Lithuania
Phil: Standing center front – they still persist in shouting the lyric at each other from a short distance, usually a Swedish trait, however the six semi finals have taught this lot nothing much in particular. It isn’t half bad, although it isn’t half good either. The backing dancers are possibly the best bit, parading themselves on a podium to the left of the performers and “ giving it plenty” – unfortunately the same can not be said for the singers. Linas and Simona are trying their best – though as you would expect, they have dressed casually for the rehearsal, Linas TOO casually for this rehearsal, however in this heat anything casual is good. The LED stage is in blue and they do minimal choreography. But keep an eye out for the backing singers and flags and all sorts.
Albania
Nick: I like this woman. She doesn’t scare me, and that’s as much as you can ask. Whether it’s familiarity with the song or what I can’t say, but the whole performance seems a lot more coherent than I was expecting. She doesn’t move around a lot, but frankly for this song she doesn’t need to. The stage has a nice neon city-scape back projection, and it all looks extremely cool. Good chance of seeing this in the Saturday show, I’d say based on this.
Phil: Well…. She IS good – she has, understandably, pulled out of the high notes as it only a rehearsal, however, once again, minimal choreography rules again. Front and centre, looking at the camera, backdrop in a city-scape effect, this isn’t half bad as it happens.
Cyprus
Nick: I have always said that this is a difficult song to sing, and she’s making it sound difficult so far as well. Not even attempting a lot of the notes, although in fairness the ones that she does go for she’s nailing extremely well. It’s all hard work, but that’s what rehearsal week’s for. Plenty of time to get it all working together yet. The set is largely black, but there’s a fair bit of falling stars going on at times on the backdrop which look very attractive. I just wish Lisa inspired more confidence in me.
Phil: Well, I have retreated to the aıry quiet of the press center to write this one. It starts off really well, then she sıngs! I don’t mean that in any bad way, but it is an extremely difficult song to sing, in so far that the vocal register ıs really really hıgh. She is having trouble with the clicktrack in her ear and is pulling out of the high notes, understandably in a first rehearsal I suspect, but even so – if it is a camera rehearsal you would expect her to sıng it all – wouldn’t you?? Its nice enough – she is dressed in Canary Yellow today , but I don’t know what she wıll be in come Wednesday – It is a good song – but I think that it doesn’t grab enough to get them voting for her. As dear old Roy Walker would say ‘Its good, but its not right – although she looks good on the monitors though!!!
Slovenia
Phil: Well Slovenia was VERY good!! they may look and indeed WILL get married this week – but this has improved in leaps and bounds from the National final. Now admittedly they MAY not be in their costumes (more of which you will see shortly) – but they are in their white wedding outfits. Now you will either love or loath this song… If you like traditional Europop songs – then this could be for you – they look nice, well performed, vocally perfect… everything you would expect – If you LOATH Europop then wait for Estonia who are next!! they do have minimal choreography which doesn’t detract from the song – but am scared it is too weak to qualify!
Macedonia
Phil: It’s still bakingly hot in the hall so this one has retreated to the P1 press center. On the monitors he sounds competent enough. This is a very ‘wordy’ song now it is English. He is performıng manfully though and from the monitor the camera seems to love hım though – This ıs one of the highlights of the whole competition so far (though having only seen four songs today!!) – He seems very good (I think that’s the word I am lookıng for) and should do very very well – I am sure that the Hall correspondents will gıve a better view of it – but from here – he looks and sounds very good!!
Nick: Life is a song, and you got to sing it, and Tose is singing it extremely well. The set is decked out to look like some kind of ancient fire cave and it’s all terribly effective. Rather more odd is a backing choreography involving carrying metal chairs around… very much UK 1983 enters the Ikea age. But this gets the official nick_at_esc thumbs up… I’m sure this’ll be there next Saturday and may impress when it gets there.
Michelle: Nice pecs.Yum, just yum.
Latvia
Nick: Platin are rehearsing in white suits, and the backdrop has some big pink and yellow flowers falling down behind them. It’s all a bit Planet Latvia, really. It’s yet another song that seems to have a certain something that I hadn’t noticed before I got here. They look nice and sound good and I like them. Whether they’re a finalist I wouldn’t quite like to say.
Estonia
Nick: Without nutty Estonians, there IS no Eurovision …and this year’s Estonians are fantastically nutty! The girls haven’t really changed the dancing since Eurolaul, and the magnificent drummer is everything you could possibly ask for! He’s the star of the day so far for me, he’s just so wonderfully energetic that it makes me feel tired to watch! I’m just starting to get confused now… I’m enjoying myself too much!
Phil: Now then – If ever there was a reason to turn onto the Eurovision then Estonia was it!! What a fantastically strange yet beautiful song. The girls, evidently taking lessons from the Israelis in their choreography with the sideways strutting, are on the other side of the stage from the drummer (with, as it turns out, an extremely odd name – but still has the horns on his hair!) and they prance around and he bangs 7 bells of SHIT out of the drum kit that TRT have provided with his hands…. Vocally decent = they look good, although I still get the feeling they should be at a Greek or Israeli wedding with all the linking arms et al = however, it does down well in the hall though!!!
