[LMBTO] Eurovision 2016, Day 6 - SF2 Rehearsals Conclude...

No, this isn't an obsessed female Eurovision fan who's muscled her way onto The Globen stage and then takes a selfie of her exploits - this is the Montenegrin backing vocalist during their second rehearsal.  Why take a selfie?  Who knows - part of the act?  Bored with having to perform in front of Highway?  Getting a piece of history?  Whatever the reason, it makes for an interesting picture...

And so onto the first Saturday in Stockholm - to think that in a week's time, Eurovision 2016 will all be over!  Let's gloss over that depressing fact and move onto the second busiest day of the fortnight with the second set of SF2 rehearsals.  Will we see any OTT performances?  Any OTT outfits?  Let's have a look at what the day brought and I'll be putting forward my "will it or won't it qualify" thoughts too...


Latvia


So the black jacket is in, as is the OTT (or passionate, if you listen to Justs' fangirls) singing style that he has continued to adopt on stage.  He is consistent, I give him that, and this consistency is extremely pleasing to the ear and would be to the eye, if he didn't double over several times as though in excruciating pain:
The staging is almost exactly as it was in Supernova so it's all very WYSIWYG (one for the IT crowd out there) - hopefully familiarity will not breed contempt from the Eurovision fans but there is not doubting the passion and emotional delivery that this man provides to the viewers.  Expect high mark from jurors and public alike - more than enough in the first instance to make this a DEFINITE QUALIFIER.


Poland

Hooray, the ringmaster is back!  Michał has his distinctive 'lucky' red jacket back on to hopefully propel him and Poland into this year's Final - he has a quite basic show (as far as most staging this year is concerned), his big powerful vocals being accompanied by piano and strings, albeit with some red lights and the occasional lit message of "What Color Is Your Life":
Very 'old school Eurovision' and this will be a jury favourite, I am sure, based purely on his emotional delivery and the vocals being spot on every single time.  As for the public, enough Poles and fans of anthemic songs will be voting for this one to ensure that he is a DEFINITE QUALIFIER.


Switzerland

No longer a young Mrs. Slocombe from 'Are You Being Served', the change in hairstyle here has improved matters immeasurably!  Same outfit, granted, but Rykka's decision to have her hair straightened has made a massive visual difference to this entry - I quipped that maybe she was going for some strange alien look, now I would say 'ethereal mythical creature (elf, dryad, siren)'.  Instead of looking weird, she actually looks cool, kind of funky with this look:
The rest of the entry hasn't really improved enough to back up the change in look however - the vocals are still as they ever were (distinctive tones and range, not to everyone's taste), the continual bobbing up and down which is a new thing here in Stockholm (I'm sure that the SVT director is tearing his/her hair out with trying to keep her in shot) and the fumes coming off her back (I suppose this will make sense on the night?).  It's probably too early to be a 'toilet break' song but wedged between Poland and Israel's power solos of pure gold, I can only see Switzerland being a NON-QUALIFIER.


Israel

So everyone is now jumping on the Hovi bandwagon - I knew that this going to be a smash here in Stockholm when I heard the revamp of this song and saw him perform it at the Pre-Parties but it is only now that the rest of the blogging community, Press pit and other fans have realised what a bloody good song and show this is.  Hovi is a showman, his voice is divine, he gives good face and they've even given us a golden pyro curtain to finish:
I'm still not convinced that the twirling duo in the ring is needed at all and I hope that the Israeli delegation have told SVT to keep as much of the focus on Hovi as possible, as his vocal talents and facial emotional delivery of 'Made Of Stars' is the key to success here in Sweden.  To be fair to SVT, they have positioned him nicely in the running order for this glorious ballad to shine like a...well, you know!  As I have this down as a possible dark horse for the win of this year's Contest, it will be obvious to all that I have this as a DEFINITE QUALIFIER.


