[LMBTO] Eurovision 2nd Rehearsals - SF1 Movers and Groovers...

Here was one of the standouts during the first rehearsal runthrough - the indomitable force that is Naviband on their hovership, giving their all as usual and giving us one of the best first rehearsals of both SFs.  They seem to have their staging and act moreorless all sorted, as do several others (mainly those that are using their NF staging scaled up for Kyiv) but the big question was going to be whether those who struggled would catch up?  Onto the second rehearsals and Eurovision.tv went for the short clips again but as a first for the EBU, we got to see what would be shown at the live shows via the EBU's internal feed, the stuff that will be shown on tv.  Now that will give us a very good idea of how these artists will look and sound to the 200m viewers around the world - it is always noticeable that the sound quality differs greatly in the hall itself.

So having said all that, on with the near perfect shows - hopefully!  Short clip for each first, then a full length video to get the overall picture - I'm even going to put out there my predictions of whether these acts are likely to qualify or not, comparing that to my pre-Kyiv rankings...


Sweden



If it wasn't for the size of the stage and the fact there is a couple of different guys on those treadmills, this could be Melodifestivalen 'Groundhog Day!' The look, the camera angles, the mood, the vocals, the charisma of all on stage, it is all there and the moves on the moving conveyor belts have been tightened to within an inch of their lives!  We didn't get to see the off-stage intro properly but this full length video gives an impression of what is going to happen:



I didn't realise until now that the four guys jump off and rotate their positions too!  Now you know I love my visual gimmicks and I still think that this routine sets the bar massively high for the other 17 acts to follow in SF1.  Every viewer will be wowed by this slickness and smoothness that is so part and parcel of the YouTube age and I still believe that this is one of the ones to beat this year.  My predictions compared to ranking?  Much the same - still up there in my overall top 5 or 6...


I still think that this could be Sweden's seventh winner, if things go Robin's way...


Georgia



We're back with Tamara and her big hair and unfortunately that is the major talking point about this entry.  The political backdrop used at the Georgian NF was never going to make it here and its replacement is very red and white, nicely linked to the nation's colours but this entry now looks more and more like filler, a traditional number two slot, designed to be different to the lead song but no more than that.  Nice figure in silhouette though, judging by this full video:



Tamara has a great voice but this will all be soon forgotten - to be honest, there was probably little that could be done with the staging apart from put her out there stage centre and let her sing her heart out, which she does.  My thoughts on Georgia's chances?


At least she'll go home knowing that she did herself justice vocally...


Australia



Now this is a definite improvement on his first go, in my eyes anyway.  Talking of eyes, I like the effect where Isaiah on stage appears to fly into Isaiah's eye on the back screen - nice touch.  As for the rest of the backdrop visuals, I am not so sure about the numerous copies of the artist running behind himself as they become quite distracting and detract a bit from what impresses me during this second rehearsal.  What is that, you ask?  His overall stage presence and connection with the camera, along with a damned fine vocal to boot.  I was never a fan before Kyiv but this full length rehearsal:



has actually turned my thoughts around and I think now that "Don't Come Easy" could actually do a lot better than I thought it would.  It is obvious that Isaiah has that television knowledge and ability to hit marks, spot the red lights etc and watching this makes me interested in this entry, makes me watch him spin on the rotating turntable on the stage, a very simple but damn good effect, something that allows him to act out the story.  He's also got his movements on point and his trip towards the camera at the end shows how much confidence this guy now has.  Forget the lyrics being written for someone twenty years older than he is, it doesn't matter any more as it is all about the show and his personality, which oozes out on buckets.  You can tell my thoughts have changed, can't you?


This still won't get to be runner-up or top 5 in the Final but a top ten is a distinct possibility now...


