Portsmouth samba drum band Batala over the moon with 'last minute' surprise invitation by Sam Ryder to perform his Eurovision hit 'Spaceman' at Victorious Festival

EUROVISION superstar Sam Ryder surprised a Portsmouth drum band with a last minute request to join him on stage at Victorious Festival to perform his hit ‘Spaceman’ – leaving the band’s members over-the-moon with the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
Richard Lemmer
By Richard Lemmer
Published 28th Aug 2022, 16:48 BST
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Sam Ryder invited Portsmouth’s Batala samba drum band to perform his Eurovision hit ‘Spaceman’ on the main stage - as a completely last minute decision.

Singer Sam took second place in the UK singles chart earlier this year after he claimed the runner-up spot at the Eurovision Song Contest 2022, missing out on the top spot to Ukrainian band Kalush Orchestra.

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Nell Ravenscroft, who runs the Meon Stoke village shop when she’s not drumming, said: ‘We did something with him for a TV interview this morning. They just asked for us to play for a few minutes after the interview. And he said, ‘do you want to be on stage with me?’ He was amazing. A big thank you to him for the experience. It’s the biggest crowd I have played to. Seeing that sea of faces – it was amazing.’

Nell Ravenscroft said she was thrilled with the last-minute opportunity to perform alongside Eurovision superstar Sam Ryder on the main stage of this year's Victorious Festival.Nell Ravenscroft said she was thrilled with the last-minute opportunity to perform alongside Eurovision superstar Sam Ryder on the main stage of this year's Victorious Festival.
Nell Ravenscroft said she was thrilled with the last-minute opportunity to perform alongside Eurovision superstar Sam Ryder on the main stage of this year's Victorious Festival.
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Hampshire based Batala Portsmouth are a samba-reggae percussion band playing authentic afro brazilian samba-reggae music.

Founded in 2001 by Paulo Garcia, a visiting Brazilian student, Batala Portsmouth has entertained many events over twenty years all over the south of England and currently has a membership of 80 dedicated drummers.

Rehearsing in Portsmouth, the group has performed at a wide range of events, including, Her Majesty The Queen's Platinum Jubilee Pageant, the Isle of Wight Festival, Bestival, Victorious Festival, Goodwood Members' Meetings, Boomtown Festival, The Great South Run and many more.

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