[LMBTO] Here's Hoping For A More Exciting OGAE SCC in 2018...

So yet again we reach the final proceedings for the Eurovision year - the OGAE Second Chance Contest, something that I have been closely involved with since 2014 when Helena Paparizou took the title for Sweden.  Since then we have had victories for Italy, Poland and Sweden again and to be honest, the excitement levels as the voting has progressed each year has dipped considerably.  Helena won on the last jury vote, Nek and Margaret won near the end but Mariette had last year's won from the second jury in - will we get a tighter competition this time?
The Swedish branch of OGAE know how to run this Contest, given that they have won it SIXTEEN times now, four times as often as the UK who have won four (all when it was the Retrospective Second Chance Contest).  Having 'hosted' so often, Sweden is running out of cities to 'stage' the SCC at - Eskilstuna is a place that I hadn't heard of before:
Very picturesque and lightly populated which isn't an issue for this competition, given that normally it has either been run from someone's house or at the most at the OGAE host nation's annual get together.  This year, there will be an actual recording of the results show in front of a live audience on October 5th, with the results officially released on the 13th online.  Good luck with keeping a total embargo on that one - we do know who our hosts are and also we had some nice words from last year's winner:

It's not her fault that almost every club went Sweden-crazy last year but it wasn't her best song, in my opinion.  

What us Brits had to do, as we always do, was sort out our SCC entry, given that we had our NF earlier this year where the best entry went through, as we all know.  We got to vote quite soon after the event itself, all of those votes supposedly being based on the LIVE show in Brighton, not on the studio version - if you remember my article of my impressions of the six acts there, my scores that I gave to them all shouldn't be that unexpected:

I did remind voters via the SECHUK Facebook group that the vote was based on that live NF footage, more as emphasis that although "Legends" was far and away the song to go for based on the "clean, standing still behind a microphone, fully engineered" version, it was so NOT the vote winner here.  So you know what was going to happen, don't you?
Yes, Asanda is the UK's OGAE SCC entry for 2018 - at least Gary Speirs won't have to organise anything next year, unless everyone else voting hears our entry totally differently to me.  Ironically, whoever picked the 'running order' for this year's Contest (probably Christer with his post-its) has decided that we in the UK should 'open the show' - I suppose that "Legends" is uptempo.  Here is how the TWENTY-SEVEN entries (apparently a record) line up:


When I saw this list, there were at least two there that were amongst my favourites of the entire season so you could probably guess where they might end up when everything got shaken out.  Having said that, I was going to mark fairly, or at least as objectively as I could.  As far as scoring is concerned, there is a change this year and that will be something that I will go into in more detail later in the year with the Results - the important point to know at this juncture is that those of us in the OGAE clubs with an entry on the list of 27 are considered to be the 'JURY Results'.  The UK, like the other 26 clubs, will give their scores the traditional 1-8/10/12 way whereas there are 17 guest juries who do not have an entry and their scores will be presented like the 'TELEVOTES' at Eurovision...
Why am I bothering to tell you this now?  I decided to make this year's deliberations a bit different to normal (where I just go for my gut feeling on each song and place them accordingly) by actually scoring all the entries as though I was an ACTUAL EUROVISION JUROR.  That meant using four categories that are used by the five professionals on each nation's jury:

1.  United Kingdom


Scores - 1/3/3/1 (Staging best), 8/20, ranked 22nd (4/10)

Now I've spoken about this performance so much that to do so again in any detail would be really boring but splitting my grading was quite enlightening, as it did benefit the UK entry with some marks and hauled it off the bottom of my original list.  Asanda sounds really off and breathy but the actual staging isn't that bad for a NF and the construction of the song stands out from the rest of the crowd, hence my generous 3/5 for both.  If only the choreography had allowed her to stand still and actually sing in tune, this could have been an entry this year that would have been something different in Lisbon and potentially led to a much higher placing but as it was in Brighton, we would have been rock bottom.  SuRie was definitely the right choice in 2018...