Albania



Now this will be a compare and contrast with Georgia - with hindsight I would have thought that these two entries would have been separated a bit more, just because it's two solo females belting out a power ballad.  I have always rated Lindita and "World" more than Tamara but based on the vocals during the second rehearsals, there's not as big a gap as before.  Lindita promised more acting this time and she delivered and it was obvious during the full version that some aspects of the official video were being used (flying ships, clocks etc):



For me, however, despite all of Lindita's passion and emotional delivery, this still lacks something that would make me want to vote for it. She is an amazing singer and proves she has a superb range with the thirty second 'note' towards the end but in the end this entry just goes through the motions.  I had really high hopes for this song when it won FiK as "BOTË" but I think that this Albanian entry is likely to go the same way as a lot of the others sent in the past.


Lose the Albanian language, lose the Albanian passion...


Belgium



I so wanted all the pundits to be wrong, the bookies to be fleeced of their money by those who still had the faith and for what is such a modern, contemporary song to do really well at Eurovision so that one-time viewers would think that the Contest had joined the 2010s and that music most people would put on their Spotify playlist could come from the Contest.  However, even I am losing the belief that Blanche could pull this off live on the Kyiv stage after watching just this 30 second snippet, where she looks so scared, so frightened, that if this was the equivalent of a boxing match and I was her Head Of Delegation, I would be 'throwing in the towel' now before she suffered any more damage (emotionally and psychologically).  She looks even more like a 'rabbit in the headlights' than Jüri Pootsmann did in 2016.  If this was the best bit of the rehearsal session to show on this format then the close-up of her throughout the full 3 minutes must be very traumatic to watch:



This long distance view highlights another issue - the fact that she has never been able to pick up any choreography and make it look natural.  The arm movements here are really not worth the effort - I personally would have had her just stay at the mic, hold the stand and sing.  Dressing her as though she's about to go to a prom is not a great look either when you consider the modern nature of the song.  Everything about this looks uncomfortable - Blanche, the rest of the staging which appears to be lots of searchlights (I suppose 'City Lights') - together with the vocals which fell apart towards the end.  If she looks as she does on the live shows and sings like that, my second place for Belgium this year will not be happening.  Based on the live performances to date, especially this one:


I still hope that this all clicks but I'm starting to think that this whole experience could kill her career off before it has even started...


Montenegro



Now it takes a lot of balls (yes, I used that word deliberately) to go up on that Eurovision stage alone, just you, relying on your vocals and your stage persona to grab the jurors and public's imaginations.  It takes also a lot of talent and visual interest as well - however, when you watch the EBU clip and the full version:



Did you see any of that?  Nope, me neither!  There was the hope of something resembling his official video being on stage, which at least would have been entertaining but this second rehearsal wasn't as good as that, this was laughable at best, utter codswallop at worst.  What is there in this that makes Montenegro even remotely votable?  It is as if Slavko had planned a 60 second routine and then got bored after that - the body length ponytail is a great visual gimmick but just wafting it around for half the act without anything else is not good enough.  The song itself being so euphemism ridden will put off a lot of voters in itself - the only redeeming feature is Slavko, as he does exude charm and charisma.  It is really not enough though.


Stick to 'Balkan ballads', Montenegro...


Finland



From a cobbled together disaster of a stage show to one that the artists have performed so frequently that they could do this in their sleep (maybe they do!).  I am not going to 'wax lyrical' as I always do when talking all things "Blackbird" but this IS the UMK staging, down to the lighting the outfits and, yes it's back:


This still makes me stop doing anything else and I have to watch, to listen, to absorb all the words, all of Leena's nuances, all of her emotional delivery, everything about Lasse's piano solo:


Spot on show yet again - no vocal flaws, no issues with how this looks, this is ready to go and I really hope I get to see this twice, maybe even three times in Kyiv.


You'll have to wait whilst I watch that performance again...


Azerbaijan



Which one was this?  The one with the 'suit' atop a stepladder with a horse head?  Oh, THAT one!  The bizarre staging aside which is no different to what we saw in the first rehearsal, the main thing I noticed this time around was the thumping synth bass and that she has a great live voice.  I can imagine bobbing my head if I was at her concert, the music is so hypnotic.  Dihaj is also eminently watchable - lots of acting in this piece, she holds the eye despite the obvious visual hooks elsewhere.


