One of the most glamourous artists here in Stockholm, Eneda from Albania, will possibly win the best dressed singer but would she make it into the Final out of SF2? There was only one way to tell - onto the live performance of SF2, with 18 more acts fighting it out to get one of the ten places for Saturday night...
Loads of big singers and power ballads to listen to, with an occasional sprinkling of uptempo pop too - hopefully it was going to make for an entertaining evening. Nice to hear 'Rhythm Inside' as the background for this backstage film - he was on fire last year, as Rykka appeared to be this:
It is interesting to see all the artists humming and singing along to their favourite tracks by others this year - I am sure it happens every Contest but there seemed to be an incredible amount of comradery amongst all performers in Stockholm. Anyway, on with the show itself - as I am totally predictable, I watched the BBC Eurovision coverage again (I will sort out the internet coverage of my tv for next year, if I am watching at home again) - it does seem as though Mel calms down for SF2 and the Beeb even showed the best bits of the 'interval acts', with a superb 'musical theatre' number by our ever-present and always superb hosts, singing and performing an amazing tongue-twister of a song:
Absolutely bloody amazing - I have to say that this was possibly the best ever non-contestant interval/host act since the one and only Riverdance (and as that is my favourite ever interval act, that is saying something!). It set me up nicely for the second semi-final, "The One With The Singers", if you want the Friends approach - how did I rate this SF? 8 out of 10 right for SF1...
Latvia
A bit of a strange one to start the show off, although having had THAT incredible performance by Petra and Måns just before the songs started being reeled off, maybe SVT felt that the crowd and audience at home would already be warmed up and therefore a 'sacrificial lamb' was not necessary? As for the Latvian entry, there really wasn't much to say - Justs sung this amazingly well (as always), he overacted the whole performance (as always) and continued to live 1980s fashion (as always). The staging was as it always had been but there was something different here...
There was absolutely no doubt that, despite kicking the SF off, 'Heartbeat' was going to be heard again at some point in the Final. One of the best male vocalists here in Stockholm, a deserved place in Saturday night's proceedings was going to add to the audio excellence there and drawing SECOND HALF was going to keep Latvia's hopes of repeating their top ten place in Vienna alive. I still couldn't see how this would do any better than that, given the sparsity of the staging...
Poland
If you have been reading my articles this Contest, you know that I rate this guy highly - he has an amazing voice, he is visually engaging and this is simple staging that works, Ronseal-wise (does what it says on the tin). It is very old-school Eurovision, it's got lyrics that are pleasant, appeals to a wide audience (if being rather corny) and Michał comes across as someone you'd want to watch and connect with...
I always had confidence that this would sail through to the Final, as the second slot is not that much of a hindrance here, his whole vocal and visual performance would be memorable all the way through until voting AND there was the diaspora to consider this year, the televote no longer being constrained by whatever the jurors thought (although I did think that they would appreciate such an entry). To me, an obvious Finalist - a FIRST HALF draw might hinder a chance of a 'dark horse' win but I still felt that a top ten finish was still a possibility...
Switzerland
Probably the least surprising statistic evening of the night was Switzerland having an NQ. Rykka had pulled together all the worst aspects of everything I had seen from the rehearsals - her vocals weren't that great (seemingly relying heavily on backing vocals), she had curly blue hair (even though the straight look worked so well in my opinion, giving her an 'elven' look)...
and her bobbing around for the last minute gave me a headache (let alone giving the SVT director problems with getting a clear camera shot). The only positive from it all was her gorgeous smile, which in truth was slightly strained at the end when even she seemed to realise how badly it had all gone. Oh Switzerland, you have so many NF entries and yet you rarely find a good 'un...
Israel
Justs, you needed to have watched this to really know how to perform facial emotion at Eurovision. Less is more AND you don't need to be bent double or eyes tightly closed to show it. Having said that, the Israeli delegation needed to realise that sometimes props take the attention away from the main act - the spinning, twisting acrobats in the ring were a distraction and could have easily been taken out of this stunning and emotional vision. Hovi gave this everything, vocally and whilst connecting with the camera, and for me
Lots of passion, the other special effects worked (the CGI floor faces were okay, the pyro curtain looked superb) and this still looked like a possible outside bet for the Eurovision crown. That was until Hovi drew SECOND HALF in the Press Conference afterwards - any hopes of anything other than a top half finish had gone.