2.  Malta


Scores - 2/2/3/3 (Overall best), 10/20, ranked 17th (5/10)

Now this isn't bad but it isn't outstanding - it is a novel concept to have a father-son combination singing together in such an emotionally connected way with a really well written song.  That in itself is why it got decent marks for originality and overall impact but Joe's solo vocals were a bit ropey and that pulled it down for me, even though this entry was totally designed for a Maltese audience.  Having said that, "Song For Dad" makes you smile and if it had been chosen as this nation's entry, I could have seen it making the Final, based purely on the novelty of the relationship between the two men, assuming that the Malta PR machine really ramped up that aspect of the song.  Seeing that Christabelle didn't get to the Final, Richard & Joe couldn't have done any worse...


3.  Estonia


Scores - 2/2/3/4 (Overall best), 11/20, ranking 13th (6/10)

You know the saying "The whole is greater than the sum of its parts"?  That is this entry - as a whole I had this around about my top five but once you start dissecting "Home" and splitting it into its component parts, it all begins to fall apart.  I've never thought that Stig is the greatest vocalist in the world and this shows that he really can't be the lead voice.  There isn't a huge amount to the staging of this song either, which there was never likely to be given the pace and lullaby nature of the song.  The lyrics and how the entry is all put together is the strongest individual part of the puzzle though and that is what pushes this song into almost dead centre of the rankings.  This is the first of the entries where marking like a juror made a real difference - there is no way in my mind that this would have done anywhere near as well as "La Forza" in Lisbon.  Good choice, Estonia...


4.  Slovenia


Scores - 4/1/2/1 (Vocal best), 8/20, ranking 20th (4/10)

Let's get the most obvious point out of the way, Nuška can sing really well and that accounted for half her score here.  What kept this entry so low marks wise for me was the staging - the singer and her backing are actually doing the right things here by concentrating on singing, although perhaps some of the their movements could look a bit smoother, but the comedy value here is with the male dancers, their little jump dance at the beginning and their bizarre movements around the stage are so distracting from this lady's strength of the song and the vocals.  The guys move so weirdly that they make Lea Sirk's troupe look like the Bolshoi Ballet!  Once that was in my head, there was really little that could save this from getting one of my worse scores - this would have been bottom of its SF for sure...


5.  Finland


Scores - 3/3/1/2 (Staging best), 9/20, ranking 18th (5/10)

And so onto the lady who was going to Lisbon anyway, it was just whether it was with "Monsters" or not.  Looking back at the other choices, the aforementioned title might have been OTT in Finland staging-wise but at least it wasn't boring, something that "Domino" is, unfortunately.  Saara has a superb voice and yet I think that this song doesn't take advantage of that at all, being quite boring in how it sounds and the literal lyrical score?  Oh dear - that's the reason for the minimal composition score.  The only saving grace here, despite it being on a par with some Flick Colby choreography from 1970s Top Of The Pops, is the staging.  Yes, it is called 'Domino' and there are five large domino pieces on stage but it is a spectacle to see Saara revolve 360° and still sing perfectly!  The pyros from the others do make this a visual feast but it is clear that Finland had spent a lot of money on the revolving equipment and were forced to use it again in Lisbon with "Monsters".  To be honest, OGAE Finland really had no option but to send this to the SCC - luckily at UMK this wasn't the choice for Portugal otherwise Finland would have missed out on the Final yet again...


6.  Switzerland


Scores - 3/1/1/2 (Vocal best), 7/20, ranking 24th (3/10)

Another entry from the school of rubbish stage choreography, "Compass" seemed to be a song that started with the title and then was written by looking at the dictionary definition, copying each phrase word for word.  If you didn't have a clue what a compass was used for before, you could make a reasonable stab in the dark after hearing this.  Alejandro has a good voice and a decent connection with the camera but the rest of this entry is not the best.  The 'dancers' who spin around and bang those bongos just are of no use to man nor beast and are distracting as anything but not enough to stop hearing those bizarre lyrics.  I still have no idea how this came second in the Swiss NF as all of the other entries were better than this, in my opinion - Zibbz only just missed out on the SF in Lisbon but if this had gone instead, it would have been a safer bet for any Swiss fan not to buy accommodation and Final tickets...


