The second day in Rotterdam saw a 'banger heavy' schedule...
Hopefully this lady didn't have to make a deal
with someone to have the standout one!
Day 2 saw the completion of the first rehearsals of SF1 - nine nations started the process of matching any staging, choreography and vocals from their own studios to that of the Ahoy. There were a couple of real unexpected triumphs and one real heartbreak out of those today - I will again summarise the positives of each for you that I saw via the Online Press feed from Rotterdam - all issues are for the delegations to sort out, although I will flag up something out of the control of the artist for one nation that really needs amending for their physical safety! All the pictures are courtesy of eurovision.tv and Thomas Hanses in particular, again such quality!
CYPRUS : Elena Tsagrinou - "El Diablo"
Plusses
- This was the biggest improver for me from the studio audio, Elena proved she can sing this track perfectly while moving to the choreography, and connected with the camera constantly
- She and the dancers moved in time and gave a slick yet sexy show that will get every viewer watching throughout the three minutes
- The dancers added to the vision but were never in danger of getting in the way of the star of the show
- Elena coped brilliantly with the issue with her mic pack falling off her dress, deciding to just have it shoved into the back of her outfit for further runs!
- The colours and wording that flashed up behind her were clear and fitted with the theme
- The use of fire behind the big 'El Diablo' letters was inspired.
The eurovision.tv clip doesn't show most of this but here it is anyway:
To be honest, as long as Elena's outfit holds any tech stuff successfully in future, I can't see much needs to be improved with this. When I first saw the video of 'El Diablo' on that mid afternoon Cypriot show, I never thought that I'd be rating this entry like this...
Vocal Capability 4.5/5
Stage Performance 5.0/5
Composition / Originality 3.0/5
Overall Impression 5.0/5
Score 17.5/20 (9.0)
For me, this has gone from only a possible qualifier at first to now being a certain finalist plus a possible top ten contender - the fact that it is the first of those uptempo tracks in this SF helps enormously too.
NORWAY : TIX - "Fallen Angel"
Plusses
- TIX has done this all before at MGP - the only changes are either enforced (losing two demons) or aesthetic (gold to silver)
- His vocals eventually were on a par with the performance that won in Norway, the song is still the same great 'boyband' track and he delivers it perfectly
- The overall look is beautiful, starting from darkness then changing to clouds with sunlight shining through
- The demons move about him as they did at MGP and the overall choreography is the same
- He looked comfortable with everything, so much so that he sung "Tick Tock" at the end of his last run for Albina!
You will have seen it all before in Norway but here is today's footage...
As for my ratings, not much has changed - a solid rather than spectacular performance gets these sort of scores...
Vocal Capability 4.5/5
Stage Performance 4.0/5
Composition / Originality 4.0/5
Overall Impression 4.0/5
Score 16.5/20 (8.0)
Even though there is still some doubt in the press room, I am still convinced that "Fallen Angel" will make the Final easily. Now that we have some entries reaching new heights, this staging is starting to look a bit passé and what might have been, in my eyes, a possible top ten could be lower down the scoreboard. I am not sure where Norway and TIX can take this entry to now - do it the best they can and hope for the best...
CROATIA : Albina - "Tick Tock"
Plusses
- Albina seems to have two new friends - TIX and the guy looking longingly at her above!
- Her vocals are spot on and she doesn't seem to be fazed by the choreography whilst singing, especially when she is being carried by her dancers
- The silver space outfits are brighter than her urban chic in DORA and fits the lighting better at the Ahoy - they also reveal a 'cheeky' side to her at the end!
- The coordinated hand and light show is fun to watch, as are the FIVE Albina's at one stage, clever tech use. The colours used are appealing as well
- The dancing is slick, she holds her own with the guys and she seems really comfortable on stage throughout the routine.
The eurovision.tv video does give a reasonable indication of how the staging looks:
I have always liked this entry but it has always seemed like many other up-tempo tracks from the past, hence my lower scores...
Vocal Capability 4.5/5
Stage Performance 3.5/5
Composition / Originality 3.0/5
Overall Impression 3.5/5
Score 14.5/20 (7.25)
Albina is a talented and likeable singer - I would love for her and Croatia to make it to the Final but I am not sure that this will stand out from the rest in SF1. All the camera angles need to be spot on, the dancing clean and her vocals perfect for "Tick Tock" to stand a chance...
