LIVE BLOG of Semi Final One Tuesday Afternoon – Live from 1500 CET

Live from Oneurope Towers it’s the afternoon rehearsal! – I might have to dip out of this one as I am having a mattress delivered – the Joys – But i’ll be as swift as I can with them for you, my European Children!

May 13, 2025 14:00
ENDED
Latest update 1 month ago
15:36
Those are you songs

They’ve all been on and polluted *my* ears and they have also made me pollute your faces with my words and, as it’s almost High Tea time here in the UK I’m going to close the blog and wait for the shenanigans to begin FOR REAL tonight.  

Thank you for watching and see you on the other side!

Phil Colclough
15:33
And now, finally, Cyprus

Theo got widely panned for his vocal performance last night around the internet and rightly so, he was fucking awful, so lets see what this afternoon brings. 

This is a song that is more about distraction with the scaffolding because Theo’s live voice has got not better from last night to this afternoon and the stage *is* distracting from that by a little bit but he is barely in shot most of the time and that scaffolding set is in too much. 

As the song goes on his voice gets worse and more out of sync with the backing track that is trying to help him and failing.  If I was Cypriot, I’d be worried about now. 

Phil Colclough
15:28
Switzerland

This’ll drive em mad in the Basel this afternoon.  Zoe Meh! and her quiet little song about nothing in particular, which is what the average televoter will think, gets onto stage and the audience again have clearly been instructed to “put your phone lights on”. 

A song aimed squarely at those middle aged juries who, like me, will appreciate a song like this but televoter wise on Saturday night it might well trip over it’s own feet but that is not down to Zoe. 

Phil Colclough
15:22
Croatia

When you say to your father “Who’s this now?” as he moves past the screen, you know you are in trouble with a song.  

This has just too many elements to make sense which is a shame because Marko is a looker and a good singer but with this gothic dirge trying to be Bambi Thug – lite it is not showing him off at his best.  It’s altogether too busy on screen and Green and Red never looks great.  

Sorry Marko, try again with a better song. 

Phil Colclough
15:19
Netherlands, The

As I said last night this is a huge risk for AVROTROS but, thankfully, Claude seems to have relaxed into the contest environment.  I still think that the song needs to be either fully in French or in English.  

His voice, though, seems to be a bit lost in the middle eight when he gets a little bit overconfident and when he joins the violinists it tends to go slightly off scripts as well. 

Claude – just dial it back just a touch please and you should be ok. 

Phil Colclough
15:17
Albania

Pretty similar to last night and it’s the internet’s version of the winner of the whole contest – it’s not by the way, but it’s going to do really well – despite the fact that it tends to repeat itself at the end of the song because the writers have ran out of ideas. 

Safely through to Saturday

Phil Colclough
15:12
San Marino

Minimal changes from last night, save for a couple of angle changes.  I still think that it is a bit rich that Gabry’s name is linked with this and he is hardly doing any of the singing  – thank the lord. 

This song does get into your head quite quickly but, again, is that cos of Sanremo or because it’s good – not so sure here.   The musical hook on the old squeeze box is good though!

Phil Colclough
15:07
Azerbaijan

Some minor camera shot changes from last night but the vocal is on point, as the kids like to say. 

I think people are sleeping on this song because they “hate Azerbaijan” but I think this is a sure fire qualifier in 8th-10th place.  

Phil Colclough
15:01
Italy

Is such a damn fine song that I forgot to write anything about it! – I just sat in awe and watched Lucio sing this song at me!

That’s how good it is.  

Phil Colclough
14:54
Belgium

Mr Sebastian seems to have caught Norway’s ” Out of tune” disease because for the first few notes he is noticeably out of tune  with the rest of the song.   He does get it back quite quickly though i.e within about 20 seconds which is good enough.   The rest of the performance is as expected, very professional and very red!

Apart from the wobble at the beginning, this is a sure qualifier as well. 

Phil Colclough
14:51
zzzzzzzzzzzz/

sorry, I dropped off there momentarily – off to Norway then and the increasingly desperate looking Kyle and his song “lighter” – Not an ode to weight watchers, but more an ode to Bic, or Zippo, take your poison. 

Last night he made me AND Deller wince on the high notes, lets see what happens this time..

It sounded a bit better but the song is so weak and he’s actually just singing words at me rather than telling me the story that the song should be about.  

He is sharp on the second high notes and it shows.  the dance break is supposed to be somewhere he can catch his breath and go into the slow bit but there are those flat notes again when he gets into the higher registers. 

Prepare him for a NQ here someone at NRK because on that evidence, thats what he is gonna get.    It’s a long three minutes!

Phil Colclough
14:45
Portugal

NAPA next, and that’s what you’ll have for three minutes as this song will send you to sleep.   The lead singer looks more slappable every time I clap my eyes on him and this song is just noise as far as I am concerned.   