7.  Germany


Scores - 3/4/2/3 (Staging best), 12/20, ranking 10th (6/10)

Now based on the studio versions, I had this down to beat Michael Schulte to the German NF title.  Good thing that the voters didn't think the same way as I did, as they wouldn't now have their best result for years under their belt.  This is still a solid upbeat song which makes me smile when I watch it again - oompah polka music isn't the most original though and that explains my low score there but it is staged brilliantly, the dance routine is well crafted and the interaction between the five guys and the crowd is superb.  Their singing is pretty damn good too and this led to my first entry of the list that made it into my top ten - don't get used to anymore too soon, it is the only one to get any sort of points in the first SIXTEEN songs...


8.  Hungary


Scores - 4/3/3/2 (Vocals best), 12/20, ranking 12th (6/10)

For some reason this entry surprised me - I think that AWS caught the imagination so much that the other three acts in the A Dal SuperFinal have got a bit forgotten!  The lead singer has a superb voice and I hope that this act tries again in 2019, as I will be listening out for him next time after hearing this again.  The entry has interest all the way through, even when he picks up the 'musical torture' instrument and quickly provides a short burst of accordion, which fits in well with his emotional angst throughout and the enthusiastic pounding of those drums by his band mate.  Having said that, it didn't really grab me as an overall package and perhaps that is why this didn't make it to Lisbon.  I have a feeling that this wouldn't have made the Final for that very reason - not distinctive enough and therefore not memorable for votes.  Hungary chose the right band and continued their eclectic mix of entries...


9.  Romania


Scores - 3/2/1/1 (Vocals best), 7/20, ranking 25th (3/10)

Now there was a train of thought when the Eurovision season started back in September that we would have a spate of "Despacito clones", trying to get to Eurovision on the back of last summer's worldwide smash hit.  We didn't have as many as I thought we would have but any we did have didn't succeed and this entry has that vibe and the same result.  Feli sings it well enough but for me that is the only good thing about this entry.  The staging is quite basic but the originality factor of this is absolutely nil and that put me off this from the start, hence the lowest possible impression mark I could give.  It is so monotonous and tedious that I was delighted that anything else made it to Lisbon - I am certain that this wouldn't have held onto Romania's 100% record either but "Goodbye" was a far better song to listen to...


10.  Czechia



Now this entry highlights one of my bugbears about the SCC presentation - if there isn't a live performance on YouTube, we end up with the studio version which does put this entry at an advantage and disadvantage at the same time.  For all the other entries in this predicament, I found a live performance on another video format (DailyMotion, the broadcaster's FB page or website) but not this one.  Eva did sing "Fly" live in an unplugged session and from that I could at least judge her live vocal ability:


Scores - 3/2/4/3 (Composition best), 12/20, ranking 11th (6/10)

Unfortunately I had to give this a lowish staging score as I could only base that on her 'James Bond silhouette' moves in the official video but the rest of this entry is really good.  She has a beguiling voice and I love the instrumentation throughout with that ethnicity underneath the electronica, as she pushed the emotions out through the speaker.  Personally, she missed a trick by not just having her without the pictures superimposed on the screen but whatever my thoughts on this, "Fly" would not have bettered Mikolas in Lisbon.  The Czech voters made the best choice in their 'NF' - I think that this would have not had that memorability to get through to the Final but it just missed out on a point here at the SCC...


11.  Denmark



Here we go again - the broadcaster deciding that DMGP shouldn't be shown in the UK one day, then the next is okay, then swapping again.  OGAE Sweden have gone with the original studio version but there is footage available of how it all looked on the night for Albin:

Scores - 3/2/2/3 (Overall best), 10/20, ranking 16th (5/10)

This is another entry where everything together synergised my thoughts about it.  The imaginative opening where we take a journey INTO Albin through his guitar and eye works really well and sets this up for a storming show - unfortunately that doesn't really happen, as the rest of the look of this song is rather mediocre.  I did enjoy his singing and the song itself (as far as faux Country & Western goes) but getting to the DMGP SuperFinal was probably the high point for "Music For The Road", as this was nowhere as powerfully imposed on the viewer as Rasmussen did with "Higher Ground".  I suspect that this would have not made a Lisbon Final but it's a decent entry in the OGAE SCC...