BELGIUM : Hooverphonic - "The Wrong Place"
Plusses
- Geike as always is the perfect lead singer - her vocals are spot on every run-through and her delivery to camera is exceptional, even to the extent of being very scary when singing the 'Johnny Cash' line
- The panning around the band is a nice touch, just to show off everyone there who is contributing to the show - having said that, the balance is right that Geike is literally central to it all
- The backdrop and side screen is an interesting side project - in the last run, we saw it enough so it didn't distract from the band
- The outfits all being in black ensures that the focus is all on the music and the singing, not on what they look like - classic cut and colour
- The end shot is spot on - far out to see Geike have four spot lights on her, coming down from the direction that each of the others are positioned, and then the camera zooms in to stop on her.
Having the full show will make more sense of the nuances of this performance, for now here is the eurovision.tv footage...
I have scored "The Wrong Place" slightly higher in the past, purely because we saw a live show where Geike was entirely the focus and Alex/Raymond were there playing but more in darkness. Whether that might happen again in the second rehearsals, I don't know, but that is the only reason for the lower SP:
Vocal Capability 5.0/5
Stage Performance 3.5/5
Composition / Originality 4.5/5
Overall Impression 4.0/5
Score 17.0/20 (8.50)
This classy performance and perfect vocal is now a stand-out in SF1, as far as most of the other entries are faster and brighter in visuals. I still have this as a definite qualifier, mainly because fellow music professionals on juries will lap this up. Once in the Final, I would suspect mid-table would be a decent result for Belgium and even for Hooverphonic...
ISRAEL : Eden Alene - "Set Me Free"
Plusses
- We have now seen this performed live
- Eden nailed those high notes which impressed me, even though I knew she was capable of them
- Her vocals are solid here and she does a good job of delivering them
- It is a good choreography for what it is, a traditional 'Israeli Dance and Move' staging
- The backdrop lighting is really engaging, as is the animated images of Eden on the screens alongside the catwalk
There is a costume reveal and a hairpiece addition that don't really affect my feelings for this entry one way or another - the footage will show you more:
Of all the 'bangers', this is the one that entertains me the least - Eden's voice is the strong point here and that is reflected in my marks...
Vocal Capability 4.5/5
Stage Performance 2.5/5
Composition / Originality 2.5/5
Overall Impression 2.5/5
Score 12.0/20 (6.0)
For me, this is one of the weakest songs in SF1 and I cannot see it qualifying, especially as we now know how every act is going to look. 2020 was her year, "Feker Libi" was her song...
ROMANIA : ROXEN - "Amnesia"
Plusses
- I did not expect to see a direct recreation of the official video on the Ahoy stage - this is a bold move, given the complexity of the story and how much movement was in it
- The story telling is superb - ROXEN's movements match those of the dancers perfectly and they interact with her to show her journey from being tormented to being in control
- The basic nature of everyone's costumes matches the message of the lyrics
- When on the main stage, ROXEN's vocals are great and are as solid as I have ever heard them live
Before I go on, have a look at the eurovision.tv footage - even though it is a matter of seconds, you will get an inkling of an issue that appeared in every run-through she did...
ROXEN, when standing still, gives perfect vocals with emotion - I have never had to score her anything other than 5.0/5 before. Look at the scores today:
Vocal Capability 2.5/5
Stage Performance 4.5/5
Composition / Originality 4.0/5
Overall Impression 3.0/5
Score 14.0/20 (7.0)
This is the only instance that I have to go negative in these reviews so far - the choreography, brilliant though it is, does not allow ROXEN to take any sort of decent breath for the last 60 seconds of the show. This is a very physically demanding routine and ideally she would not be singing continually throughout - that would not be a problem if she was stood still and just singing. At the end of both runs we saw, she was gasping for breath - a ridiculous situation for any singer to be in. The whole performance is like a musical theatre piece - the difference would be that there the writers and composers would stretch "Amnesia" out to 4-5 minutes, allowing their star to have a controlled vocal delivery. 3 minutes is too compressed a time frame for this song to be sung whilst moving about as much as ROXEN was expected to do today. I hope that somebody has worked that out and will make the necessary changes, as her vocals from halfway through were poor and having your singer deeply inhaling at the end of the song doesn't sound good at all. If there are no changes, Romania will be going home on Tuesday 18th May, rather than easily qualifying and then having a decent stab at a top ten placing. Fingers crossed that Wednesday 12th May sees a difference in how this looks, for ROXEN's sake...