Belarus
Serbia
As you know, this is my #2 ranked song this year and after SF1, it has now been promoted to #1 (courtesy of Iceland's shock NQ). I just prayed that I hadn't jinxed Sanja's chances this year but my concerns on the night were groundless as Serbia made it into the Final. Another song with a story and a strong message sung by the best vocalist here in Sweden, in my opinion - my only thought was that
but might make this not be that memorable during the Final if positioned in the 'wrong' place. Everything worked, the emotion, the strength of vocal and visual performance, even the dancer was staged perfectly. Yes, there was hints of 'Molitva' in the backing singers and Sanja coming together at the end but I was still confident that if this was repeated during the Jury and Public Finals, we still had a chance of being in Belgrade 2017...
Ireland
I'm sure if there had been a Contest for catchiest official video this year, Nicky would have been up there vying for the win. When it was announced that he was Ireland's representative and that 'Sunlight' was the song, this looked really good for Ireland to at least get to the Final. Then came the actual live performances and to be truthful, none of them have done anything other than show that this guy is not a lead singer. Sure he has lots of stage presence and confidence, gained through his many hours of being with Westlife but
Because he's not the best live vocalist, it means that his staging is limited as he can't really do anything other than stand still and sing - that in turn makes for a very static performance, a traditional 'gig' staging that doesn't really work now (99% of the time - see later). All in all, this was not that great to listen to or watch - I could imagine a lot of viewers picking now to have a quick break. This was a definite NQ - internal selections aren't working for Ireland, what next?
FYR Macedonia
Now this was my borderline qualifier in this SF and that was purely due to my belief that Kaliopi, through sheer stage charisma and personality, could carry this into the Final. I still believe that the song itself was the major weak link here
and to her credit, Kaliopi performed this superbly well, great camera and crowd connection, nice floor and backdrop lighting with some solid vocals, although the last piercing note was a bit close to 'off key'. Unfortunately this was all to no avail, as 'Dona' missed out on a Final placing and got one of the NQs. Another to join the 'worse result second time around' club, I'm not sure we'll see this extremely popular lady back at Eurovision again...
Lithuania
One that I wasn't sure about qualifying but on the night Donny did everything right. His vocals and enunciation were great, his 'literal acting' was convincing enough and his energy was amongst the best in the SF. Even the somersault worked...
and it showed that SVT got the dimensions of the actual stage just about right for all performers. The fact that this was the most hi-tempo song of the night probably helped this ease into the Final, as its memorability at the voting stage would have been high. There might even have been a bit of help from the Lithuanians around Europe but we had no idea how much that was at this stage...
Australia
Another no brainer for qualifying, this was a superb audio experience with Dami showing what an amazing singer she is. She was still wearing her futuristic wedding dress and glittery glove, which tied in (I suppose) with the 'Minority Report' staging in the middle of the song. I have to say that I have no idea why she had to spend 70% of the song on a big box, as all of the wafting in mid-air could have been done on stage.
and if jurors and televoters were just going for the song and the singer, Australia were going to be easily top 3 at the end of Saturday night. If voters were also after some visual masterpiece or a backstory, Dami might not get her nation's first win - I was convinced that she must have been close to winning this stage though. The only downside on the whole night for her in fact was drawing FIRST HALF for the Final - a second half draw would possibly have put the final piece of the jigsaw together...
Slovenia
Just when you think this entry couldn't get any more comical, I have found a new way to delight myself with this song. ManuElla's accent and way of singing English has now made me believe that "Our past is spinning in my head" now sounds like "The bestest feeling in my head" - read that and now try listening to this song now! I know, it's unfair but there is still so much wrong with "Blue and Red" that I am beyond caring - I'll list it for you:
Bulgaria
The big question after all the pre-Eurovision Parties and interviews was: could the wonderfully engaging 'ball of energy' that is Poli Genova take 'If Love Were A Crime', drag Bulgaria out of the doldrums and into only their second Eurovision Final?
When I saw the official video initially, I wasn't sure that this would do much at all but after having seen Poli at the Pre-Parties, including the London one that I attended, it was obvious that her on-stage charisma and showmanship was second to none. This, together with her spot on singing, produced a superb show in the SF. It was also telling that several non-fans that I know who had heard this entry would have this on their playlists, despite it being a Eurovision entry - with all of that information to hand, I was fairly safe in assuming that Poli would be singing this again in the Final but it took seeing Bulgaria's name come out of an envelope to convince me that this uptempo pop song (despite the LCD Tank Girl costume) would be adding pace to the Saturday show. I suspect that drawing the FIRST HALF of the Final wasn't a major issue for Poli - nothing was going to dent her joy of going through...