This whole spectacle reminds a bit of "Rhythm Inside" and how that was staged - this looks nothing like that, of course, but the interaction between artist and singers, together with the movements, the falling of the walls, even the crosses put on the back of the backing singers (you need a better white marker, Diana) really make me think "out there" and "avant garde".  This was a definite highlight for me and I shall look forward to seeing how this looks on tv.


Eurovision needs entries like this to shake up the status quo...


Portugal



Now here's the thing - I don't think that I can really say much about this entry at the moment for one simple but very big reason:


Fair play to Eurovision.tv for crediting Luísa Sobral as being the singer here, as she has put in huge amounts of effort on behalf of Portugal and her brother Salvador to get these rehearsals spot on, to set up the staging for him when he arrives in Kyiv this weekend.  In a way, this is a very nice reward for her as she wrote the song in the first place and she has been able to sing this on the Eurovision stage.  If she was the actual singer, I would be saying what a beautifully understated performance this was, how she has a lovely voice and she pitches this perfectly.  This was demonstrated even more so in the full version:



Will Salvador match this?  There was never going to be any complicated choreography with this one, a singer just standing there and emoting to the camera and crowd - simples!  I have to say that I really wish that she was singing this now, having watched these all the way through but that is not to be.  Portugal's entry is one that lots of fans love, possibly to the extent that this is a bit of a FW - I still think that it is too 'old school' and I've been watching this show since 1975!  The potential for great things is there though but that is dependant on how many older viewers want to vote for a taste of the past.


We're not going to get an idea of how this will REALLY look until next Tuesday, are we?


Greece



First thing to say - loving Demy's look now.  The wet look straight hair really goes well with the outfit and the front screen concept of water falling.  As for the rest of the staging, this has a nice backdrop but they are still going for that Health & Safety nightmare of that raised ramp, aren't they?


That doesn't turn your attention away from the slightly off notes during the top notes during this rehearsal though, quite off key at times which could cause a real problem for Greece, given that there are a lot of female solos in this SF and they sing their songs flawlessly.  Maybe Demy was having some technical problems as she appeared to be fiddling around with her in-ear monitor pack - let's hope so for Greece's sake.  The routine isn't that inspiring either - the two male dancers are watchable but that's really about it.


This Euroclub banger should really be doing better here - otherwise it will just be one for the Euro Cafe...


Poland



Now those of you who follow this blog will know that I have a special insight into this entry, partly because I interviewed Kasia in London and also partly through my interview with DWB Music director Greig Watts.  Kasia is an absolute delight and a very beautiful woman, one that can wear something as daring as the white outfit she had on during the second rehearsal:



I hope that she is securely tied in!  As for the entry itself, the staging is very simple - Kasia sings her heart out, her brother plays the violin in the background.  Lots of power and emotion in that voice and the stereotypical wind machine comes into its own here - the big question is whether there is a moment, something for this entry to hook the watching jurors and public on and I'm not sure that there is.  The song itself still seems to stay at the same level which isn't a bad thing in itself but sometimes a bit of light and shade would be nice.  The other doubts I have are with Kasia's look - I have found myself not concentrating on "Flashlight" the song but on her outfit, as far as wondering


as she finds a suitable place for her left arm to be.  It appears that she at times does not know what to do with it, where to place her free limb and that becomes distracting in itself.  This is competently sung by a great vocalist who looks amazing but I have this feeling that Kasia will be relying on the Polish diaspora to get her through to the Final, much in the same way as Monika Kuszyńska had to in Vienna.  That may be Kasia's trump card compared to Lindita and Tamara, her main competition with this style of song.


This will be a close one but I suspect the Polish people across Europe will carry "Flashlight" onto Saturday night...


