Music industry legend Pete Waterman said Liverpool’s amazing atmosphere makes it a great place to host Eurovision.
Pete is renowned for his work on a multitude of number one hits from stars such as Kylie Minogue, Steps and Rick Astley. However, the Coventry-born DJ is well known in Liverpool, having presented a show on Radio City and covering Merseyside nightclubs on the popular ITV show The Hitman and Her.
Pete is no stranger to Eurovision either. He has penned entries for several Eurovision songs, albeit with mixed results. Speaking to the ECHO on board a train packed with hundreds of Eurovision fanatics, Pete said: "I finished last but once, and last but twice. I never got nil pois though, that’s my claim to fame!”
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Pete was also a spectator in 1974 when Brighton hosted Eurovision, a year which saw ABBA win the contest and set them up for a lifetime of hits. He knew members Björn Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson from his DJ days in Sweden, but even he was surprised with their performance.
Pete said: “It still shocked me when they walked out and did Waterloo. The reaction was phenomenal and they romped it. The audience in Brighton went crazy.”
Now living near Runcorn, Pete is delighted that one of his favourite places is hosting Eurovision. He said: “In the past week I’ve been about in the city and the atmosphere is amazing. There’s no other city where I’ll walk down the street and people will shout, ‘how are you Pete?’ Everyone knows me from The Hitman and Her and Radio City.”
He added: “I spent 10 years working at Radio City and I loved every minute of it. I’d still be there if I could. I love the city. I’ve just done a Channel 4 documentary about the overhead railway. It’s an amazing city.”
Pete also argued that the song contest's atmosphere has changed for the better over the years. Referring to Eurovision partygoers on the train dressing up and signing, he said: “I remember Eurovision when it wasn’t like this, you didn’t get that engagement. People used to dress up in dinner suits."
He added: “It’s better now. Everyone can join in and have fun."
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