Day 10 and it is the first day of what really matters in the big scheme of things, the first show with points up for grabs! Jury SF1 is upon us, the show where five music professionals from each nation rank all the entries and come up with a traditional 12,10,8 etc scoring. Now the only others who will see any of the Jury shows are those who have tickets to get into the Pala Olimpico and those who are press accredited, like myself, who can watch the stream through the Press room or online. As I am in the privileged position to do that, I feel that it is my duty to pass on what I see - all the entries are listed in running order and I will tell you what happened. Did we have any duff notes? Did anyone raise their game? I watched the Jury Final like a juror because, let's face it, that is who is giving out the marks, so expect comments on VOCALS, STAGING, COMPOSITION AND OVERALL IMPRESSION. Let's start with the artist who has the privilege to open Turin 2022...
ALBANIA (Ronela Hajati - "Sekret")
What was a dynamic and powerful performance at FiK about a strong and independent woman (admittedly to a longer version of "Sekret" and with 15 additional dancers) now comes across as an erotic play off between her dancers and the repeated use of the 'helicopter hair' trick. This didn't work for Slavko when he had a better braid and at least he had the excuse of his delegation giving him absolutely nothing to work with. Here, that part of the choreography looks bizarre and it just seems as though Ronela's play with the female dancer is there just because she can, rather than it progresses any story. As for the rest of this entry, it seems as though Ronela has accepted her role as opener and warm-up act for all the other entries. There might be smoke machines too but this really did nothing for me - down as my 15th at the moment in SF1...
LATVIA (Citi Zēni - "Eat Your Salad")
For me, this is the real starting point of SF1 now but even this lacked a little something of its genius in Jury SF1. Citi Zēniare still that incredible mass of energy and enthusiasm but their hope that the crowd would fill in the gap at the start didn't work with the size of audience tonight (there were visible gaps, so maybe a bigger audience will do the job...unless the EBU use their anti-sound device). Some of the vocals were a bit off too, especially that last bit at the end which may have lost them a mark or two with the jurors. Still incredibly watchable, still a lot of fun but I suspect that Latvia might need public help to make the Final - 11th for me on tonight's run through...
LITHUANIA (Monika Liu - "Sentamentai")
I had feared that the persona that is Monika Liu had been switched off in Turin during the rehearsals so far - she was just toying with us for the previous nine days! She was back to her PiN Lithuanian best and flirting with the camera and crowd as she did at the promo parties! Back to her best, she has taken her performance up to new heights - everything about this was pure seduction and there really was no need for camera trickery, just the changes in dark and light that show off her beautiful face so well to allow for that charm to reach the jurors. They will have loved her vocals, the fact that this is in her native tongue and that they are in the presence of a true professional. Up to my #6 after Jury SF1...
SWITZERLAND (Marius Bear - "Boys Do Cry")
For some reason all the balladeers really upped their game this evening for the Jury show - it is as if they knew how important it was to show off their vocal skills! Marius is just Marius, an endearing crooner who comes across as a nice guy who does everything in a heartfelt way. The song itself is so peaceful and calm, the darkness is perfect for this understated performance and the heart projection onto his face is a lovely touch. Forget the slightly distracting arm gestures (although that is how he rolls) - this impressed me tonight with my juror hat on and it was #8 on my list...
SLOVENIA (LPS - "Disko")
LPS are still having a great time in Turin, they are still singing their song, they still have the disco ball, it sounds the same and looks the same as in all their rehearsals. That still means that I don't rate this at all and it ends up as #17 out of 17 in SF1 after Jury SF1 - I can guarantee that another run through tomorrow night is NOT going to change my mind about this one. That's it, I suppose...
UKRAINE (KALUSH ORCHESTRA - "Stefania")
This still has the same wow factor for me when I first saw this performed in KALUSH Orchestra's second rehearsals online and everything about the staging is still spot on perfect. The floor screens that mirror their shapes as they sway on stage are truly inspired and the break dancing works to perfection. The mix of traditional and modern works so well, as does the focus on the eyes of the woman on the LED screens that shed the yellow. The only slight quibble tonight would have been the vocals not being as tight as before but that might have been due to the crowd really ramping up the volume and bigging these guys up. I still think that this is one of the ones to beat at the moment but it had dropped down to my SF1 #3, based on the performances of two other acts going that one step further forward...
