Phil: Oh Dear God! – The angel has wings that move in a Lordi Stylee … It is hideous … It is a total mashup of Lordi, Highway to Heaven (the series with Michel Landon as an angel) and something purporting to be the Azeri attempt at this contest.
Visually it has a fiery background – not necessarily something you would agree with if you were an angel, but there you are. It is too busy as a song to make any sense … It is just a total … well … song you will vote for when you are drunk – and that would make this very dangerous indeed for a Tuesday night – they are also wearing beany hats today – which makes them look like petty criminals AND the chair is back from the National Final which gets torn in half!! You are free to make your own minds up about it – but if you are any judge.. and I think I know our readership – you will look at it and go “Dear GOD – what?”
Nick: This is Azerbaijan’s first time at Eurovision, and they’re welcome to it. Well, this is truly made of ridiculous. It’s awash with absurd. It’s dripping with dubious and positively crawling with you don’t quite get it, do you?. Flames lick at the video wall behind the stage, while all manner of shenanigans transpire. It’s got an exploding chair (so I gather). It’s got two sets of static angel wings and one animatronic pair, which end up sticking up at a really questionable angle. There’s screaming, and maniacal laughter, and that’s just from me watching the damn thing. It’s probably going through, and it’s certainly heading for every archive reel of ridiculous for the next 30 years.
Franko: Red bull may well give you wings, but these guys don’t need it. At last something that will make people sit up and take notice. This one divides the press centre as it will the whole of Europe, but I personally find it strangely alluring and think it’s a dead cert to qualify especially given what’s gone before. The angels and devils theme is still there with our “angel” resplendent in moving wings flanked by two girls with the fixed variety. The “devil” sits on his throne with the flame backdrop. There’s obviously going to be some sort of action concerning the chair and some real fire at the last run through. The vocals are spot on and impressive and compliment a real rock song for a change. You might well disagree with me, but I don’t care. It won’t be just them laughing maniacally when their country is pulled out of an envelope on May 20th.
Viva Azerbaijan and see you on the 24th!