Belarus

Now I have made no bones about the fact that I have always felt that IVAN's vocals are really too lightweight for this particular song, even quipping that he is 'Chad Kroeger lite'.  That created a real sadness in me as I have loved watching all the interviews of him to date and he comes across as such a nice guy, a straight-up no frills person who is delighted to be representing his nation in Stockholm.  Based on the song alone, I had no doubt that he would only get a SF go on The Globen stage - that was until I saw what was being included in his stage show:
We had the pre-Stockholm PR intrigue that IVAN was going to be naked on stage, accompanied by wolves, which we all poo-pooed as being impossible (no live animals, nothing to bring Eurovision into disrepute etc.) but the first rehearsal showed us that there were ways and means and that IVAN kept his word!  That part of the show is even clearer here and will catch the attention of the televoters straight away - is he naked?  Is he really with the wolf?  What this second rehearsal has shown is that IVAN and his delegation have really thought about the song and its meaning to give us a truly measured, interesting and meaningful CGI show.  No kitchen sink visuals (Russia) or something dark and arty (Iceland) but a show that integrates IVAN into what is happening behind/to the side of him and is humourous at times and thought-provoking at others.  The CGI wolves actually look as though they are IVAN's 'pack', having other IVANs playing the instruments as he sings is genius (even down to having each band member have a different 'personality') and the 'rain/ice man' singing is superb.


When I hear the hosts introduce Belarus, my eyes will be glued to the screen for a three minute show that I am sure that a lot of people will be amused and intrigued by, something that they weren't expecting.  As for it's chances of qualification?  This show might get it more public votes but I suspect this will not be a jury favourite - with a heavy, if very realistic, heart, I suspect this will still be a NON-QUALIFIER.


Serbia

Back to what some might consider traditional Eurovision fayre - a big powerful female voice blasting out a anthemic ballad, filling The Globen Arena with amazing tones and a strong message.  You all probably know me well enough by now to know that this ticks all my boxes - Sanja proved to me almost from day one, and definitely from the first Pre-Party in Riga, that this was going to be THE BEST VOCAL PERFORMANCE in Stockholm.  As to whether my hopes for this being a possible contender for the win this year, it was all about how this entry was going to be staged:
I think that Sanja and her team have done that perfectly too - her 'strong woman' persona on stage is now matched by an 'Mad Max' outfit, like Tina Turner's 'Auntie Entity' character in 'Beyond Thunderdome' perhaps (look it up on Google), accompanied by her female backing singers who are similarly dressed.  There appears to be some nods to how 'Molitiva' was staged back in 2007, with Sanja's backing singers meeting with her at the end of the song and linking up, much in the same way as The Beauty Queens did with Marija Šerifović.  The male dancer assists with this tale of abusive partners by adding to the visual performance but not detracting from the all-encompassing aspect of this entry that is Sanja's vocal skills and her on stage presence, exuding confidence and purpose.  Another entry that I think has a decent chance of winning this year, it's obvious that I'd be putting this down as another DEFINITE QUALIFIER.


Ireland

Nicky's still going for the 'everyman' look here, with his black jeans and 'Captain Scarlet' jacket ensemble which might endear him to his Westlife fans but isn't really helping in the hunt for votes.  When the official video was released of 'Sunlight' all those months ago, I loved it - it was catchy, the music hooked you in and the chorus was memorable - unfortunately any live performance has been a disappointment compared to that, culminating to what we saw during this final rehearsal:
I'm not sure that grabbing the camera is going to help matters, Nicky!  Possibly due to him not hitting the notes properly when he was moving around the stage during the first rehearsal, he now appears to be fixed and static behind the mike, almost making me think that Ireland might as well go the whole hog and give him a stool to sit on.  The vocals sound better because of it but it is just a traditional band performance, nothing more, nothing less and unfortunately Nicky does not exude the same on stage charisma that a lot of the other artists have, which makes this staging appear very boring.  He's a nice guy and comes across well in interviews but there was probably a reason why he wasn't the lead singer in his previous 'life' - the lack of anything interesting going on around him will not pull in a lot of votes from jurors or public.  What I felt to be a nailed on certain finalist when I first heard this song have gradually drifted down and down to what I now have as a NON-QUALIFIER.


FYR Macedonia

Now we see the real artist on stage!  No longer dressed as though she is just popping into town to go shopping, Kaliopi is now kitted out like a real star, sophisticated but understated, a new hairdo and exuding the confidence and presence that she had in 2012.  This song still is way down my list and I feel does this amazing lady no favours at all - however this second rehearsal performance shows how a charismatic artist can take 'a crock of a song' and keep the viewer visually spellbound with her movements, her facial expressions and her acting:
This was like the Moscow Pre-Party show, where I couldn't take my eyes off her, where I believed that her sheer will and personality, together with her on stage acting COULD take FYR Macedonia into the Final.  That was the only show I had seen that gave me that feeling, whilst none of the others did so, and I had decided that this was not going to get more than one public showing.  This second rehearsal gave that spine tingling moment again - the song itself is still not the greatest and there is still a huge amount of uncertainty with this, so I would put Kaliopi as a BORDERLINE QUALIFIER at best.