12.  Ukraine


Scores - 3/3/3/2 (Staging best), 11/20, ranking 14th (5/10)

A lead singer in a kilt, a keyboardist in motorcycle gear, all topped off by synchronised sand dancing and you get a very entertaining three minutes that totally passed me by in the Ukrainian NF process and I have no idea why!  As Tayanna and Mélovin were battling it out at the top, this entry possibly lost out to the latter's flaming piano and the former's status within Ukraine but this wasn't a bad entry when viewed again.  The vocals were great all round, the originality was there in spades and the staging was really entertaining - these guys put everything into this electronic rock entry and I'd be looking forward to seeing them again if there is a Vidbir 2019...


13.  Armenia


Scores - 3/2/2/3 (Overall best), 10/20, ranking 15th (5/10)

Now I had these guys as one of the possible outside bets to make Eurovision through this year's Depi Evratesil but for some reason their actual performance disappointed me, not really sure why.  Maybe I was expecting something more dynamic from a band who were really in a league of their own as far as similar acts were concerned but it almost looked as Nemra were going through the motions at times.  The song itself was good if a little repetitive, the vocals were solid and the overall act was sound but I felt that with a bit more connection and charisma, this would have beaten Shevak and might have made it through to the Lisbon Final, keeping Armenia's 100% record going - but only just...


14.  Poland



For some reason TVP have not placed any of the Krajowe Eliminacje 2018 footage online and so we have to officially use the original studio video for our point of reference, which works for the vocals and the originality factor but not so much for the staging.  Luckily, someone in the audience filmed part of Ifi's act:


Scores - 1/2/2/2 (Originality best), 7/20, ranking 26th (3/10)

You can see from my scores that I really do not like this one.  At best her voice can be described as 'distinctive', at worst annoyingly out of tune, especially when you listen to the live footage.  The staging isn't much more than her standing and singing but there is at least a touch of originality with this song, bar the fact that it goes around in a loop for three minutes.  Top off everything with such basic lyrics and this is why I do not get this entry at all - it is also why it ended up being second from bottom of my rankings.  This came fourth in Poland - I'm not sure why "Don't Let Go" or "Momentum" weren't picked and I would have to say that "Light Me Up" was a far better choice, although this might not have done much worse in Lisbon...


15.  Lithuania


Scores - 3/1/2/2 (Vocals best), 8/20, ranking 19th (4/10)

Paula can sing, there's no doubt about that and she has great backing too.  What she can't do is dance, move or act coherently and that proved a major distraction whilst watching this performance again - that was all compounded with the fact that I felt that I had seen and heard this all before.  Her enthusiasm in trying to deliver this on that small stage with those totally irrelevant bullrushes just made this a little bit on the laughable side - there is no way that this would have made the Eurovision Final if chosen and it makes the selection of Ieva and "When We're Old" seem even more of a masterstroke by Lithuania.  Not quite sure how this is Lithuania's entry in the SCC either, given it finished 6th out of 6 in their NF...


16.  Latvia


Scores - 2/1/1/2 (Overall best), 6/20, ranking 27th (3/10)

Now regular readers will know that there is no way on God's green earth that I would have this song as qualifying from Supernova this year, as Laura Rizzotto was always my favourite in Latvia.  Even without that bias declared, this entry is still by far the worst of the 27 selections this year in the SCC - why?  I am not sure if Edgars is that comfortable with singing in English but I definitely wasn't that happy listening to this entry, as his vocal style became very stilted and hard to take in.  He looks okay on stage but all of his movements and attempts to connect with the audience and this viewer fails dismally.  The most dynamic thing about this whole entry is the female drummer and she is shoved right at the back of the stage.  There is a reason why this ended up sixth in Supernova and not second - I have no idea why Sudden Lights, MADARA, Markus Riva or even Ritvars didn't get to sing here rather than this...


