How difficult can it be to get from departure point A (Southport), to destination B (Vienna). Erm, well extremely, as it happens! Prior to departure I had a frustrating Sunday afternoon trying to check-in online via the Brussels Airlines website. I cannot recommend their user interface! After a little bit of user error on my part I successfully managed to check-in for my connecting flight from Manchester to Brussels. Sorted. However, could I then book to get from Brussels to Vienna \u2013 no! Arriving at Manchester airport yesterday the problem was solved \u2013 I got the boarding card for Brussels to Vienna at regular check-in desk \u2013 simples! I thought that was me done with worrying about travel arrangements for the day. Erm, no!<\/p>\n
I then had to get through Brussels Airport to my connecting flight. International connecting flights are usually quite straightforward to navigate, aren\u2019t they. Erm, no \u2013 not here. With a window of just over 70 minutes to get from the plane to the gate there was a rather long wait for the bus taking us from the plane to the terminal, and then I was greeted by one of those queues that you see when you go to amusement parks like Alton Towers. You know the drill: you turn the corner expecting to see the Oblivion ride, for example, only to be faced with hundreds of people standing as far as the eye can see in front of you. Not what you need when you have such a short transfer window!<\/p>\n
Many people, myself included, were slightly bemused when staff wearing \u2018Happy To Help\u2019 t-shirts told us that there was no queue jumping allowed, even if you have a 70 minute transfer window. Absolutely shocking! Well, you might have guessed how it played out \u2013 and yup, it doesn\u2019t end well. Eventually made it to the gate \u2013 but too late.<\/p>\n
This is a first for me \u2013 I have never missed a flight before. I\u2019d probably be feeling a little more chilled about that but I was meeting my good friend Professor Brian Singleton at Vienna airport to catch our taxi to the hotel. It was also the plan for us to get to the arena for the first dress rehearsal of the first semi-final. Well, that didn\u2019t happen! A five-hour layover in Brussels airport, saw me will eventually get me into Vienna about 5.30pm local time.<\/p>\n
The hotel is comfy and I have a balcony! We are not staying in the centre of Austria, rather on the outskirts and quite near to the arena \u2013 which will be a bonus on the three evenings this week we will be there. Getting into the city is easy thanks to great subway links. We did venture out last night for dinner, which we had near to the Cathedral.<\/p>\n
So, a long day for me yesterday, and unfortunately my friends, I have no pics from the arena and the first dress rehearsal. What I have done is to review the runners and riders for the first semi-final, which you can watch tonight (Tuesday) on BBC3 at 8pm.<\/p>\n
01 Moldova<\/strong><\/p>\n As I said during my panel at the recent 60th<\/sup> Anniversary Conference for Eurovision held at Bafta a few weeks back, familiarity breeds popularity. We warm to some songs more quickly than others because we\u2019ve heard it before, even though we haven\u2019t (if you see what I mean!). This means that, once again this year, there are songs that have a whiff of other well known songs. For some it will be a bonus, but for others it might be a case of \u2018heard it all before, don\u2019t want to hear it again\u2019 (you might remember the German entry from 2013, \u201cGlorious\u201d sounded a bit too similar to the previous winning song in 2012, \u201cEuphoria\u201d \u2013 it sank without a trace).<\/p>\n You will find our first song of 2015 rather familiar. Think Liberty X and their song \u201cJust A Little\u201d, and you\u2019ll be bob on. It\u2019s an up-tempo song, not a bad start.<\/p>\n 02 Armenia<\/strong><\/p>\n Armenia had a top five finish last year, and they might have been hoping to repeat that success in 2015. I can\u2019t see it happening. In fact, I think it\u2019s a hot mess! Nice idea to bring the six singers together from five different continents, but I just can\u2019t warm to the track. Like a few songs this year, it\u2019s a bit of a mash-up of different styles. Sadly it doesn\u2019t work for me.<\/p>\n 03 Belgium<\/strong><\/p>\n Ok, bad experience in Belgium\u2019s main airport today, but that said, this is a really good song. You will like the quirky performance style of our man Lo\u00efc Nottet, but the song is catchy and should do well for Belgium. I think it sounds a bit like Lorde\u2019s \u201cRoyals\u201d. One of the more contemporary songs on offer this year, and it should get to the final.<\/p>\n 04 The Netherlands<\/strong><\/p>\n I\u2019ll have a consonant, consonant, vowel, consonant, consonant, consonant, consonant, vowel, consonant \u2013 please. And that should give us the name of our Dutch singer, Trijntje! She\u2019s singing a laid-back mid-tempo song, with a few \u2018new country\u2019 shades in the mix. It\u2019s an easy listen, and catchy \u2013 partly because of the repeated lyric \u201cwhy-why-i-i-i, why-i-i-I\u201d. I hope it gets though. After a runners-up result last year with the fabulous Common Linnets, it would be good to see The Netherlands consolidate their good run of the past couple of years.<\/p>\n 05 Finland<\/strong><\/p>\n This probably what you might consider an anti-Eurovision song. Finland has gone a bit punk on us, and with a track that doesn\u2019t make ninety seconds. For some the fact that the bands are a group of musicians with down\u2019s syndrome is a bit of interest. The betting odds say it\u2019ll get though \u2013 I\u2019m not so sure.<\/p>\n 06 Greece<\/strong><\/p>\n This is the fist time that Greece have sent a ballad to the contest since 2006. Ordinarily they have been a shoe-in to make it to the final. I think this is a tricky year for them, as there are much better ballads in the mix, and essentially in light of a pretty bland song, Maria might just be seen as another pretty singer in another pretty frock. Mind you, if it has a wind machine\u2026<\/p>\n 07 Estonia<\/strong><\/p>\n Seven songs in and we get our first real contender to win the ESC this year. Whilst there are eight couples\/duets in the contest this year, this is one of the top three (with Lithuania and Norway being the other two). A good double-hander from Elina and Stig will see them sail through to the final. It\u2019s one of my top five of the year, probably top three.<\/p>\n 08 Macedonia<\/strong><\/p>\n Our first slightly ethnic entry of the year \u2013 and it finds Macedonia on familiar ground, onto which \u201cAutumn Leaves\u201d are falling. I like it, and think it will get to the final- nothing else sounds like it in this semi, so that will help. Although I hear from Brian that the song has had a remix and so I might have to rethink.<\/p>\n 09 Serbia<\/strong><\/p>\n Bojana\u2019s song has one of the more \u2018heal the world\u2019 sentiments from the crop of songs this year \u2013 Russia will be on similar ground later in this semi-final. This song is all about beauty coming from inside, and all that jazz. It\u2019s kinda inspirational and uplifting lyrics might chime with some, but the track is another mash-up of styles and it builds oddly for me. Serbia sat the contest out last year, and failed to qualify in 2013. Not sure that they will again this year. But if the sentiment connects, then it might.<\/p>\n