Denmark
There's always filler needed in Eurovision SFs, entries that everyone knows aren't going through but have their uses by splitting two entries that will be real contenders and showing off how good they are. Enter Lighthouse X - the mediocre man band that somehow won in Denmark with their really low key, monotonous song "Soldiers Of Love". To be fair to the three guys, they actually all sung well (compared to how they had sung in the past) but the staging was still non-existent (lit microphone stands)...
Yet another stone cold certain NQ here - I suppose there's always the OGAE Second Chance Contest, Denmark, assuming you send Anja Nissen or Simone to that one...
Ukraine
We all knew the back story to this one - in fact, it was this year's headline grabber, almost on a par news wise with a certain bearded lady a couple of years ago. There were lots of similarities with Conchita - the fact that both she and Jamala's entries caused a lot of debate and division amongst the fan community and also that it only became obvious in each of their respective SFs that they were real contenders for the Eurovision crown. I knew that '1944' had this bleak and quite stark story to it and on its own, the message in the song isn't enough. What really made this a possible Eurovision winner was
The blue trouser suit was one of the two that Jamala had had designed for her and it was possibly the 'happier' of the two she could have worn - the staging, although only floor and backdrop lighting, gave the same perspective, the dark message of the lyrics turning into a multitude of colours on the floor that regressed into the golden tree behind her. All amazingly powerful images and that was a major difference between her entry and some of her competition in the SF, in particular Australia. The other main difference between them was that even though this song has such a dark theme, the music has always been a bit of a toe tapper, the rhythmic beats and jazz influences shine through, making the music a pleasant subsconscious joy against the power and emotion of the words and the singer. Jamala's classical vocal training is not in doubt - I suspect that she never puts a foot wrong ever and her emotional connection with the audience is superb. Whether this was too 'Marmite' a song to win was a matter for another night - qualification for the Final was not in doubt and a SECOND HALF draw would keep her top 3 chances strong too...
Norway
Ah, the 'mind f**k' song! Having not seen Agnete at any Pre-Parties or interviews at all due to her medical issues, we had very little to go on as far as how this would look on the Globen stage. In the end, there wasn't much difference between this and her winning show in Norway - same dress, same vocals (I have never had an issue with how she sounds or looks) but now no big podium to potentially fall down from and just a dancer in the background. She performed this very well and seemed pleased with how it went - I have heard this with just her voice and no music and it sounds a lot better.
In the end, Norway ended up with an NQ, which saved my ears from yet another confusing time in the Final...
Georgia
Every year there seems to be one entry that I think does not have a hope in hell of qualifying, that isn't stereotypical Eurovision and I cannot see where the love will come from. This year it was 'Midnight Gold', the 'twenty years too late' Brit Pop song that, if presented by one of the Gallagher brothers to the other as they were choosing album tracks, would normally have been laughed out of the room but somehow struck a chord with the jurors and/or voters around Eurovision to get enough votes to get into the Final.
Now I have a wide musical taste, not having grown up on just Eurovision entries as some fans seem to be so I am always pleased to see entries that aren't power ballads or Euro Club anthems - I go as far back as the start of punk in 1976 (I didn't have a problem with PKN last year, it was just a poor song) and disco (which I am sure that most younger Eurovision fans would appreciate but not the Serhat kind). I do like this attempt at this genre and the lyrics about waking up the morning after the night before are witty in their own way but it's just not a particularly great song. The musicianship is top notch and the blinding light show was amazing (I went to a Big Country gig with lights like that most the way through - I still had flashing images in my eyes the next day) but I really thought that this did not stand a chance of making the Final, especially with the rather naff 1970s camera effects. I suppose this made for a more diverse Final and getting a SECOND HALF draw meant nothing to the group (Nika looked stunned to be in the Press Conference, to be honest) - at least it gave Graham Norton something to chat about...
Albania
Ever since the release of this English version of the Albanian entry, Eneda must have been battling with the realisation that this was always destined to be an NQ. Stuck between the OMG moment that was Georgia and the party tune of SF2, 'Fairytale' was always destined to be forgotten by all voters - stunning dress though, possibly one of the best of the whole Contest, although there was no chance of Eneda moving around the stage! She sung this as best she could but as
it was never getting to the Final. If this had been sung in 1976, this might have stood a chance but this totally retro feel was just filler...