17.  Norway


Scores - 4/2/3/4 (Vocals best), 13/20, ranking 9th (7/10)

It took almost two thirds of the running order to get there but we suddenly have our second points scorer on my list!  Possibly the best vocals at MGP 2018, Rebecca gives a delightful audible message with "Who We Are" and was deservedly runner-up in Norway (although I personally would have chosen Stella and Alexandra for the SCC).  She was almost the first recipient of my top marks for her voice but she did stumble a bit when moving from main to satellite stage on the night.  Unfortunately she was always miles out of the running when it came to staging (compared to eventual winner Alexander Rybak) but this is a well written composition and it has stuck with me since March, viewing it again for this purpose just proving what a great entry this is.  In the end this might have done better than Mr Rybak but there was no way that Norway was going to send anyone else to Lisbon...


18.  Serbia


Scores 5/3/4/4 (Vocals best), 16/20, ranking 5th (8/10)

This was a close second for me in the Serbian NF this year and so it proved to be one of the top entries here in the SCC.  Saška and her compatriots on stage gave a superb performance, always totally engaging to watch and listen to, despite the slowness of the song itself.  She looked stunning with her pink hair and light blue suit and the flow of the two musicians around her gave this such a gentle and yet powerful staging.  Her vocals were also deserving of my first top marks of this Contest, balanced nicely by the stereotypical Balkan backing.  A very understated and measured visual show, I would have liked to have seen this again in Lisbon but I am not certain that it would have made the Final, as most entries of this sort really struggled to attract votes.  Serbia sent the right act to Lisbon and their OGAE club sent the right act to the SCC...


19.  Albania


Scores - 5/2/5/5 (Vocals best), 17/20, ranking 3rd (8/10)

I had three favourite acts at FiK this year - Eugent was the standout and was the best choice for Lisbon, giving Albania their best finish since "Suus".  If Albania had gone down their normal route of 'power ballad sung by attractive big-voiced female soloist', this would have been the song that would have gone to Eurovision.  Inis is an amazing vocalist and sings "Piedestal" flawlessly, giving such texture and life to everything about this entry.  The song itself flows so well and would be appreciated by anyone with a love for music, as you can see when the camera pans onto the orchestra who are all nodding along with this entry.  FiK is never a hotbed for staging, most acts doing what Inis does here and just concentrate on belting out the song, hence the low staging score - she is so intent on her singing that connection with anyone else goes a bit out the window too.  I love this and could listen to it time after time - I hope that we get to see this lady again, not only in Tirana but also at a future Eurovision.  One for the podium in my list and perhaps the best vocal display of the 27...


20.  Sweden


Scores - 4/4/3/3 (Vocals best), 14/20, ranking 8th (7/10)

Now a lot of you will have looked at this and have said "cheesefest" but I love this performance, no matter how contrived it is.  The lyrics are superbly emotional and John really generates the necessary connection with the crowd and the tv audience, the music building in such a wonderful evangelical way.  I have to say that Melodifestivalen always puts on a wonderful show and the crowd do their part - the light show of the arena is truly magical to behold and the pyros and lights around would have done any Swedish act proud in Lisbon.  John hits every mark with the camera and I felt that this could have done better this year but Benjamin and Felix would have fitted the demographic pull better.  Top that all off with a great melody and this deserves some points from me.  I suspect that this might have had a better spread of marks than "Dance You Off" but not getting a better placing - I think this is a far better selection for OGAE Sweden than last year but this SCC has far stronger entries...


