THE Eurovision Song Contest proved a winner for one Alton DJ, who actually put money on the Finnish group Lordi to win. Delta FM Rock Show presenter Chas Byrne decided to "risk all" and put a fiver to win on the heavy metal "monsters", despite the fact they were considered rank outsiders for the Eurovision title. "It was my first bet ever," said Chas, who couldn't believe his luck when it came up at 10-1. The local music man's hunch that Lordi may be onto a winner had grown from two interviews with the group - one face-to-face, the other over the phone. Chas had first met and interviewed Lordi at last year's Downland Festival. The monster-clad group were in the UK promoting their Monster Show album and Chas was keen to feature them on his Saturday night rock slot. Having heard in March that Lordi had been asked to represent Finland in the Eurovision Song Contest, Chas rang for a phone interview. Speaking from Helsinki, the boys told him they had decided to take up the challenge because it would be a good way of promoting their new album, The Arockalypse. No one was more surprised than they when they romped home in the Finnish qualifying contest by taking 42 per cent of the vote. In fact, in the first round they got more votes that the other 11 contestants put together. The dark side of the coin was the reaction they received from the public. According to Lordi, 50 per cent of Finnish people said they did not want "those devils" representing their country. But the national tune has dramatically changed. Despite being "in complete contrast to anything else on the bill", Lordi won the Eurovision contest in convincing style and the "monsters" returned home as heroes. "I can only think that they won because they were so different - compared to all those mini-skirted pop princesses, they were like a breath of fresh air," said Chas, who described the winning entry as "Alice Cooper inspired rock music, performed with technical flair and a great sense of theatre". Having decided on impulse to put money on the band to win, Chas spent last Saturday night's show with one eye on the live TV broadcast of the Eurovision final, and playing tracks from Lordi in the build-up to the final vote. "It was just amazing to watch it happening - it was such a departure from previous competitions. It will be really interesting to see what happens next year," said the local DJ who thinks that Lordi's "melodic rock" could generate a resurgence in rock music. When asked, during the March interview, if the band would be coming back to the UK in the near future, the answer from Lordi was "in a heartbeat" if they are invited. At the time, Chas jokingly replied: "When you've won the Eurovision Song Contest they'll be no stopping you". Little did he know. l Chas Byrne presents his three-hour Rock Show every Saturday from 9 pm to midnight on Delta FM.