Belgium
And onto the final SF2 entry - the party tune of the night and the slickest choreography of any entry we had seen to date in Stockholm. Quite similar to the version that Laura performed at Eurosong to get here in the first place but this was improved a hundredfold, mainly due to the fact that Laura now had got her vocals spot on whilst dancing and moving around the stage.
the bonus was that this looked like a Motown routine, totally natural with the artists able to sing live whilst doing it, unlike some modern day stars I could mention who can barely lipsynch in time. Laura even pulled off the 'throw away' line of getting the crowd involved - she didn't need to really, as the Stockholm crowd were totally up for this act. Superb vocals, together with a visual spectacle without the need for CGI or intricate floor/back shows, Belgium had hit the spot yet again and I was sure that this did well in the voting. No issues with this going through - unfortunately for Laura (and possibly good for Barei, the other party song this year), she drew FIRST HALF and was therefore destined to go from closing the SF to being the Final's opening act...
We then got the chance to see the remaining three Direct Finalists in action - none of which had inspiring staging and only one had anything different to show us...
Germany
Absolutely identical to the German NF, down to the Manga outfit, the gnarled trees with associated lasers and the moon from last year's Azerbaijan entry! The same performance from Jamie-Lee as well, vocally and connection-wise, all of which was finally sinking into my brain that this wasn't going to do well in the Final. It hadn't helped Germany's chances any that they had drawn FIRST HALF in the Final - I could only see this being used as filler there, possibly separating two more uptempo songs or even being given the death slot of #2. Her voice is amazing and I am sure we will hear more of her but Jamie-Lee's obsession with k-pop is an acquired taste and that won't be the flavour of the month at the Eurovision Final...
Italy
Straight into the song but immediately I could see a huge issue for this entry - what is with all the tat and junk on and around the stage? My attention was immediately on that, wondering what this was all about and because I have no knowledge of Italian, I had no idea if the song related to it all, it made no sense to me. Francesca still has a beautiful voice but her hand movements still distracted from the purity of her words and the dungarees looked totally unflattering, especially as I know how gorgeous she looks in stylish clothing (judging from her London performance). There is also the seed/turnip/tree at the end - no idea what the meaning is. Even the most avid fan of this song must have realised that this stood no chance of a surprise now, especially as she had drawn FIRST HALF - I never liked this from day 1 and the silence of fans saying "Italy are going to win" was deafening after this was shown...
United Kingdom
Ah, how patriotic can I be? Bar the addition of the selfies and the drummers now being up on a stand, this was effectively the same performance as the NF I attended in Kentish Town. It was as if the style director had thought "that'll do, can't be bothered to do anything else" - I suppose that there was little that could have been changed to this but it did mean that Joe and Jake's vocals had to be spot on and to be honest, even comparing theirs to most of those in SF2, their voices weren't really in the same league. Could the gig performance aspect get them votes? Lots of bands to compare against this year too with Minus One and even Georgia giving a more realistic show. I was still hopeful of a reasonable finish but having watched all the other acts who were in the Final before them, I now feared that a mid table but right hand side finish was the best we were going to get on Saturday...
You've seen that I did quite well with my predictions (9/10) but here is how they came out - Georgia being called second set the cat amongst the pigeons:
Unlike the SF1 press conference, there weren't any dramas or difficult questions - Laura got to show off her trademark move, Nika showed how unprepared he was for making it into the Final and 'last bowl drawee' Justs had worked out where he would be singing in the Final (unlike the host and a lot of the journalists):
Everyone looked overjoyed to be in the Final - even Jamala seemed to be happy, whereas the Georgian guys were working out whether they could get two extra days booked at their hotel at this late stage:
That was SF2 - in the end, quite a predictable one as far as qualifiers went (all bar one for me). At least my top ranked entry had made it through this time but there were at least two entries that have stepped up and shown they are real contenders for this year's title...
Loads of big singers and power ballads to listen to, with an occasional sprinkling of uptempo pop too - hopefully it was going to make for an entertaining evening. Nice to hear 'Rhythm Inside' as the background for this backstage film - he was on fire last year, as Rykka appeared to be this:
It is interesting to see all the artists humming and singing along to their favourite tracks by others this year - I am sure it happens every Contest but there seemed to be an incredible amount of comradery amongst all performers in Stockholm. Anyway, on with the show itself - as I am totally predictable, I watched the BBC Eurovision coverage again (I will sort out the internet coverage of my tv for next year, if I am watching at home again) - it does seem as though Mel calms down for SF2 and the Beeb even showed the best bits of the 'interval acts', with a superb 'musical theatre' number by our ever-present and always superb hosts, singing and performing an amazing tongue-twister of a song:
Absolutely bloody amazing - I have to say that this was possibly the best ever non-contestant interval/host act since the one and only Riverdance (and as that is my favourite ever interval act, that is saying something!). It set me up nicely for the second semi-final, "The One With The Singers", if you want the Friends approach - how did I rate this SF? 8 out of 10 right for SF1...