Lithuania

Now this is an odd one - I felt that this was going to sail into the Final with its party feel, Donny's enthusiastic movements around the stage and even the somersault off the trampette.  As the rehearsals have gone on, that sureness has dissipated somewhat - his vocals aren't spot on anymore, the break in his performance to allow him to do the gymnastics looks odd and needs to be filmed perfectly, I am now worried for him not breaking his neck on stage and he's decided to go all bizarre in the hair department:
It now sounds and looks like filler material between two female fan favourites, which is a real shame and totally unexpected.  As we have had enough time to take in the live vocals and visuals for this entry, maybe this has stayed the same, whilst other acts now have far better live performances, that's all I can think why this has suddenly dipped in my estimation.  This could be in danger of being 'a toilet break' song and I now have it as a BORDERLINE QUALIFIER.


Australia

I'm still not sure why she sitting on top of a big granite-effect box - did the Australian delegation think that she looked too small on stage?  Apparently she has some sort of 'Minority Report' staging going on, moving images around in the air, so that might explain that a bit.  Reports on site have mentioned the difficulty in getting Dami down by stage hands in time for the next shot - a needless complication to what is a simple, yet powerful, entry?
Dami still looks absolutely amazing in her futuristic 'wedding dress' and her vocals sound superb, none of which is a surprise to me at all.  It is even reported that she is mixing how she is singing the song up a bit each runthrough, which suggest ultimate confidence in what you are doing and singing - all in all, this still looks on course for a very decent finish in the Final, whereabouts will all depend on Dami's connection with the viewing public, as I am sure that this will amass juror votes aplenty across the nations participating.  This has DEFINITE QUALIFIER status written all over it.


Slovenia

Stop it, Martin, stop it!  I am still picking so many holes in this entry and there are now a different set from the ones I had in Slovenia!  The positive first - she looks gorgeous in that dress, very classy, even though her breasts are now placed in some sort of weird bondage but the overall look reminds me of one of the stage cut-outs that SVT are using for camera shots (no, not Elvis or Spock, the Marilyn Monroe one).  All of the negatives now avalanche over me - why the unrelated gymnast on a pole?
Why the odd facial expressions through this song?  The praying hands?  The gangster gun moves?  The coy hitching up of the skirt?  The unnecessary pyros?  If ManuElla had sung this straight, doing some sort of 'direct to camera' singing the song, at least this entry might have left with some dignity.  It now looks as though the Slovenian delegation have realised this isn't going to qualify and they are going to have some fun with it, much in the same vein as Amaryllis doing bizarre musical theatre in Belgium's Eurosong.  Do I really need to say NON-QUALIFIER?



Bulgaria

LCD lights didn't work for 1920's throwbacks Electro Velvet in Vienna but this more refined version of that technology actually works (sort of) with this futuristic costume that Poli has to fit herself into.  'Smart Tank Girl' does the business here, still throwing herself into her performance 120% which was obvious to anyone who had seen at any of the Pre-Parties:
I'll forgive the 'Cliff Richard at Eurovision' bow legged dance as Poli really connects with the viewer visually and the song is still as contemporary as ever.  Having spoken to a couple of non-fans over the last couple of days, "If Love Was A Crime" appeals to people outside the Eurovision bubble and might give an indication that this entry might do rather well with the public at least.  This has become one of my favourites as we have worked our way through the live shows here and elsewhere and I am more than confident that Bulgaria will be getting their second ever Finalist - a DEFINITE QUALIFIER.


Denmark

You know I don't like this, I know I don't like this, I could be brutal and not review this at all but I've written something about Serhat and ManuElla, so here goes.  This is so bland and uninspiring in its vocals (there is still some wavering in their voices at times), its staging (lit up mic stands? Is that all you have?  A few searchlights? An unrelated pyro display?) and their on stage interaction (as if they are guests on the same show doing a one off song):
This wouldn't even get my vote in the OGAE SCC and it's as if Denmark have to decided to make the minimal effort possible with this entry.  Destined to be totally forgotten, wedged between the exuberance of Poli and the stunning vocals of the next artist, I can imagine viewers watching the recap and saying 'who are Lighthouse X?  Did they sing?'.  This will be vying with ManuElla for bottom spot in this SF - a NON-QUALIFIER.


