do I find? A whole new party going on outside with almost everyone I know! And it was kicking! What a treat! Of course, I got a second wind quicker than you could say gale force 9 and after throwing some particularly innovative shapes on the various podia dotted around the outside area before I knew it it was 4 bloody AM. What an AMAZING party, and huge thanks to all involved in organising it and getting all of us, and so many acts, in, not to mention discounting the drinks. It's enormously appreciated.

Thus I am a tad on the delicate side today, stirring only when our hotel fire alarm went off to realise I was so sleepy I'd just have to burn to a crisp in my bed. (Health and safety tip, dear reader, this is not an advisable strategy in an emergency, but the ensuing lack of synchronised screaming by a gazillion fellow Eurovision queens leading a stampede from their adjacent rooms and the relatively quick silencing of the klaxon indicated I was probably safe).  But uuff! It's going to be a long day....

Monty x