BULGARIA (Intelligent Music Project - "Intention")
I had a thought that this could just sneak into the Final but it would need a lot of love from Intelligent Music Project's fellow musicians on the jury panels around Eurovision. Having watched tonight's showing, I think that the actual song itself is going to be the killer as far as Bulgaria's hopes are concerned - to be honest, that has always been the weakness here. Ronnie gives it his all vocally and visually, the focus on the band is top notch (especially the split screen at the start) and everything is thrown at it, including pyros and a guitar solo but this still doesn't do it for me. In the end, the IMP bird logo appears on the stage floor, as though somebody thought it a good idea to advertise the band even more so now, in case a Final place is not forthcoming. I don't think that it is based on this show - 14th at the moment for me...
NETHERLANDS (S10 - "De diepte")
Sometimes you have to wait for the actual shows to finally 'get' an artist - sometimes that happens when they show you what you have been wanting to see from them from the very beginning. The reason that I never ranked Netherlands highly up to know, from when we found out that "De diepte" was the Dutch entry and all through the rehearsals, was that S10 never really showed me her emotions visually during any of her performances. Yes, the emotion was clear in her voice and obviously her feelings are there in the lyrics but today was the day that she released her emotions through her face too, to complete the circle and to make this a performance that took my breath away. Her voice is perfect, the mood lighting is spot on, she connects with the camera throughout and now I believe in her emotions on all levels. This is now vying for winning the Jury side of things, not just here in SF1 but also in the Final - my clear #2 in Jury SF1...
MOLDOVA (Zdob şi Zdub & Fraţii Advahov - "Trenuleţul")
Having watched Eurovision for so many years now, it feels like I've grown up with ZSZ and seeing them and Fraţii Advahov perform was just like old times! As soon as that music starts, it is 'earworm all the way' and smiles everywhere - the camera panned around the audience that was there and lots were on their feet clapping and singing. Sunglasses and coloured outfits just add to this performance of a mad polka plus basic choreography that works so well - even that 'modern' guitar solo works perfectly to give the main threesome a chance to make Stage B. This is not a standard Jury song but I judged it as just scraping into that final place at #10 - that will bode well for Moldova, as this will go huge with the public who will not be able to forget this entry...
PORTUGAL (MARO - "Saudade Saudade")
This entry has caught my mood with watching the Turin performances, which are all very dark due to 'that arch' and lit in darker hues - that is all perfection as far as atmosphere for MARO and her five accompanying singers are concerned. The intimacy is wonderful and suits this melancholy song perfectly - her voice is a bit of an acquired taste but when all six are harmonising, this is heaven. The outfits of various shades of purple look gorgeous and it all adds to the obvious joy that they all have singing together. The simple camera shots fit in with that emotion you get throughout when listening to this and all the boxes were ticked when looking at this from a jurors point of view - from being a song that didn't click with me at all when MARO was on her stool at Festival da Canção, this is now my #5 and I hope the public like it as much to get it into the Final...
CROATIA (Mia Dimšić - "Guilty Pleasure")
This is STILL one of my favourite songs of the whole contest but Mia and the Croatian delegation are in danger of performing themselves out of a place in the Final. So much has changed from the perfection of "Guilty Pleasure" at DORA to this performance in Turin that a lot of its charm has gone. Don't get me wrong, the vocals are still perfect and the song a modern masterpiece but the addition of two extra dancers to make the story more understandable now makes this staging more cluttered, having Mia as an observer of a dream rather than directly involved in the story has lost some of the power of the story and including some Croatian is a nice touch but again changes the dynamic of the whole. Mia looks amazing, her personal energy is spot on but this has now dropped to my #9 as far as jury scoring is concerned and I could see her miss out once the public's votes are in, purely as this no longer has that magical impact at DORA. I hope that I am wrong...