Michelle: Oh yeah. Estonia were fun because the drummer is a star and we love him. I bet my freind Roy will make friends with him.
Croatia
Phil: Well as we haven’t offended anyone yet. Now is a good a time as any. This song is Dire – He stands in his, presumably, borrowed lounge suit and croons painfully until either we tell him to stop – or his 3 minutes are up.! The English does not suit this song and it really does get worse and worse. He cracks on the high notes and even HE looks bored during the song – Now i know it is a ballad , but he really does need a slap and to be told to “cheer up you miserable git”. The general consensus is that this will NOT qualify….. sorry
Denmark
Phil: Whilst uploading and all sorts of other things i can HEAR the Danish song – rather than actually see it!! So this will have to do!! Its not bad – he hasn’t hit any duff notes as yet ( always a good song) and chances are that he looks good – though i have not got any firm confirmation on this yet. (although our correspondents will = as soon as they get the laptop back LOL). I am sure that a fuller report will be done at some point = but from what i can hear it aint half bad!!! However it does seem that he has pulled out of some of the high notes. There should have been a break at this point – but they are carrying on manfully!!
Nick: The phrase being bandied about by this correspondent is economy mince. There are no words. He has a good song and sings it well and minces around the stage like a huge great stereotype. If this were a song contest he’d be straight into the final, but this is just embarrassing. Phil tells me that he’s totally speechless, Franko says it’s the Christmas special of Are You Being Served, and your correspondents are to a man (and a couple of penguins) struggling for breath here!
Michelle: We just went from the sublime to the ridiculous – Denmark is just appallingly funny. He minces his way through. Really really minces. We’ve just been hooting with laughter.
Serbia
Nick: Nothing funny about Zeljko, this guy’s serious. We open up with a lone flautist centre stage for a long intro, then Zeljko wanders on and takes centre stage. We see ethno instrumentations, it’s a nice quiet performance, and I’m now arguing with the boss on the grounds that I see it as a certain qualifier with possibilities for a Sanomi-type result (or better… I think it’s classier than Sanomi) – whereas he really can’t get what all the fuss is about. If this isn’t in the final, I will eat… well, almost anything that’s put in front of me, as long as it’s nice.
Phil: I cant see this!! Everyone around me – including the esteemed Mr N Deller and Mr J Stanton say its great – I think its a pile of old cack – at best its a good ethnic song – at worst it is just something cobbled together when they had a spare 5 mins. I dont like it – but I do get it. He gives a good account of himself – sings nicely in his white suit of trust – but I dunno – it might just be me – but I’ve missed this. It is one of those that gets either loads or 0 – I’m leaning towards the bottom of the scale. His backers come on one by one playing all sorts of things – a flute, a violin – but, sadly, no geese (as in the preview and publicity pics) … eerm NO – really – sorry
Michelle: Yum, just yum. Now we’re hearing Serbia’s last run through. His voice is like honey and he just seems to have an easy time of it.
Bosnia
Phil: Bosnia … Two phrases spring to mind “camper than a row of tents” and “go-go boy on speed” – neither are anywhere near descriptive enough to tell you precisely how this performance went. He struts about on stage enticing his “confused” audience into either fits of laughter at his appalling choreography, or just having them sat in bemused silence going “no” – We had planned a mud wrestle between him and Thomas from Denmark but feared it would be a slapping contest. The set is black – he was dressed in white and pranced around the stage and pointed a lot. I can not, at this present time, and this high a level of campness, getting anywhere. The Mirror ball looks good though!!
Nick: I was waxing lyrical about Serbia, I believe, and indeed I still am. Deen was something else entirely. Where Thomas Thordarson’s campness was wrong, Deen’s is of a brand commonly referred to as “gloriously” camp. He has a disco ball, he dances like David Brent on speed, he has backing girls who are more than a little reminiscent of Liors Narkiss’s last year but without the silly gimmicks. He IS disco. The jury is out as to whether he’s so bad he’s good or whether he dips down into so bad he’s bad. Nonetheless, he’s memorable. Oh, also after one rehearsal he claimed to be having problems with the in-ear monitors, and I was trying to remember whether anything like that has happened in the past :o)
Netherlands
Nick: The Dutch didn’t impress me. Vocally they’re pretty much spot on, but the stage setting doesn’t help them – they just sit bunched up together in a tiny corner of the stage looking like the Amsterdam branch of Agoraphobics’ Anonymous’s annual outing. It might be a nice quiet contrast to the interesting entry beforehand, but I think it’s just going to get lost.
Phil: Now we only stayed for the sound check and one rehearsal but the overall impression is that it is not that bad but conversely it doesn’t have the power to get them voting for it… They are good vocally and look good – but as I have said – they ARE the poor man’s Olsens – without the talent!
The plan for the evening now is to head back to the hotel, get some food, sit down and actually relax for a bit. This may well involve a certain amount of doing a fuller summary of the day to be posted early tomorrow.
Thank you for reading today… only another 50 rehearsal sessions for you team to sit through now!