If you were watching the opening sequence on Tuesday evening, doesn\u2019t it look rather like the Globe arena is being annihilated by an alien invasion? \ud83d\ude00 It\u2019s the same sequence tonight, but with a different opening routine, the sylings of which are suitably schlager-tastic and Busby Barclay-esque. Lot\u2019s of fun, with a witty musical take on what the ESC is all about.<\/p>\n
This is clearly aimed at the American television audience, as for the first time the contest is being screened live in the USA. What they will make of it all is anyone\u2019s guess! The musical number suggests \u201cmusic is a language that we all know how to speak\u201d<\/em>. I\u2019m sure that the music tastes of our pan-European participants will perplex the American audience\u2026<\/p>\n 01: Latvia<\/strong><\/p>\n David Tennant\u2019s younger brother does a great job opening the second semi-final. Since the national final Justs has worked on his moves, and the vocal is still strong. It got a great reaction from the young audience watching the family final in the Globe arena this (Thursday) afternoon. Should make it to the final.<\/p>\n 02: Poland<\/strong><\/p>\n There are two big ballads from men in this semi-final. First up is Poland\u2019s Micha?. His vocal is on point, his hair well set, and so as long as he doesn\u2019t get counted out by the Israeli entry, this should get through.<\/p>\n 03: Switzerland<\/strong><\/p>\n Rykka looks like she\u2019s on fire at the start of this performance, as smoke emanates from her dress. It\u2019s all a bit disconcerting really. It\u2019s just about the only thing that\u2019s smoking about the performance. Taxi for Switzerland\u2026<\/p>\n 04: Isreal<\/strong><\/p>\n As I said on the blog before I arrived in Stockholm, I think Hovi Star has the best male vocal in the contest. The song connects with the audience, but is another entry with slightly distracting dancers. Not enough to distract from the voice and the song, going through I hope.<\/p>\n 05: Belarus<\/strong><\/p>\n Well, as you may remember, Ivan had requested to perform naked with wolves. Fat chance? Well, surprisingly there is the illusion of just that! Another performance using the projection trickery\/illusion, all of which is well done. However, none of which seems to lift the song, for me.<\/p>\n 06: Serbia<\/strong><\/p>\n Not particularly on my radar before Stockholm, this comes together with an effective performance and strong vocal. Another well choreographed number, with Xena, sorry Sanja ably assisted by her warrior princesses. Should make it through.<\/p>\n 07: Ireland<\/strong><\/p>\n Nicky is ably assisted during his performance, with stereophonic vocals provided by the backing band. Aesthetically it all looks rather impressive, slick and polished. It makes the song feel more promising. Nicky\u2019s vocal is a little thin, but with the back-up of the band the performance is safe. Not sure it will get through, but the family audience just gave it a good cheer at the end.<\/p>\n 08: F.Y.R. Macedonia<\/strong><\/p>\n There\u2019s a slight danger that this might get cancelled out a bit by Serbia, but Kaliopi gives it some welly, and with the exception of the rather screeching final note it\u2019s a sound performance.<\/p>\n 09: Lithuania<\/strong><\/p>\n Like in 2012, Danny is channelling his inner Michael Jackson (shamone!<\/em>). The performance has smooth moves and vocals, with slightly questionable hair styling, and the bizarre introduction of a trampette! Lithuania have done well in the last few years, and their luck will probably continue tonight.<\/p>\n 10: Australia<\/strong><\/p>\n It\u2019s a strong song, and one of the best female vocals of the week, but the staging is a bit off for me. Sitting singer Dami Im on a big box for much of the song feels a bit lifeless. The emotion of the song feels like it needs a more physical performance. Going through for sure, but lacking the impact I had imagined.<\/p>\n 11: Slovenia<\/strong><\/p>\n Manuella\u2019s channelling of Taylor Swift prior to Sweden seems to have been diluted and replaced with too many distracting elements. Not the strongest of songs, it now looks and sounds a bit of a hot mess. Room in that taxi for Manuella, I\u2019d say.<\/p>\n 12: Bulgaria<\/strong><\/p>\n Still feels a bit vanilla for me. We have the first use of the self-illuminating costume of the contest. It didn\u2019t work for our Electro Velvet last year\u2026<\/p>\n 13: Denmark<\/strong><\/p>\n We might need to replace the taxi with a minibus\u2026<\/p>\n 14: Ukraine<\/strong><\/p>\n A passionate performance, great staging and a great vocal. Currently second favourite with the bookies. I\u2019m sure it will have done well with the juries when they voted last night. I think a top three finish on Saturday night for this song. I\u2019ve never been to Kiev\u2026<\/p>\n 15: Norway<\/strong><\/p>\n The best bit of the song is used on the voting recap, so it doesn\u2019t sound as disjointed. Agnete\u2019s ice-cool styling is great, but the swtich between two styles in the song still doesn’t work for me.<\/p>\n 16: Georgia<\/strong><\/p>\n This does stand out as a bit of a tonic in this semi-final. I might be losing my mind now, but I think it will get through. Look out for one of the Gallagher brothers on guitar\u2026<\/p>\n 17: Albania<\/strong><\/p>\n Dull staging, great frock. For Eneda, it may well be the end of the road.<\/p>\n 18: Belgium <\/strong><\/p>\n An upbeat end to the second semi-final. It gets a great reaction in the arena, and also a ripple of applause in the press centre. Just enough Bruno Marrs and Bonnie Langford (back in the day) to work. Youthful energy and up-tempo numbers are lacking in the competition this year, so this is a welcome conclusion to this semi-final.<\/p>\n Can you pick ten qualifiers for the final? To be honest, I\u2019m finding it difficult! Overall I think the standard of songs this year is weaker than in the recent past. I know that by the time the Grand Final arrives on Saturday night we will, most likely, have a cracking show, but at this point it\u2019s not feeling very inspiring. Good job that I am flying home on Friday night so I can watch the show on the telly.<\/p>\n So, it’s time to make your \u2018napkin of death\u2019 decisions. I will post ours on the comments at the bottom of this post. In the meantime, enjoy the show\u2026<\/p>\n Ding-a-dong, it\u2019s time for round two! \ud83d\ude00<\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" If you were watching the opening sequence on Tuesday evening, doesn\u2019t it look rather like the Globe arena is being annihilated by an alien invasion? \ud83d\ude00 It\u2019s the same sequence tonight, but with a different opening routine, the sylings of which are suitably schlager-tastic and Busby Barclay-esque. Lot\u2019s of fun, with a witty musical take […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":367,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1453","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\n