Latvia
My Thoughts : QUALIFIER On The Night : QUALIFIER
I cannot remember seeing an artist bent up double in such a tight ball whilst merely singing!
There was absolutely no doubt that, despite kicking the SF off, 'Heartbeat' was going to be heard again at some point in the Final. One of the best male vocalists here in Stockholm, a deserved place in Saturday night's proceedings was going to add to the audio excellence there and drawing SECOND HALF was going to keep Latvia's hopes of repeating their top ten place in Vienna alive. I still couldn't see how this would do any better than that, given the sparsity of the staging...
Poland
My Thoughts : QUALIFIER On The Night : QUALIFIER
If you have been reading my articles this Contest, you know that I rate this guy highly - he has an amazing voice, he is visually engaging and this is simple staging that works, Ronseal-wise (does what it says on the tin). It is very old-school Eurovision, it's got lyrics that are pleasant, appeals to a wide audience (if being rather corny) and Michał comes across as someone you'd want to watch and connect with...
even if his 'androgynous Polish Ringmaster' look was rather eccentric.
I always had confidence that this would sail through to the Final, as the second slot is not that much of a hindrance here, his whole vocal and visual performance would be memorable all the way through until voting AND there was the diaspora to consider this year, the televote no longer being constrained by whatever the jurors thought (although I did think that they would appreciate such an entry). To me, an obvious Finalist - a FIRST HALF draw might hinder a chance of a 'dark horse' win but I still felt that a top ten finish was still a possibility...
Switzerland
My Thoughts : NON-QUALIFIER On The Night : NON-QUALIFIER
Probably the least surprising statistic evening of the night was Switzerland having an NQ. Rykka had pulled together all the worst aspects of everything I had seen from the rehearsals - her vocals weren't that great (seemingly relying heavily on backing vocals), she had curly blue hair (even though the straight look worked so well in my opinion, giving her an 'elven' look)...
the outfit was now pushing Nina from Croatia for the Barbara Dex award
and her bobbing around for the last minute gave me a headache (let alone giving the SVT director problems with getting a clear camera shot). The only positive from it all was her gorgeous smile, which in truth was slightly strained at the end when even she seemed to realise how badly it had all gone. Oh Switzerland, you have so many NF entries and yet you rarely find a good 'un...
Israel
My Thoughts : QUALIFIER On The Night : QUALIFIER
Justs, you needed to have watched this to really know how to perform facial emotion at Eurovision. Less is more AND you don't need to be bent double or eyes tightly closed to show it. Having said that, the Israeli delegation needed to realise that sometimes props take the attention away from the main act - the spinning, twisting acrobats in the ring were a distraction and could have easily been taken out of this stunning and emotional vision. Hovi gave this everything, vocally and whilst connecting with the camera, and for me
this was one of the most engaging entries of the night.
Lots of passion, the other special effects worked (the CGI floor faces were okay, the pyro curtain looked superb) and this still looked like a possible outside bet for the Eurovision crown. That was until Hovi drew SECOND HALF in the Press Conference afterwards - any hopes of anything other than a top half finish had gone.
Belarus
My Thoughts : NON-QUALIFIER On The Night : NON-QUALIFIER
In a way, this wasn't unexpected but a part of me secretly wanted this to get to the Final, just purely to see this superb stage show yet again! Okay, IVAN still had a very mediocre vocal performance but whoever came up with the visuals to this entry...
TAKE A VERY BIG BOW!
Keeping their word about him being naked with a wolf was important for the Belarusian delegation (and I am sure that SVT/EBU didn't have any issues with the brief film footage at the start) and the theme of IVAN being the leader, whether that was of a wolf pack (interacting superbly well) or of his 'band' (a great comedic interlude with each of the IVAN band members having their own 'stereotypical' personalities) worked superbly well. This was never going to be anything other than an NQ in a SF so heavily laden with incredible singers but for having the guts to go for a pleasing and entertaining visual entry and for being such a nice guy all the way through the Eurovision 2016 process, IVAN deserves all the exposure that appearing in Stockholm might give him...
Serbia
My Thoughts : QUALIFIER On The Night : QUALIFIER
the staging was all very dark, which matched the dynamic of the song perfectly
but might make this not be that memorable during the Final if positioned in the 'wrong' place. Everything worked, the emotion, the strength of vocal and visual performance, even the dancer was staged perfectly. Yes, there was hints of 'Molitva' in the backing singers and Sanja coming together at the end but I was still confident that if this was repeated during the Jury and Public Finals, we still had a chance of being in Belgrade 2017...
Ireland
My Thoughts : NON-QUALIFIER On The Night : NON-QUALIFIER
his voice has been always the main weakness of this entry.
Because he's not the best live vocalist, it means that his staging is limited as he can't really do anything other than stand still and sing - that in turn makes for a very static performance, a traditional 'gig' staging that doesn't really work now (99% of the time - see later). All in all, this was not that great to listen to or watch - I could imagine a lot of viewers picking now to have a quick break. This was a definite NQ - internal selections aren't working for Ireland, what next?
FYR Macedonia
My Thoughts : QUALIFIER On The Night : NON-QUALIFIER
another 'Crno i Belo' would have easily seen FYR Macedonia into Saturday night
and to her credit, Kaliopi performed this superbly well, great camera and crowd connection, nice floor and backdrop lighting with some solid vocals, although the last piercing note was a bit close to 'off key'. Unfortunately this was all to no avail, as 'Dona' missed out on a Final placing and got one of the NQs. Another to join the 'worse result second time around' club, I'm not sure we'll see this extremely popular lady back at Eurovision again...
Lithuania
My Thoughts : QUALIFIER On The Night : QUALIFIER
One that I wasn't sure about qualifying but on the night Donny did everything right. His vocals and enunciation were great, his 'literal acting' was convincing enough and his energy was amongst the best in the SF. Even the somersault worked...
all in all, this was a lesson on how to own the stage as a solo performer
and it showed that SVT got the dimensions of the actual stage just about right for all performers. The fact that this was the most hi-tempo song of the night probably helped this ease into the Final, as its memorability at the voting stage would have been high. There might even have been a bit of help from the Lithuanians around Europe but we had no idea how much that was at this stage...
Australia
My Thoughts : QUALIFIER On The Night : QUALIFIER
Her vocals were absolutely flawless though
and if jurors and televoters were just going for the song and the singer, Australia were going to be easily top 3 at the end of Saturday night. If voters were also after some visual masterpiece or a backstory, Dami might not get her nation's first win - I was convinced that she must have been close to winning this stage though. The only downside on the whole night for her in fact was drawing FIRST HALF for the Final - a second half draw would possibly have put the final piece of the jigsaw together...
Slovenia
My Thoughts : NON-QUALIFIER On The Night : NON-QUALIFIER
Just when you think this entry couldn't get any more comical, I have found a new way to delight myself with this song. ManuElla's accent and way of singing English has now made me believe that "Our past is spinning in my head" now sounds like "The bestest feeling in my head" - read that and now try listening to this song now! I know, it's unfair but there is still so much wrong with "Blue and Red" that I am beyond caring - I'll list it for you:
- All of the literal hand movements - the mimicking of the weather, praying, the gun fingers...
- The lovely dress that has the bizarre leather straps that threaten to push ManuElla's breasts out of the top...
- The meaningless bare chested acrobat who has to stop his act so he doesn't get fried by the pyros...
- And the pyros? Why at all or at least why at that point of the song?
As you can tell, I still have no love for this entry at all and the fact that the jurors and televoters confirmed that they loved at least ten songs more than this meant that I only had to hear it once on the night and once just now when I was reviewing it. One of the most deserved NQs I could possibly hope for. I wonder - could this have caused my ear infection?
Bulgaria
My Thoughts : QUALIFIER On The Night : QUALIFIER
The big question after all the pre-Eurovision Parties and interviews was: could the wonderfully engaging 'ball of energy' that is Poli Genova take 'If Love Were A Crime', drag Bulgaria out of the doldrums and into only their second Eurovision Final?
The answer, I am delighted to say, was a big YES!
When I saw the official video initially, I wasn't sure that this would do much at all but after having seen Poli at the Pre-Parties, including the London one that I attended, it was obvious that her on-stage charisma and showmanship was second to none. This, together with her spot on singing, produced a superb show in the SF. It was also telling that several non-fans that I know who had heard this entry would have this on their playlists, despite it being a Eurovision entry - with all of that information to hand, I was fairly safe in assuming that Poli would be singing this again in the Final but it took seeing Bulgaria's name come out of an envelope to convince me that this uptempo pop song (despite the LCD Tank Girl costume) would be adding pace to the Saturday show. I suspect that drawing the FIRST HALF of the Final wasn't a major issue for Poli - nothing was going to dent her joy of going through...
Denmark
My Thoughts : NON-QUALIFIER On The Night : NON-QUALIFIER
I am certain that there were huge numbers of bladders emptied, drinks poured and crisp bowls refilled when these guys were on.
Yet another stone cold certain NQ here - I suppose there's always the OGAE Second Chance Contest, Denmark, assuming you send Anja Nissen or Simone to that one...
Ukraine
My Thoughts : QUALIFIER On The Night : QUALIFIER
We all knew the back story to this one - in fact, it was this year's headline grabber, almost on a par news wise with a certain bearded lady a couple of years ago. There were lots of similarities with Conchita - the fact that both she and Jamala's entries caused a lot of debate and division amongst the fan community and also that it only became obvious in each of their respective SFs that they were real contenders for the Eurovision crown. I knew that '1944' had this bleak and quite stark story to it and on its own, the message in the song isn't enough. What really made this a possible Eurovision winner was
the staging, the outfit, the singer and the emotional power of the performance.
The blue trouser suit was one of the two that Jamala had had designed for her and it was possibly the 'happier' of the two she could have worn - the staging, although only floor and backdrop lighting, gave the same perspective, the dark message of the lyrics turning into a multitude of colours on the floor that regressed into the golden tree behind her. All amazingly powerful images and that was a major difference between her entry and some of her competition in the SF, in particular Australia. The other main difference between them was that even though this song has such a dark theme, the music has always been a bit of a toe tapper, the rhythmic beats and jazz influences shine through, making the music a pleasant subsconscious joy against the power and emotion of the words and the singer. Jamala's classical vocal training is not in doubt - I suspect that she never puts a foot wrong ever and her emotional connection with the audience is superb. Whether this was too 'Marmite' a song to win was a matter for another night - qualification for the Final was not in doubt and a SECOND HALF draw would keep her top 3 chances strong too...
Norway
My Thoughts : NON-QUALIFIER On The Night : NON-QUALIFIER
Ah, the 'mind f**k' song! Having not seen Agnete at any Pre-Parties or interviews at all due to her medical issues, we had very little to go on as far as how this would look on the Globen stage. In the end, there wasn't much difference between this and her winning show in Norway - same dress, same vocals (I have never had an issue with how she sounds or looks) but now no big podium to potentially fall down from and just a dancer in the background. She performed this very well and seemed pleased with how it went - I have heard this with just her voice and no music and it sounds a lot better.
Shame that the bizarre 'fast verse / slow chorus' was the major draw here, as I could never get past that.
In the end, Norway ended up with an NQ, which saved my ears from yet another confusing time in the Final...
Georgia
My Thoughts : NON-QUALIFIER On The Night : QUALIFIER
Every year there seems to be one entry that I think does not have a hope in hell of qualifying, that isn't stereotypical Eurovision and I cannot see where the love will come from. This year it was 'Midnight Gold', the 'twenty years too late' Brit Pop song that, if presented by one of the Gallagher brothers to the other as they were choosing album tracks, would normally have been laughed out of the room but somehow struck a chord with the jurors and/or voters around Eurovision to get enough votes to get into the Final.
Nope, me neither!
Now I have a wide musical taste, not having grown up on just Eurovision entries as some fans seem to be so I am always pleased to see entries that aren't power ballads or Euro Club anthems - I go as far back as the start of punk in 1976 (I didn't have a problem with PKN last year, it was just a poor song) and disco (which I am sure that most younger Eurovision fans would appreciate but not the Serhat kind). I do like this attempt at this genre and the lyrics about waking up the morning after the night before are witty in their own way but it's just not a particularly great song. The musicianship is top notch and the blinding light show was amazing (I went to a Big Country gig with lights like that most the way through - I still had flashing images in my eyes the next day) but I really thought that this did not stand a chance of making the Final, especially with the rather naff 1970s camera effects. I suppose this made for a more diverse Final and getting a SECOND HALF draw meant nothing to the group (Nika looked stunned to be in the Press Conference, to be honest) - at least it gave Graham Norton something to chat about...
Albania
My Thoughts : NON-QUALIFIER On The Night : NON-QUALIFIER
all the interest and passion had been removed from this entry by the shortening of the song and the language change,
it was never getting to the Final. If this had been sung in 1976, this might have stood a chance but this totally retro feel was just filler...
Belgium
My Thoughts : QUALIFIER On The Night : QUALIFIER
This looked 'reality show slick', choreographed almost to an inch of its life,
the bonus was that this looked like a Motown routine, totally natural with the artists able to sing live whilst doing it, unlike some modern day stars I could mention who can barely lipsynch in time. Laura even pulled off the 'throw away' line of getting the crowd involved - she didn't need to really, as the Stockholm crowd were totally up for this act. Superb vocals, together with a visual spectacle without the need for CGI or intricate floor/back shows, Belgium had hit the spot yet again and I was sure that this did well in the voting. No issues with this going through - unfortunately for Laura (and possibly good for Barei, the other party song this year), she drew FIRST HALF and was therefore destined to go from closing the SF to being the Final's opening act...
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We then got the chance to see the remaining three Direct Finalists in action - none of which had inspiring staging and only one had anything different to show us...
Germany
Absolutely identical to the German NF, down to the Manga outfit, the gnarled trees with associated lasers and the moon from last year's Azerbaijan entry! The same performance from Jamie-Lee as well, vocally and connection-wise, all of which was finally sinking into my brain that this wasn't going to do well in the Final. It hadn't helped Germany's chances any that they had drawn FIRST HALF in the Final - I could only see this being used as filler there, possibly separating two more uptempo songs or even being given the death slot of #2. Her voice is amazing and I am sure we will hear more of her but Jamie-Lee's obsession with k-pop is an acquired taste and that won't be the flavour of the month at the Eurovision Final...
Italy
Straight into the song but immediately I could see a huge issue for this entry - what is with all the tat and junk on and around the stage? My attention was immediately on that, wondering what this was all about and because I have no knowledge of Italian, I had no idea if the song related to it all, it made no sense to me. Francesca still has a beautiful voice but her hand movements still distracted from the purity of her words and the dungarees looked totally unflattering, especially as I know how gorgeous she looks in stylish clothing (judging from her London performance). There is also the seed/turnip/tree at the end - no idea what the meaning is. Even the most avid fan of this song must have realised that this stood no chance of a surprise now, especially as she had drawn FIRST HALF - I never liked this from day 1 and the silence of fans saying "Italy are going to win" was deafening after this was shown...
United Kingdom
Ah, how patriotic can I be? Bar the addition of the selfies and the drummers now being up on a stand, this was effectively the same performance as the NF I attended in Kentish Town. It was as if the style director had thought "that'll do, can't be bothered to do anything else" - I suppose that there was little that could have been changed to this but it did mean that Joe and Jake's vocals had to be spot on and to be honest, even comparing theirs to most of those in SF2, their voices weren't really in the same league. Could the gig performance aspect get them votes? Lots of bands to compare against this year too with Minus One and even Georgia giving a more realistic show. I was still hopeful of a reasonable finish but having watched all the other acts who were in the Final before them, I now feared that a mid table but right hand side finish was the best we were going to get on Saturday...
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Of course the main difference between SF1 and SF2 was that we in the UK could vote - here is where my twenty phone calls went:
Serbia 10
Ukraine 4
Australia 4
Belgium 2
I was determined to help see my now favourite through but also give marks to the best vocals on the night (Ukraine and Australia), together with a nod to the slickest staging in Stockholm. They all got through to the Final, so I suppose at least it was money worth spending...
You've seen that I did quite well with my predictions (9/10) but here is how they came out - Georgia being called second set the cat amongst the pigeons:
Unlike the SF1 press conference, there weren't any dramas or difficult questions - Laura got to show off her trademark move, Nika showed how unprepared he was for making it into the Final and 'last bowl drawee' Justs had worked out where he would be singing in the Final (unlike the host and a lot of the journalists):
Everyone looked overjoyed to be in the Final - even Jamala seemed to be happy, whereas the Georgian guys were working out whether they could get two extra days booked at their hotel at this late stage:
That was SF2 - in the end, quite a predictable one as far as qualifiers went (all bar one for me). At least my top ranked entry had made it through this time but there were at least two entries that have stepped up and shown they are real contenders for this year's title...
Traditional love song with purity of sound OR
meaningful back story, associated strong emotion
and classically trained voice?