21.  ROW (San Marino)


Scores - 5/3/5/5 (Vocals best), 18/20, ranking 2nd (9/10)

Yep, ROW (San Marino) have struck absolute gold this year with what they can send to the SCC.  They are lucky that the San Marino jury had some sort of mental block / alternative agenda in their NF to have this entry still up for grabs as every fan knows that this should have been their song for Lisbon.  Given that the 1 in 360 powers that be didn't want a 'definite Final qualification and potential top ten' this year at Eurovision, we get to grade Sara de Blue here.  Now I've always been a fan of this lady, right from the initial submission process, and for me she can do no wrong - her voice is sublime and she copes with the almost silent start to this song that builds through to those powerful wow moments at the end with ease.  "Out Of The Twilight" is a wonderfully crafted song and has lows and highs, superb orchestral accompaniment and some solid pop drumming.  The headdress was a bit unnecessary and the crystal encrusted outfit did look a bit out of place, given her surroundings, but this is an incredible show, everything about it hits you between the eyes and makes you go OMG.  This entry will be there or thereabouts when we get to the scoring in the SCC this year and if it is the winner then I will be delighted for Sara - hopefully it will be a springboard for her to perform at the real thing next year...


22.  Belarus


Scores - 2/2/2/2 (Composition best), 8/20, ranking 21st (4/10)

Gunesh - she really tries, doesn't she?  I'm old enough to remember when most of the UK chart sounded like this but that was about three decades ago!  She does give it everything vocally although it is bordering on off key at times and I'm not really sure what significance the trench coat and jeans have to do with anything.  It is an okay pop song but no more than that, bouncing along musically (the strength of this entry) but there really isn't much to watch, apart from the almost pop art backdrop (which is pretty cool).  Nobody other than Alekseev was going to win in Belarus but this might have done as well as he did in Lisbon and it would have been a lot less naff.  Why didn't OGAE Belarus send Shuma?  You'd have got great marks from me...


23.  France



France 2, you in some sort of conspiracy with Denmark's DR in that you don't want to show off your NF anymore online?  Another entry that lost its live footage for the NF (which was staged superbly, given that Emmy was on stage with three dancers who looked very much like her), so all we had to go on was the studio version.  It seems that The Voice as a franchise likes to put its videos out there so I could remind myself what Emmy sounded like live:

Scores - 4/4/4/4 (Composition best), 16/20, ranking 6th (8/10)
"Mercy" was a song for the French with a social message to match - "OK ou KO" was an entry that, for me at least, would have appealed more and been more distinctive to the viewing public and jurors at Eurovision itself.  It has a uniqueness about it - Emmy's voice and delivery, the pulsing beat and head nodding pace of the music, the whole as a concept and the staging of the NF all comes together and brings a superb entry for France here at the SCC.  Emmy is a strikingly attractive woman and had a definite stage presence about her that is appreciated by other professionals, as can be seen during The Voice footage and the fact that the international juries went with her more than Madame Monsieur.  I think that she would have pushed the French back into the top ten as there would have been no need for language expertise here, the music and presentation sells this totally.  It might only be my number six here but I would not have any problems with a win for France...


24.  Italy



Any established fan knows that RAI keeps its Sanremo material firmly on the broadcaster's network and any attempt to put it on YouTube is clamped down immediately.  Hence the SCC is using the official video above by Annalisa as the footage to vote on - it was easy enough to find a valid video somewhere away from the video goliath:


Scores - 5/4/4/4 (Vocals best), 17/20, ranking 4th (8/10)

Beautifully shot official video that it is, watching Annalisa at Sanremo is is even more of a visual delight and the vocals are ramped up several degrees too.  This lady is one of that rare breed that sounds and delivers better in real life than via a CD or an official video - her voice is absolutely amazing and she didn't put a foot wrong throughout "Il mondo prima di te".  The song itself really has a nice rhythm through the verses and then it powers out in the chorus, allowing Annalisa to really emote as she provides the icing on the cake.  She was my tip for the win this year but Italy went with the message song from Ermal and Fabrizio, a decision that proved to be the right one really, given that they finished an unexpected fifth in Lisbon.  I suspect that this wouldn't have hit those dizzying heights but such was the strength of Sanremo this year that Annalisa provides an excellent entry for Italy at the SCC...


