There is 'being relaxed' and then there is
'enjoying the experience whatever happens'...
Jendrik and friends fall into the latter category!
We were back to First Rehearsals today on Day 6 at the Rotterdam Ahoy - all the Direct Finalists joined the party and had their initial try out, testing out their plans and seeing how well their practice at home translated to reality at Eurovision. As always, I was watching via the Online Press feed and looked for the good from each - as I have said before, any issues are for the delegations to sort out, although I have to say that two will be very pleased with their artists and stage directors. All of the pictures come via Thomas Hanses and Andres Putting, as always - they didn't take these on a Google Pixel 2XL!
Italy : Måneskin - "Zitti e buoni"
- During the rehearsals, it is obvious which acts have been together for years, now everything that needs to happen and gets it done in a totally professional way - Måneskin are one of those acts
- You have to be a damn fine artist to win Sanremo and it is obvious that this band is one of the best here at Eurovision.
- Damiano is an incredible lead singer - he is note perfect, he can sing full volume with whatever he is doing on stage, he has bags of charisma and he 'makes love to the camera', keeping everyone watching
- Victoria (bassist), Thomas (lead guitar) and Ethan (Drummer) are superb musicians, producing a great track and also adding their performance skills to the whole
- In addition to being a great frontman, Damiano shares the stage time with each band member in turn who almost performs a solo piece without it being obvious
- The staging is a pure gig performance but the mobile members utilise the whole stage throughout, making this so dynamic
- Having the camera out of the back of the stage to meet Damiano and walk past the others gives an introduction to the band that I haven't seen before
- The lighting of the set with red and blue that glares out of the darkened venue is superb
- The pyros used are more than any other entry this year and just tops the excellent performance we say
- The song and music are superb, that goes without saying - you don't need to understand Italian!
You will only get a small hint of this from the video - "Zitti e buoni" is an absolute must-see in the Final...
You might guess that I liked this - a perfect first rehearsal means that Måneskin could almost sit with their feet up during the second rehearsals, but they are far too professional for that...
Vocal Capability 5.0/5
Stage Performance 5.0/5
Composition / Originality 5.0/5
Overall Impression 5.0/5
Score 20.0/20 (10.0)
Italy were my #5 pre-Rotterdam - they now figure in my exclusive 'Maximum Score' club, alongside Bulgaria and one of the other Direct Finalists (you will find out who that is soon). This entry is a definite contender for the Eurovision crown - perhaps more of a favourite of the music professionals but it did win the public vote at Sanremo...
GERMANY : Jendrik - "I Don't Feel Hate"
- The ultimate Marmite song, ironic for a song that disses haters! I LOVE THIS!
- Jendrik's vocals are superb live - it is the first time that they have come under scrutiny and yet he has come up trumps, even during the fast spoken-sung section
- The German spoken section works too - he did tease us that he won't be revealing what he will say until the Final though
- The performance is bright, fun and slick - it is similar to the one they tried at the Schlager Champions show but this is sung live and works visually so well
- The outfits worn are well chosen, suit a fast dance routine and make everyone stand out as much as Ms. Middle Finger!
- The backing vocalists play their parts well, pretending to play instruments, sing spot on and dance with Jendrik
- Jendrik is the star - love the ukulele parts and he is engaging, connects with the camera all the time and has a wonderful charm
- The backdrop hammers home the message of the song, whilst the floor mimics paint powder explosions - it all adds to the happy feel throughout
Again, you can't see much in this video but I think that you will enjoy this one:
You can tell that I am on the LOVE side of this one - big scores throughout, there is nothing like this in 2021 and I am so surprised that this works as well as it does:
Vocal Capability 4.5/5
Stage Performance 4.5/5
Composition / Originality 5.0/5
Overall Impression 4.5/5
Score 18.5/20 (9.25)
I have no idea where this will end up on Final night! I would assume that this will appeal to a lot of the public, especially those who are looking for something that they think is a "Eurovision entry". I would also hope it catches the eye of those who get the message and get the fun and joy of this - this is well produced, catchy and I can now see why the German juries went for Jendrik and this song. I am not sure there is much to improve on - it is a bit chaotic and to be honest, that is part of its charm...
