Did Agnetha, Björn, Benny and Anni-Frid quietly fettle their Volvos in between rehearsals of Waterloo? Probably not. But the UK’s 2026 Eurovision Song Contest entry is a car guy through and through, who’s been busily building Austin 7s, classic Minis and a brace of Rolls-Royce Meteor engines ahead of the May contest.
Sam Battle, known as Look Mum No Computer, will be performing his song Eins, Zwei, Drei on the homemade synthesisers that have become his trademark on stage and on his social media channels.
But in the car community he’s just as well known for his eccentrically in-your-face videos of classic car restoration and modification. Over the last two years, he’s fully restored a Mini and fitted it with a supercharger, while a second classic Mini acts as his everyday transport – with occasionally unfortunate consequences, such as when it broke down on the way to filming the video for Eins, Zwei, Drei at Pinewood Studios. His hands were so dirty by the time he made it to the studio that the horrified film crew immediately called up a manicurist.
The Mini adventures prompted a move into Austin 7s, one of which he’s building into a special, even machining his own cylinder head using a tired milling machine bought on Facebook marketplace. But his next challenge is to fire up the first of two Rolls-Royce Meteor tank engines bought for just £2000.
Alongside all this, Sam has created the This Museum Is (Not) Obsolete collection in his home town of Ramsgate on the UK’s south-east coast to publicly showcase some of his many artefacts and creations and collections. These range from a working vintage telephone exchange and a 100-year-old church organ restored by Sam to his famous Furby organ and synthesiser-equipped Raleigh Chopper bicycle. He also holds the Guinness World Record for the world’s largest ‘drone synth’, which is capable of producing 1000 separate tones and is also housed at the museum.
So, if there was ever a year to vote for an act on Eurovision, this is probably the one. The Grand Final will air live on BBC iPlayer and BBC One on Saturday 16 May, with the Semi-Finals taking place on Tuesday 12 and Thursday 14 May.
And if you’re too late, you can nonetheless see Sam’s museum at www.this-museum-is-not-obsolete.com or search for Look Mum No Computer on social media. A full interview with Sam will appear in the issue 276 of Octane magazine, out in late April.