25.  Spain


Scores - 4/5/5/5 (Staging best), 19/20, ranking 1st (10/10)

Spain, you might have got your choice from OT 2017 wrong for Eurovision but OGAE Spain have got it absolutely spot on for the SCC!  Ever since I saw Ana and Aitana sing this in the rehearsal room a week before this performance in the Final, I knew that this was going to be a smash hit and so it proved to be, the song with the most success to come out of the Academy.  Every time I watch this, I smile and I start singing, even though I have no knowledge of Spanish at all - this is almost the perfect entry in every way.  The staging is superb with Ana being the sassy streetwise woman and Aitana almost along for the ride but holding her own in amongst the guys on stage - Ana gives the visual show of her life and Aitana is almost watching on, smirking at her friend's antics!  The concept and originality of this is up there with the best of them and it hooked me from the start.  If I was being picky, I would say that the vocal strength of Ana at the start and Aitana halfway through, when they were almost talking, wasn't the best but that is being very, very critical.  This is my favourite this year in the SCC but it has got some decent competition - of course it should have been Spain's entry at Eurovision, where I have a feeling that this would have been up there somewhere in the top five, vying with 'Toy' and 'Fuego' for the uptempo vote.  I would listen and watch this all day compared to those two songs and it will be on my playlists long after those have faded into the background...


26.  Iceland


Scores - 5/4/3/3 (Vocals best), 15/20, ranking 7th (7/10)

Iceland's SuperFinal doesn't do them any favours at all - most years the leader of the NF up to that stage is often the better song or at least the more interesting one that would perhaps lift that nation out of the Eurovision SF into the Final.  Don't get me wrong, Ari sung amazingly well and was an amazing guy all the way up to and through Eurovision but this, to be quite honest with you, was the better entry.  The dynamism and emotional delivery that Dagur provided at Söngvakeppnin 2018 was out of this world - he has a stage presence that was lacking by Ari and this song was so interesting and creative.  Dagur carried this all by himself and I am certain that more jurors and voters would have noticed this in May, more than enough to take Iceland into the Final for the first time in years.  Admittedly it is quite theatrical in its styling but that didn't hurt Denmark's drive into the top ten - this is a deserving SCC top ten for me and one of the best vocal/staging combinations of the 27...


27.  Portugal


Scores - 1/2/3/2 (Composition best), 8/20, ranking 23rd (4/10)

And so we close the show - after nine of my top ten have performed in the last ten songs, we end on a bit of a damp squib.  Almost proving that Salvador Sobral was a total 'Portuguese flash in the pan', Catarina provides us with one of the poorest vocals at this year's SCC.  She puts her heart and soul in it and the crowd are obviously behind her but I was quite glad when it finished after three minutes.  There isn't much staging and it really appears as though everyone is giving her some sympathy applause - I am really at a loss as to how this almost got to represent the hosts this year, given that Cláudia Pascoal only got the nod based on winning the televote and that is a far, far better song.  I know that "O Jardim" finished last in the Final but there is no way that this would have done better, surely?  It is well down my list...


And so there you have it - my thoughts on this year's list of SCC entrants, all 27.  I submitted my scores out of ten to Gary at OGAE UK SCC HQ:
Marking out of ten does draw everybody together, unfortunately - my last placed entry (Latvia) only received seven marks less than my top (Spain).  If only I could have presented just the top ten the old fashioned way:


Or in a 1-27 list but that really is taking it too seriously!  I did have my table sorted though (highlighted boxes their best aspect):
Overall this is a far stronger contest that the 2017 edition - there are at least four entries that I feel would have done a better job in Lisbon (San Marino, France, Spain, Iceland) and of my top ten here, I would not be unhappy to see any of the first nine taking home the trophy this year.  Having said that, I suspect that there will be some entries positioned a lot higher than I think they will be, purely based on the premise that whoever put this running order together didn't mean to have all the good ones at the end...did they?  As for my nation, the UK, if we are not in the bottom five with that live performance of "Legends" then I will be totally shocked and absolutely amazed at the auditory capacity of the rest of Europe...
My top two ended up with 18 and 19 out of twenty - will they be taking home the SCC title?  Could this be Spain's fourth victory or will San Marino actually walk away with a totally unexpected but deserved win?


We'll find out for certain in October...