THE NETHERLANDS : Jeangu Macrooy - "Birth Of A New Age"
- One of the other Press people said that "Jeangu's voice is audio velvet" - a perfect description for this artist's vocals. His backing vocalists are excellent too
- This is a perfect host entry - it has a message, it shows off the culture of the nation (and one linked closely to it) and it has a contemporary feel that will attract jurors and public alike to this. It is arguably too good as I view this as an outsider for the win
- The routine is superb, the dancer gives a performance that appears to be unique to Jeangu's home nation, plus the movements and gestures are intriguing
- The visuals are simple but effective on stage, whereas the colours on the screens draw the eye and heighten the messages that Jeagnu wants to make
- Their outfits are modern and yet pick up on the story told in the Official video
This is a huge jump up from the reveal we had by Jeangu - this incorporates aspects of the video into it and more. The clip actually shows this off well:
The live performance blew me away - I was not expecting such excellence in the performance to go alongside his wonderful voice. We are having some excellent entries already in the Final this year...
Vocal Capability 5.0/5
Stage Performance 4.5/5
Composition / Originality 4.0/5
Overall Impression 4.5/5
Score 18.0/20 (9.00)
The Netherlands will not be struggling for points this year and if some of the favourites fail on the night, Jeangu could give us one of the best host finishes since Frans in Stockholm...
FRANCE : Barbara Pravi - "Voilà"
Plusses
- One less run through than the rest of the artists during the first rehearsals and yet we still got perfection
- This was as good as the National Final win, if not better - Barbara has a few changes but they did not detract from the excellence of this entry
- Her vocals as always were spot on, her emotional delivery and acting to the camera were wonderful, the lighting enhanced her performance at the microphone and we still had the amazing shadow on the floor that turned into a flock of birds
- There is a new camera aspect to the performance - the camera sways towards the end so she doesn't have to and it just tops everything off.
- She is so charismatic, so likeable, so flawless - the whole package is sublime. This is the best entry I have seen for years - during her one visible run today, I don't remember breathing!
You deserve to see the whole performance her at the Ahoy but here is a taste:
Still my #1 and there was nothing wrong with her presentation today - she is the third artist to get a maximum off me during the rehearsals...
Vocal Capability 5.0/5
Stage Performance 5.0/5
Composition / Originality 5.0/5
Overall Impression 5.0/5
Score 20.0/20 (10.0)
If I had my way, this would win Eurovision 2021 now. More rehearsals should see any slight niggles that Barbara is aware of ironed out, even though I think it is all perfect - for me, this is a contender for the Eurovision crown and a probable Jury winner. It will be down to the televoters as to whether we are going to France in 2022...
UNITED KINGDOM : James Newman - "Embers"
- James gave this his all - he hit all his marks, connected with the camera and sung his heart out
- Having the dancers with brass instruments was a great choice for the choreography and they timed their routine to perfection
- The light cage around the podium at the end focussed all attention on James, much like Sanna Nielsen in Copenhagen
- "Embers" itself as a song and musically is extremely catchy - I could see it opening or closing the Final, depending on where the UK are drawn
The prop trumpets are the focus of the number and probably what you will see first:
It was all a bit rough and ready during the first rehearsals - it sounded as though James needed to warm up his voice for the second set on Saturday, plus the staging and choreography would become second nature by then...
Vocal Capability 4.0/5
Stage Performance 3.0/5
Composition / Originality 3.0/5
Overall Impression 3.0/5
Score 13.0/20 (6.50)
There is a lot of work to do for the UK - at the moment we would be unlikely to move away from the right hand side of the Final leader board. Fingers crossed that it comes together a bit more during the second rehearsals...
SPAIN : Blas Cantó - "Voy a quedarme"
- It was brave to bring a new version of this song to the Ahoy and it worked brilliantly - the acapella section to start with is a rarity at Eurovision, a real wow moment
- Blas Cantó's strength is his vocals and they were flawless, every note hit and the variety from his NF win was noticeable
- The backdrop was beautiful with stars and meteorites flashing through the air - this fitted perfectly with a huge moon prop that hung over the head of the singer
- There was loads of passion in his delivery, another plus in this performance
You will get the idea of what this looks like in the video:
A standard ballad, wonderfully sung, performed as it should be, along with meaningful staging - a solid set of marks ensued...
Vocal Capability 5.0/5
Stage Performance 3.5/5
Composition / Originality 3.5/5
Overall Impression 3.5/5
Score 15.5/20 (7.75)
At the moment, this is a solid Eurovision ballad that will appeal to those who love their singers to have great vocals and a song that gives real emotion. It is not going to tear up any trees though and we might be looking at Spain near the bottom of the table, rather than the top.
Once Blas had finished, all first rehearsals were completed and my rankings for the Direct Finalists were as follows...
France 10.0
Italy 10.0
Germany 9.25
The Netherlands 9.00
Spain 7.75
United Kingdom 6.50
Day 8 is when they all go again - two with some work to do, perhaps? Day 7 sees the completion of the second set of rehearsals for SF2 - banner headlines for all of those acts tomorrow!