I can hear at least four bits of songs that this has been sellotaped to in order to get a decent song but, again, the fertiliser that they use to grow songs in in Portugal hasn’t worked and this song is wilting badly in the heat!

It does only need to beat five other contenders in this field but i’m pretty sure it’s not going to.  

Phil Colclough
14:43
Sweden

Well we all know how this one should go and what this should sound like, but it didn’t sound anything like it last night – the mix was all wrong and lets hope they have fixed that this afternoon!

It’s a lot better this afternoon.   The mix sounds more balanced and you can hear the audience clapping along  – clearly SVT have had words (and why wouldn’t you when you have this genius?)

Key change sends the audience into raptures and I think even more that Gothenbourg needs to be ready for an invasion!

Phil Colclough
14:37
Ukraine

Back to those you can vote on tonight and Ukraine rock up in their David Bowie inspired costume and getup.  After Spain this just passes me by.  It’s the kind of thing that you would hear in a lift lobby or in a post toilet, it’s background music not the kind of thing for this contest. 

I don’t think even pity points are getting this through. 

Phil Colclough
14:33
Spain

Yes Melody gets another rehearsal and her postcard….

And I still love this song more than I should admit bearing in mind my hatred of how Spain does Eurovision.   This is actually a halfway decent song and isnt being totally over performed this afternoon,  and in this line up that is all you need to have to get your head and shoulders above the cesspit of ordinary. 

She does that alright and dare I say that this might be a Top 5 performance in waiting? -Based on what my eyes are looking at, SI!

Phil Colclough
14:29
Interval Business

It’s the Swiss music section…

I wonder if DJ Bobo turns up?

………….

Thankfully no! – They do play a song of his though. 

Next – DJ Antoine’s Ma Cherie was NOT the song in this place last night, I suspect there has been some copyright shenanigans over night. 

Finally – the most iconic song ever, apparently, The Chicken song! which suits Sandra in her yellow suit – I wonder how many Canaries have died for her?!

Phil Colclough
14:24
Estonia

Talk about the saw tooth producer led running order.  From the emotional roller coaster of Slovenia to the bunch of toilet that is Estonia. 

I can’t be objectinve about a song and an act that I actively dislike, so I’m not even going to try to be.  I have everything about this and the more I see it, the more I am convinced it’s qualifying quite highly because Europe’s televiewers are stupid and/or drunk. 

The stage invader is staged, calm down when you see it tonight because I’m giving you advance notice of it! – though part of me wishes it wasn’t!

I apologise on behalf of him to all Italians….

Phil Colclough
14:21
Slovenia

Last night Klemen and his wife made me cry.  Possibly because the subject matter is close to home for me, possibly because he emotes this song so well that you can really see the place where this has come from.  

As I have said, this is a deeply personal song about a topic that should be spoken about more than it actually is and all those trolls on the internet need to wind their flaming necks in – because Klemen has more balls than you ever will have. 

In a contest context though, I think it doesn’t fit in with the light entertainment ethos of Eurovision, and that’s not a bad thing because we need the contest  to be an open church, but televoters are only gonna throw this a few sympathy votes it’s way. 

And his wife joining him at the end – I defy you not to cry!

Phil Colclough
14:17
Poland

Unlike last night – I remembered who this was.  They send Justyna up into the mountains to shovel some snow…. that’s right, snow, in Switzerland. 

This is more of a stage show song rather than a Eurovision one.  It would not be out of place in the Lion King or something of that nature.   The set does lots of gymnastics before they hoist Justyna away and prance around at the front of the stage.   I’m sure it has meaning but the televoter won’t get it.  Despite what people on the internet say – I think this is in trouble. 

Phil Colclough
14:12
Iceland

And so the boys once again take to the stage wearing their silver space suits.  The postcard takes them to the Circus…. how apt for this kind of contest and they get the boys passing the trapeze artist a glowing orb!

As for the performance….  well it took 4 people to write this song and lord knows how!  It does get the audience clapping and i’m not so hot on the backing screen and the roblox graphics but there is no doubt that this lot believe in what they are doing.  The boat is a great touch but without the backing tape you can hear the lack of depth in the boys voices – but its not about that – its about getting the show off to a good start and it does!

Phil Colclough
14:07
Fashion update

Have to say that the clothes are still very rubbish!  Sandra, someone needs a word about your styling och consulting!

Phil Colclough
13:58
Wilkommen!

Welcoime to OnEurope Towers where the sun is shining and the Diet Coke is flowing like gas station champagne. 

Mr Phil will take you through the songs competing and whatever else we see in this last rehearsal before their big show.    Lets hope the online press centre feed is not as dodgy as it was last night eh??

Phil Colclough
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