Moldova



Oh yes, the second visual-heavy entry of SF1 (after Sweden) and this ticks all the boxes for me!  Just this 30 second segment makes me happy, the bridegrooms and brides all moving together superbly well, performing the Running Man and dancing in sync and perfectly between each other.  Lovely moves and they all look deliriously carefree - the full version shows that this will be one of the talking points of the first show in Kyiv:



Why?  Purely for the amount of staging and choreography in it, along with the return of "Epic Sax Guy".  You can guarantee that those three words will be spoken by every single commentator around Eurovision in attempt to show that they've done their research and they can link to one of the biggest internet phenomena ever.  The elegant change in the ladies costumes, from Ascot chic to brides on their big day, is seamlessly entertaining and adds to this visual show, possibly one of the best that there will be in Kyiv.  The song itself is not going to win any awards but that's not the point about "Hey Mamma!":


The backdrop of multiple images of the guys moving into the screen is a nice touch too (although they need to get lead singer and ESG in the right places) and there is even a Mannequin Challenge towards the end - apart from them all having an ice bucket each, there's not much they couldn't have included.

One to pick up the pace again and one that will stay in your brain right through past the recap...


Iceland



Respect due to Svala for having the chutzpah to go out on stage in that outfit!  We knew she'd have the wings (as she had those in her hand luggage that wasn't delayed on her flight) but we didn't know that she would have her platform wedges again and THAT jumpsuit.  When people say 'open to your navel', Svala said "how much?" This much:



She obvious loves it and it shows off that stunning chest tattoo, along with plenty of, ummm, side boob?  She is stunningly attractive and supremely confident, something that always shows on stage:



There is no doubt that viewers and jurors will remember this performance - instead of the full on aggressive Icelandic NF show, this has moved from that to the boxes labelled 'self-assured' and 'assertive'.  It is a softer vision but still puts across her message as she wants it portrayed - less 'sharp suited chav' and more softer lines, flowing material and superb connection with the camera.  This is more in line with the lyrical content but doesn't lose the musical synth edge that sticks in your head, so this makes for a far better show.  Being possibly the most experienced performer in Kyiv, Svala knows how to hit her marks, spot the camera and put on an act - she can even cope with those platform wedges that survived the trip from Söngvakeppnin 2017.


It will take a strong showing to be remembered after Moldova - this entry does that and more...


Czechia



Okay, so the shiny jumpsuit wasn't a joke then.  Still fully open to the waist, admittedly now with a bra that isn't as obvious, with only Svala going more daring - at least with Iceland being up immediately before Czechia, this look won't look as bizarre but it stills detracts from the song and Martina's singing in a big, big and very bad way:


Everyone's comments will be "what is she wearing?" and not commenting on one of the most beautifully sung entries this year in Kyiv.  Martina has even more distractions as the official video plays, containing all those semi naked people in underwear but now even bigger move behind her.


This is such a car crash as far as the staging is concerned - what this really needed was for Martina to be dressed in something smart and casual, as though she was just about to sing in a jazz club, sitting on a stool next to a piano with someone playing the music, with her getting up and moving around it.  That would be classic and maybe a little boring but the whole emphasis would be on Martina, her singing and this wonderful song.  As it is, the only question will be whether Martina will be up for the Barbara Dex award.


I'll still be playing the song after Kyiv but not the Eurovision performance...


Cyprus



In much the same way that Kasia is likely to get to the Final due her being Polish, Hovig is likely to get to the Final too purely on the basis of being Cypriot (Greece will give this 12x2) and also being of Armenian descent (ditto 24 from that nation).  48 points before you even start singing - not bad, eh?  If "Gravity" was anyone else's song and staging, this would be struggling to get to the Final - it is still plodding in pace, Hovig is still not a great artist as far as charismatic appeal is concerned and the actual staging (as far as I can see so far) is not that interesting, even in the full version:



The dance moves are very precise and intricate too - this could be a total disaster if any of the three on stage fall or slip, or even fail to catch him as he is pushed around.  I get the feeling that we don't have all the information here to make a full and frank judgement on how well "Gravity" will do in SF1 but given the nations that are there with it for voting purposes, I fully expect Cyprus to get to Saturday night, no matter how unimpressed I am with how this looks and sounds.


I don't take breaks whilst the competing songs are on but if I did...