DENMARK (REDDI - "The Show")
If more focus could have been on Ihan's drumming then I would have been more than happy! She is the most dynamic part of this entry visually and that is probably what will lead to Denmark not making the Final. We all know that the swap from piano ballad to rock is a novel choice and that change in pace and energy does keep the interest in this song, but everything about this entry is whether you invest in this girl rock band and how they perform on stage. The musicianship is excellent and it is obvious that they are having a great time but I think that in this field that they won't get enough marks from either jury or public to get them into the Final. Currently my #13 and I feel that might be about right when we find out all the scores on Sunday...
AUSTRIA (LUM!X ft Pia Maria - "Halo")
Being able to watch the entirety of the Jury shows on a screen like the real jurors does allow you to make judgements on these entries that you know 99.99% won't know until they see the public show. To put it bluntly, Pia had the weakest vocal of anyone singing in the Jury SF and that included Luca who is only meant to be DJing. That alone will mean Austria will be near or at the bottom of a lot of jurors lists and that means very few jury points - as I have now only heard one run through where Pia hit every note spot on, I would be surprised if that changes in the televised show. The overall performance was great though - the lighting and smoke added to the event, the pyros were going throughout, Luca and Pia had great interaction with the crowd and if this had been Tel Aviv with the crowd right next to the stage, this would have gone down massive in the Arena. Unfortunately all the crowd are in the stands so even that potential positive is gone - my #16 out of 17...
ICELAND (Systur - "Með hækkandi sól")
Now you will often read that an entry is 'jury bait' and that summarises Iceland's to a T this year. If you have seen one run through, you know instantly what to expect - the distinctive country sound, each sister with her own style, the nicely positioned diagonal for the cute camera angles, their sway as they play, Systur's incredible harmonies, the memorable split screen with them all singing the most emotional part of the song. Everything is there for music professionals to love - great voices, professionals doing their thing on stage, this being in Icelandic, and the crowd warming to this so much that I had goose bumps at the end. I think this will be a solid top ten with most jurors - the question is how much public support will Systur (and Eythor) get in the tv show. I was swayed too by this - my #7...
GREECE (Amanda Georgiadi Tenfjord - "Die Together")
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NORWAY (Subwoolfer - "Give That Wolf A Banana")
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ARMENIA (Rosa Linn - "SNAP")
And so onto the last entry and you can see the reason why we needed a few minutes of Alessandro and Mika chatting about throwing money into the water feature to get set up. "SNAP" has the potential to be the 'every person' entry this year - the public will love it for its look, for Rosa's charisma and beautiful voice and for that novel bedroom, whilst the juries will go for her poise and confidence during this show and for her track itself that screams modern and catchy. To be honest, this wasn't her best run but Rosagave us the connection and story telling that this piece deserved, the last 30 seconds with opening up the wall and singing to the venue being the moment that will be remembered by all. You can tell I love this entry - #4 on the night and a great return for Armenia. So there you go - my Jury SF1 top ten...
Of the seven above, Norway will be a shoe-in with the public vote and it would not surprise me if Latvia squeezed in too. I know that there is a lot of fan love for Albania too but I personally would be surprised if Ronela made it through without the votes of the Eurovision fandom. As a bonus, we also got to see another rehearsal for France and Italy during the streaming of the Jury SF...
France
Alvan & Ahez - "Fulenn"
The crowd went wild for this in the Arena, it still has the same fusion of traditional and modern; superb vocals from Ahez, with Alvan better vocally on his own; intensity spot on and the staging still totally watchable; dancer still superfluous to the whole.
Italy
Mahmood & BLANCO - "Brividi"
This is back to its Sanremo best - it was an emotional masterclass, both sung their parts beautifully and with full meaning, the chemistry is totally believable, the harmonies sublime and they are improving this every time they sing. This was on par with Amanda's performance and they will be vying for Jury winner in the Final with her.
I will talk more about the hosts in the next article, when we will know which of the above ten are through SF1 on day 11. All three did a good job, some of the humour hit the mark and proceedings seemed to run quite smoothly. The interval acts should not be missed, especially Diodato, so if your broadcaster tends to miss those, perhaps the internet stream from eurovision.tv might be the way to go! Obviously the main show is all about the public voting - all subjective, no grading, just what catches your eye and ear and heart. So the next article will have a different slant to it in that I will be reviewing the SF1 acts in a way that I don't normally do...
Who would deserve to get any or all of my paid-for TWENTY VOTES!
