Mark J Wray
@markjwray.com
Writes about music and sometimes other stuff at markjwray.com
He/him
He/him
All of these tracks would have got my vote had they been in almost any of the other matches today.
January 13, 2026 at 8:52 PM
All of these tracks would have got my vote had they been in almost any of the other matches today.
Didn’t particularly like any of these to be honest, although I’ve liked other stuff by all of the artists.
Went for Drugdealer, but really just as a least worst option.
Went for Drugdealer, but really just as a least worst option.
January 13, 2026 at 8:50 PM
Didn’t particularly like any of these to be honest, although I’ve liked other stuff by all of the artists.
Went for Drugdealer, but really just as a least worst option.
Went for Drugdealer, but really just as a least worst option.
Broken By The Scream really should not work, a load of very different songs and indeed genres (most of which I don’t usually like) shoddily bolted together.
I enjoyed it very much and immediately wanted to listen to it again, so gets my vote.
I enjoyed it very much and immediately wanted to listen to it again, so gets my vote.
January 13, 2026 at 4:07 PM
Broken By The Scream really should not work, a load of very different songs and indeed genres (most of which I don’t usually like) shoddily bolted together.
I enjoyed it very much and immediately wanted to listen to it again, so gets my vote.
I enjoyed it very much and immediately wanted to listen to it again, so gets my vote.
Sudan Archives my favourite song of the tournament so far. It has my vote, my bonus, and my unyielding support (until it gets knocked out by Lola Young and Rosalia)
January 13, 2026 at 4:02 PM
Sudan Archives my favourite song of the tournament so far. It has my vote, my bonus, and my unyielding support (until it gets knocked out by Lola Young and Rosalia)
Not a great day for my picks
January 13, 2026 at 3:49 PM
Not a great day for my picks
If I didn’t already know and love the song, “disintegration loops but a bop” would definitely have sold me on it
January 13, 2026 at 2:43 PM
If I didn’t already know and love the song, “disintegration loops but a bop” would definitely have sold me on it
I am going to submit an advance list, but unlikely to be before the last week in Jan I’m afraid
January 13, 2026 at 10:31 AM
I am going to submit an advance list, but unlikely to be before the last week in Jan I’m afraid
One of my favourite episodes, as they were absolutely not a band I knew much about or appreciated the importance of before that point.
January 11, 2026 at 5:33 PM
One of my favourite episodes, as they were absolutely not a band I knew much about or appreciated the importance of before that point.
It’s up there with Jamie Oliver as my favourite, but it certainly seems I’m in the minority
January 10, 2026 at 11:53 AM
It’s up there with Jamie Oliver as my favourite, but it certainly seems I’m in the minority
Disappointed but not surprised that CMAT was eliminated (the comments made it very clear that other people didn’t rate it as much as me)
Glad it got a respectable amount of votes at least
Glad it got a respectable amount of votes at least
January 10, 2026 at 10:49 AM
Disappointed but not surprised that CMAT was eliminated (the comments made it very clear that other people didn’t rate it as much as me)
Glad it got a respectable amount of votes at least
Glad it got a respectable amount of votes at least
Starting to feel like we may have voted for exactly the same tracks in all the groups today
January 9, 2026 at 5:15 PM
Starting to feel like we may have voted for exactly the same tracks in all the groups today
Agree, it’s excellent and also got my vote
January 9, 2026 at 5:12 PM
Agree, it’s excellent and also got my vote
Hoping for Illegal to be a big contender in not just the group but the tournament as a whole
January 9, 2026 at 4:39 PM
Hoping for Illegal to be a big contender in not just the group but the tournament as a whole
As a fellow Leeds person, I want to like Emma-Jean Thackray, but alas I do not. Sherelle the winner by a distance for me.
January 8, 2026 at 4:41 PM
As a fellow Leeds person, I want to like Emma-Jean Thackray, but alas I do not. Sherelle the winner by a distance for me.
I made exactly the same choice as you in the end, but liked both the other tracks in the group as well.
January 8, 2026 at 4:38 PM
I made exactly the same choice as you in the end, but liked both the other tracks in the group as well.
Didn’t expect to be voting for Nelly Furtado in 2025, but there we go
January 8, 2026 at 4:37 PM
Didn’t expect to be voting for Nelly Furtado in 2025, but there we go
Hard to choose between Big Thief and Pussy Palace, but will be voting for Lily Allen later in the poll I’m sure, so went with the former.
Ophelia has grown on me, but only a bit, and the Simz track is one of the rare ones I don’t particularly like.
Ophelia has grown on me, but only a bit, and the Simz track is one of the rare ones I don’t particularly like.
January 8, 2026 at 4:37 PM
Hard to choose between Big Thief and Pussy Palace, but will be voting for Lily Allen later in the poll I’m sure, so went with the former.
Ophelia has grown on me, but only a bit, and the Simz track is one of the rare ones I don’t particularly like.
Ophelia has grown on me, but only a bit, and the Simz track is one of the rare ones I don’t particularly like.