songcontest

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Eurovision Second Semi-Final 2025

Published May 15, 2025 by naomirettig

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:

  1. 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.
  2. 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.
  3. 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.
  4. Latvia. Headgear weaponised by beautiful women. I don’t like the song.
  5. Armenia. Fabulous treadmill dancing. Bringing back fire puffs and strobe lighting. Catchy song and the second topless male of the evening.
  6. 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.
  7. UK. If Disney did Nashville, the outfits would look like this. I detest this song.
  8. Greece. Strobe lighting, red staging. Uneventful song.
  9. Lithuania. Their outfits are like maximum security inmates, a dreary song. Strobe lighting.
  10. Malta. Strobe lighting again, with smoke puffs. Risque outfits and dancing, but any dancing with bouncy balls is ok by me.
  11. Georgia. Strobe lighting and smoke, but the song is not for me. She has a great voice though.
  12. France. The only rain effect of the competition. A damp squib for me, though.
  13. Denmark. Nice blue leotard and fabulous boots. A cape and a wind machine get ticks from me. The song is not too bad.
  14. Czechia. Great voice range and the song is good. Not great staging but maybe won’t need it.
  15. 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.
  16. Israel. Great staging, water and sparkles
  17. Germany. Lots of lights, smoke, and fire puffs, but I didn’t enjoy the song.
  18. 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.
  19. Finland. I Love Erika. Fabulous outfit, just out from a femdom party. I like the song. Dramatic ending to the show.

Eurovision Semi-Final No.1 2025

Published May 13, 2025 by naomirettig

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.

  1. 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.
  2. 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.
  3. 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.
  4. 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.
  5. 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.
  6. 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.
  7. 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!
  8. Portugal:  I find this a dull song with non-exciting staging.
  9. 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.
  10. 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.
  11. 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.
  12. 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.
  13. 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.
  14. Netherlands: I really like the song and vocals. Basic staging but I like the mirror dancing with his younger self at the end.
  15. Croatia: I don’t like the song, but I feel they could have done more with the staging. Fire puffs, strobe lighting.
  16. Switzerland:  I find the song too dull, but I got very excited at the sight of the first wind machine in the concert!
  17. Cyprus: Scaffolding choreography is good, but just an ok song. Strobe lighting.
  18. Azerbaijan: Another just ok song, weird outfit choice. Fire puffs and strobe lighting.

Eurovision Top 10 -2016

Published March 31, 2016 by naomirettig

After listening to all entries again and again, I have narrowed down my top ten Eurovision songs for this year’s contest. (To save anyone feeling compelled to read through my reviews on all 43).

  1. Finland – I just love this song so much! I think I’m in the minority though as it’s 100/1 with William Hill (other betting sites are available) right now. I love the energy, the sentiment, the tune you can dance to, Sandhja the artist – I love her, her hair and the fringing on her leisurewear in the video. I’ve even ordered an electric blue swimsuit with heavy fringing on it to wear on Eurovision night in tribute. Yes, after repeat playing repeatedly, this is my favourite song this year.
  2. Russia – This is tipped by the bookies at 6/4 favourite and I can see why. Catchy tune, dance factor high, Sergey is gorgeous, eye-catching video. I just wonder if it’s too much like Mans Zelmerlow’s winning song last year. Gorgeous bloke, upbeat dance track, clever digital stage animation. I’m not complaining with that, but maybe something different for this year? (Like a girl, with shaved hair, and fringed clothing).
  3. Armenia – This is now on my mp3 player too. This is very Eurovision to me, beautiful lady, eastern European sounding stringed instruments, dramatic, and when the beat drops at 49 seconds in – I get a tingly spine. Tingly spines are good. 25/1 with the bookies. I’m predicting a wind machine on stage.
  4. France – Now I don’t normally like the French entry, I just don’t seem to be on a musical level with France, but I really like this one. It has a catchy chorus in English I can sing along to, verses in French I can pretend to sing along to, and some ooh’s. Good oohing in a song works for me. No fringing, but I’m happy with the ooh’s. 12/1 with the bookies.
  5. Belgium – An upbeat cheery song, good to dance to and sing along with. Cute singer Laura, but not overly cute. I think she will bring great energy to the stage in Sweden. No fringing but a sparkly silver jacket I am a little envious of. 100/1 odds at the bookies so not many people sharing my choice here.
  6. Iceland – Extreme fringing alert, combined with a wind machine. Excellent. Has a lovely Celtic feel to it, Greta has a lovely voice, slow bits and dancy bits, something for everyone. I think this will be staged very well. Wind machine or smoke machine? That will be my question on the night. If it’s both I don’t think my excitement levels will cope. 50/1 odds, the same as us in the UK so not much chance of winning.
  7. San Marino – When I first heard this song I think I scored it one of my least favorites’ but this is a grower for me. Serhat has a voice like gravel coated in treacle, rolled in oats and shoved deep in a volcano. At first listen I found this menacing and creepy and it came across, not as a love song, but as someone I would get a restraining order for. It has now grown on me, helped by the disco backing. In fact, it’s the disco backing that saved it for me. 100/1 odds but I don’t think this will make it past the semi-final stage unfortunately.
  8. Netherlands – Now I didn’t think I’d like this one, it has a country music twang to it, which is not normally my cup of tea. However, this is catchy and the chap singing and playing guitar is easy on the eye. Although I do get distracted by his name, Douwe Bob. I just think of the coffee Douwe Egberts. Other coffees are available, although Nescafe Jim didn’t make this year’s contest. 66/1 at the bookies, not looking good considering the UK is 50/1 and we all know there’s zero chance of us winning.
  9. Denmark – Three lovely men with three good voices. No fringing, wind machine or smoke machine but a good chorus with a bit that makes you want to punch the air. You’ll know when. 100/1 odds at present, I don’t think Denmark will be hosting next year.
  10. Cyprus – Something a bit different, gravelly rock with euro-pop vibes. Could Eurovision viewers want something alternative this year? I certainly enjoyed it and with odds of 25/1 it seems to stand a fair chance.

 

So there’s my top 10 of Eurovision 2016. I want Finland to win so much I am tempting fate by saying that if they make it through the semi-final I will record my dance routine to ‘Sing it Away’ while wearing my fringed swimsuit. If they then go on and win I shall post it online! But before a petition starts up to stop this happening (I’m well aware it won’t be a pretty sight) let me remind you it’s 100/1 odds. The UK is 50/1. We’ve got more chance of winning twice in one night than I have appearing on Youtube in an electric blue fringed swimsuit.

 

Now, what shoes would match my swimwear….just in case 😉