AZERBAIJAN : Efendi - "Mata Hari"
Plusses
- We now know that Efendi can sing this track live and does so really well
- She gave this performance everything she had, despite her obvious lack of dancing ability
- The armography section was great in the routine and the dancers did all the necessary movements, albeit slowly and deliberately
- The backdrop was bright and well designed - I also liked the snake behind Efendi!
The footage will give you a good idea of the routine and how she looked...
This was an attempt to match as closely as possible to the official video - I have to say that I didn't think that was anything special, so my marks reflect that
Vocal Capability 4.5/5
Stage Performance 3.0/5
Composition / Originality 3.0/5
Overall Impression 3.5/5
Score 14.0/20 (7.00)
Efendi always comes across as enthusiastic, charming and a great singer - I'm not convinced that we are going to see much change to "Mata Hari" in the second rehearsals, to be honest. I have it as a borderline qualifier at best and if it does make the Final, I think it would stay near the bottom of the scoreboard...
UKRAINE : Go_A - "SHUM"
Plusses
- This was absolutely superb, the best staging and overall performance to date of any entry in SF1
- Kateryna's vocals were super as always, surpassing even her high standards
- All the other band members were her equal, each performing with their instruments as if their lives depended on it
- The continual build in pace of the music was matched by the movements of the band and the actions of the dancers
- The area they were stood on was tiny but that worked perfectly to show the tightness of the Go_A unit
- Having bare trees around them, the seed bags and Kateryna's green frills gave a visual journey from barren waste, through growth to the ultimate greenery
- The dancers were integral to the whole, the use of the light halos gave a focus and then a real halo above Kateryna at the end
- The use of all the screens was amazing - we had not seen both being fully used. Although on all the time throughout the song, they told their own story and fitted in with that being told by the band
- Two viewings were needed to get all of the imagery generated on the screens - the figures of humans and animals running tied in with the ever increasing pace of the song
- This was so amazing that the press pack were begging for more run-throughs!
The footage only gives a hint of the above but look anyway:
If this wasn't drawing on traditional Ukrainian folklore for the lyrical content and using the White Voice sound of their previous entry, this might have had a perfect score. As it is, this puts Ukraine up with Lithuania in this SF...
Vocal Capability 5.0/5
Stage Performance 5.0/5
Composition / Originality 4.0/5
Overall Impression 5.0/5
Score 19.0/20 (9.50)
Based on a live performance in what appeared to be an alleyway in Ukraine, I had "SHUM" mid-table in my 39 but always had hopes that we would see something good visually at the Ahoy. I had no idea we would see what we saw today - Go_A are definite qualifiers, perhaps even as SF winners, and this could easily see them into the top ten in the Final. Could a song in Ukrainian win Eurovision? Maybe...
MALTA : Destiny - "Je me casse"
Plusses
- Destiny reinforced all of our beliefs that she is one of the best singers at this Contest
- She has an sassy attitude when performing this track, fitting the intention and message of the lyrics perfectly
- She is confident and delivers a strong image of herself during this performance
- I love the bright colours of the outfits that suit what appears to be a dance studio, together with the geometric shapes that she is positioned against
- This is all about Destiny's voice, her delivery and stage charisma, all three at 100%
The picture gives an idea of the colours I am talking about - click on the link to hear her sing:
I have no issues with this performance at all but then I wasn't a huge fan of the official video. It seems that those who loved the video are not keen on what they saw today. This is the highest scoring I have given to date for "Je me casse"...
Vocal Capability 5.0/5
Stage Performance 4.0/5
Composition / Originality 4.0/5
Overall Impression 4.0/5
Score 17.0/20 (8.50)
The only issue that distracted me was her fabric boot coming down but that is an easy fix. This is an entry that will still sail into the Final and should still be a contender for the Eurovision crown, despite the look of this staging disappointing some.
UKRAINE 9.5
CYPRUS 8.5
BELGIUM 8.5
MALTA 8.5
NORWAY 8.0
CROATIA 7.0
AZERBAIJAN 7.0
ROMANIA 7.0
ISRAEL 6.0
After all of the First rehearsals, my personal ten qualifiers would be these nations...
What will SF2 provide? We will start that journey on day 3!