Ukraine

Okay guys, if you went out of the room to do something else whilst Denmark were on, make absolutely sure that you are back for this one.  Sit back, concentrate and let this wash all over you:
Not sure if the blue or black outfit is the way to go but that is peripheral to the rest of this stunning entry.  You can tell that this means so much to this lady in a personal way and I cannot imagine how she is not emotionally drained after each performance.  Sure, the lyrics and background to this song are so dark but it so, so works perfectly with the fusion of ethnic Crimean sounds and jazz fusion, together with the vocal tones and prowess of the classically trained singer that is Jamala.  The camera angles lose a lot of the visual emotional power here but on the night, assuming it is filmed as it was in Ukraine, the whole three minutes will give a big wow factor to the viewers at home.  There is no doubt that everything about this entry will appeal to a juror and I expect this to score very highly during the first set of Final scores - if the public 'get this' as much as I do, I think that this will get a big slice of the televote pie too.  Look at me talking about this in the Final and possibly winning - of course this is a DEFINITE QUALIFIER.


Norway

I just want to say - is "Icebreaker" trying some sort of weird Jedi mind trick on everyone this year?  Regular readers will know that I just can't cope with this song's fast verse, slow chorus construction and that is the main reason that I don't particularly like it or believe that it will do that well.  Surprisingly enough to me, I was on a radio show yesterday and despite my misgivings over the song, two of the other participants, neither of them Eurovision fans, said that they found this 'back to front' issue to be a plus point and they found it interesting, at least enough to stand out:
I suppose that's what makes Eurovision and general musical tastes so wide and varied.  Agnete still sings this perfectly and looks as stunning as ever in her outfit, unchanged from the NF - perhaps I am being harsh and perhaps a little unreasonable in my views of this song.  This is never going to be a favourite of mine and it won't find its way onto any playlists I may construct but for the mere fact that Agnete sings this well, connects well with the camera and some non-fans like it which might suggest some televotes will come her way, I'm putting this down as a BORDERLINE QUALIFIER.


Georgia

Ah, this sort of performance takes me back - unfortunately back to The Old Grey Whistle Test and The Oxford Road Show, maybe if I was being really generous to recent Glastonbury shows.  It is what it is - a very stereotypical band show, with the lead singer moving around the stage, the rest of the band concentrating on their roles of playing their instruments:
All of which comes across as very dull, no-one really has the charisma to hold the viewer's attention and the song doesn't have any wow or hook to it.  Some of the musos in the Press pit will love this but for most people watching Eurovision will not find this entertaining or even worth listening to.  This might do surprisingly well with the jurors around Eurovision but I would not be shocked to hear that this polled few votes amongst the public voting.  Another NON-QUALIFIER.


Albania

Well, Eneda scrubs up well, doesn't she?  Now wearing her Eurovision outfit, she looks very glam and the outfit fits with the essence of the song and its lyrics.  I'm not sure you'd wear it out anywhere else but still:
"Fairytale" is still sung in the same dramatic and powerful way that Eneda has always done since this song's conversion into English but no matter how much emotional effort and hand/note movements that Ms Tarifa puts into this performance, the song itself still feels flat and devoid of any climax or lift within it.  If it wasn't for the fact that Georgia were before her, I could see this being totally forgettable.  Being staged 17th out of 18 might help memorability but I can still only see this entry as a NON-QUALIFIER.


Belgium

This is the entry this year that I now believe will surprise a lot of us Eurovision fanatics as to how well it will do.  I covered the whole of the Belgian NF earlier this year and this was definitely the best of those there but I had misgivings about her voice during any frenetic choreography.  Due to Laura not being at any of the Pre-Parties, it was difficult to judge whether anything had changed - looking at the footage above, this is now one of the slickest, most entertaining entries we have this year:
Visually eye catching, some smart choreographed moves and as I said during my review of the first rehearsals, Laura is now the leader, everyone following what she is doing.  I still have some worries about how her voice sounds on the edge of being out at times when she picks up the vocals again but overall the fun, the funk and the enthusiasm that is all within the Belgian package will see this being the party song of the SFs, and challenging Barei for that crown in the Final.  The reason why I think this will do better than us fans think?  I have had more non-fans saying how much they like this one, with all the references to Under Pressure and Rappers' Delight thrown in too.  A superbly upbeat way to end the SFs and a DEFINITE QUALIFIER for me.


Okay, as for SF1, here are my Definite Qualifiers, eight this time: