Not as many fire puffs, but plenty of strobe lighting in this semi-final. My favourites that I want to go through are Austria and Australia. Here are my opinions on the songs:
Australia: Wow! My third favourite in the competition. Amazing staging, a costume switch in a giant blender, extremely tongue-in-cheek. Yes, I want a taste of the milkshake man.
Montenegro: She doesn’t want to get caught in the wind with that outfit on, or a revolving door. Good lights and graphics on stage but for me a forgettable song.
Ireland: A helium voice with a song that gets stuck in my head, not sure if that’s good or not. Colourful staging, but foil trousers are never a good look. Fun graphics.
Latvia. Headgear weaponised by beautiful women. I don’t like the song.
Armenia. Fabulous treadmill dancing. Bringing back fire puffs and strobe lighting. Catchy song and the second topless male of the evening.
Austria. My favourite song. Amazing vocals. Especially considering there’s a wind machine and someone off to the side throwing confetti at him. And strobe lighting.
UK. If Disney did Nashville, the outfits would look like this. I detest this song.
Greece. Strobe lighting, red staging. Uneventful song.
Lithuania. Their outfits are like maximum security inmates, a dreary song. Strobe lighting.
Malta. Strobe lighting again, with smoke puffs. Risque outfits and dancing, but any dancing with bouncy balls is ok by me.
Georgia. Strobe lighting and smoke, but the song is not for me. She has a great voice though.
France. The only rain effect of the competition. A damp squib for me, though.
Denmark. Nice blue leotard and fabulous boots. A cape and a wind machine get ticks from me. The song is not too bad.
Czechia. Great voice range and the song is good. Not great staging but maybe won’t need it.
Luxembourg. Any artist who starts a song lying on the floor is brave in my opinion. I’d fall asleep or not be able to get back up. I can take or leave the song.
Israel. Great staging, water and sparkles
Germany. Lots of lights, smoke, and fire puffs, but I didn’t enjoy the song.
Serbia. Dramatic red staging, strobe lighting and fire puffs. Good voice, but the song is not for me, even though he has a good voice and great hair.
Finland. I Love Erika. Fabulous outfit, just out from a femdom party. I like the song. Dramatic ending to the show.
I’ve watched the jury rehearsals for semi-final number one, and so far, it seems the must-haves on stage are puffs of fire and strobe lighting. Here are my brief opinions on the songs being performed tonight. If both Estonia and the Netherlands go through, I will be happy.
Iceland: Imagine wrapping Jedward in tin foil and getting them to sing a sea shanty rap in a nightclub. Not a bad song, and good graphics. Strobe lighting.
Poland: A disappointing uplift as Justyna held onto strapping and was lifted up, I was expecting twirls or twists, but she was just lowered back down. Unless they are saving the excitement for the actual live show. Nice dragon graphics. Fire puffs and strobe lighting.
Slovenia: The upside-down singing didn’t work for me, it’s an emotional song but it was distracting having people attaching harness cords to the singer. .No fire puffs or strobe lighting, but some nice sparkles.
Estonia: One of my favourite songs, I didn’t like it at first but now I can’t stop singing it in my head. I did want more coffee themes on the stage, people dressed as giant dancing coffee beans etc. Tommy’s dancing is weirdly alluring to me.
Spain: Surely that’s not real hair? I love the rhinestone leotard with fringing; I’d wear that all the time if I looked like her. Not a bad song, and a nice sparkly cascade on stage.
Ukraine: Their outfits look like they are from the 70s, and not in a good way, and I don’t like the song. Strobe lighting. No fire puffs, probably due to health and safety with all the polyester clothing on stage.
Sweden: This song is growing on me. Good staging, I don’t think a sauna and men in towels have been on stage at Eurovision before. It’s a crowd pleaser with a good fun dance routine. Strobe lighting, fire puffs from sauna and smoke puffs too!
Portugal: I find this a dull song with non-exciting staging.
Norway: With a title of ‘Be My Own Lighter’, there’s no surprise that there are fire puffs and a fire line on stage. I’m not sure what the outfit is all about, urban space? Strobe lighting and fire puffs.
Belgium: Not liking the red plastic outfit and not keen on the song, it seems to be a crowd pleaser though with the audience clapping along to the nightclub vibe. Extreme strobe lighting.
Italy: Those shoulder pads! Suggestions welcome about what he is storing in them; I think a caged canary in the right one and a 500ml bottle of bergamot hair oil in the left one. I don’t like the song. I don’t hate the song.
San Marino: Another nightclub vibe song. It’s ok. The weird masks distracted me but it seems to be a crowd clapper. Fire puffs and smoke puffs.
Albania: Dramatic staging, but I don’t like the song. The sleeve on her dress is making me twitch as it’s too asymmetrical and flappy. Fire puffs.
Netherlands: I really like the song and vocals. Basic staging but I like the mirror dancing with his younger self at the end.
Croatia: I don’t like the song, but I feel they could have done more with the staging. Fire puffs, strobe lighting.
Switzerland: I find the song too dull, but I got very excited at the sight of the first wind machine in the concert!
Cyprus: Scaffolding choreography is good, but just an ok song. Strobe lighting.
Azerbaijan: Another just ok song, weird outfit choice. Fire puffs and strobe lighting.
Naomi Rettig 