Armenia



Nope, I still don't get it.  I still don't get the immense love for this entry by huge swathes of Eurovision fans and pundits - I admit that my views about Armenia's entry are clouded by my strongly held belief that Artsvik's vocal talents have been criminally wasted with "Fly With Me" and this performance does nothing to move me from that view:



Actually, I will back down slightly and recognise that the last 30 seconds does show me some of the 'old Artsvik', the 'Power Ballad Queen' that blew all comers away at Depi Evratesil but for the rest of this song?


She herself looks great and compared to the Armenian selection process, where she was always second best to Marta as far as acting and camera connection were concerned, Artsvik really puts on a personal show that I had not see her do before.  Judging from these two videos however, I am not impressed by anything else there - the two backing dancers are really irrelevant, especially when one can barely stay in one position for very long without falling over and their hand movements are minimal and seem to add very little to the show.  This is a song that drags for me and apart from the ethnic nature of the music, which Armenia always excel at, I would be more than happy to not hear this again in Kyiv.  I do have this feeling that there might be enough love for this for this to qualify though.


I really think that this could be the shock DNQ this year though...


Slovenia



The more I hear and see this entry, the more that I feel it has 'nailed on 18th place' written all over it.  I have even just played the above 30 seconds again and like most times, I have let it play and ignored it completely, realising that I have to replay it to watch it in order to comment on it!  That really sums up "On My Way" for me - for completeness, I have to subject myself to the full 180 seconds of horror:



I think it says everything that the highlights of the EBU video was scanning across the people watching there, a full view of the stage and a glimpse of the cardboard cut-outs, used to check camera heights!  Just to top off all the mediocrity of this performance, Omar even has a shiny suit with fringing.  He kneels on stage - praying that this is all over as soon as possible?  There is one aspect of this that is interesting:


I only noticed it today but this little nugget of wonder will not make me want to listen and watch this any more than I have to - a truly horrible song that will immediately vanish into the ether of Eurovision songs too poor to remember.


To think that Slovenia entered Maraaya and "Here For You" only two years ago - what's happened?  So tempted to post that EMA performance again...must resist!


Latvia



See?  Delegations do listen - no sign of a cock this time!  A lot more neon paint has been put on those perspex walls to cover up any misunderstandings and a lot more focus has been directed towards the band and its energy around the stage.  Agnese looks absolutely amazing in her thigh length wedged boots, short pant jumpsuit and coloured duo ponytails - it does make look as though she is going to a Cosplay Convention but the focus is all on her and she works the camera superbly well:


Assuming that the camera works the same way as it did for Cyprus and Georgia last year, this could be


I think that this was a little underpowered for Triana Park and like most bands, they need the 'smell of the greasepaint' (which they have in abundance) but also the 'roar of the crowd' (obviously lacking during these rehearsals).  I imagine that will see this performance ramped up to ten on SF1 night and they will end the show in the way that Christer Björkman hopes - a full blooded gig show that is truly memorable.  Their pimp slot will guarantee this gets a second airing on Saturday night.


One of the most laid-back rehearsals here - they are holding back for the big night!


There we go, we have a lot more information to make some judgements about SF1 and who may or may not qualify.  I'm sure that everyone has their own thoughts but I have a somewhat amended top ten, mainly due to the visual and audible disappointment of Blanche and "City Lights" being not even 25% of the amazing studio version and official combination:
Now the more observant amongst will notice that there is no Portugal on this list and that is deliberate.  I am not going to judge this nation's entry when we have yet to see their singer perform in Kyiv.  It is more than likely that the staging will be as per the Portuguese NF and what we have seen his sister perform here but how he comes across on SF1 night is still anyone's guess.  I have therefore decided not to put Salvador in my list but I suspect that he will displace one of my choices on the night - that could be anyone outside my top 4.  To be honest, Portugal would not have been in my top 5 anyway so the big points for this SF are unchanged...

The big movers up are Australia and Armenia - downwards Belgium.  Isaiah has now grown into the staging and his song, whereas Blanche just comes across as a very stage struck, very frightened girl.  I would love it all to click for her, for Blanche to gain super confidence and blitz the SF, putting her back in my number two spot but that's not going to happen.  My top three contains two that I felt would dominate this SF all along, plus one with possibly the most bizarre but engaging staging this year: