Opinion

Genealogy from Armenia are giving a confident performance and it looks like the busy patterns have been slightly altered.

I'm really warming towards the Armenian entry. We have six voices on the stage which are actually harmonizing and the super group from the five continents are definitely giving it them all.

There's less of the floor shots which can only be applauded.

Nice job, Armenia.

Eduard from Moldova, who's actually from Ukraine, gets to open today's long day of rehearsals.

And he does so with all the energy he has. There haven't been any changes in the act itself or the backdrop.

As I said in the first rehearsal, Eduard is an all round entertainer and he proves that; it is so difficult having to dance and sing at the same time and Eduard makes it look so so easy. I think we have a great show opener here.

Two tiny mistakes, Eduard shirt not being ripped properly and he tripped first time around too.

Seeing Moldova more and more as a definite qualifier.

And lastly, Monika from Poland is the last to take the stage with her traditional pop ballad.

Joined by three backings, and her piano player, Monika is sitting in her wheelchair, wearing a gorgeous white outfit. The rest of her team are also dressed in white.

The backdrop is mainly pink, with rose trees being shown while there are some pink curtains moving in the wind. The overall feel and colour is pink and, that joined with the white outfits just blends in beautifully.

Monika is sounding amazing although especially in the first verse it seems like she's extending the verse a bit longer than she needs to. Not sure if that's intentionally or if she's just saving her voice.

Really nice way to finish these two semi finals.

Poland, Huit Points.

The penultimate candidate to rehearse for the very first time is another fan favourite Maraaya from Slovenia.

A favourite indeed and its not difficult to see why. Not only is 'here For you' a great pop song, but it's also been treated nicely to make it come across well on screen.

Yes, there could be a bit more interaction with the camera between front woman Marjetka but the actual staging works wonders. It's an absolute light spectacle we're getting, so no backdrops and it's absolutely refreshing for that reason alone.

Again the overpowering colours are metal brown/gold and yellow, which I believe were also the overpowering colours during the national final. Also the presence of the air violin player, make this stand out from the competition.

Adequately performed and still very much a contender for the end victory.

Slovenia, Douze Points!

Black and white long and close up shots for John with one light beam zoomed in on him, before we go over to colour in the chorus.

For the second verse the backdrop comes to live. It's fireflies in pink and white before the whole stage turns into a colour combination of first blue and white, then magenta and white and gold and white.
There's a lot going on in terms of the backdrop, a lot of different colours with a lot of firework.

Not entirely sure this is the right approach for Cyprus, as there's an awful lot going on. From no colour to a lot of colour. Sometimes less is more, Cyprus.

Liking John's voice more than I thought. It's very gentle sounding. Think Cyprus could actually wauw us all and do actually much better than we anticipated.

Nice effort, just think Cyprus needs to rethink the different backdrops.

Cyprus, Eight Points.

Ever since it was announced Switzerland would follow Sweden, we knew they would need big shoes to fill. But let me tell you, they most certainly do.

Melanie Rene looks the absolute part in her white/blue gown and black seethrough cape. Just like her backings she's standing on a separate see through platform while a blue forest consisting of white and golden trees. I love the fact they've also added drummers.

Vocally Melanie is top notch and she's working the camera like an absolute professional.

Really like it.

Switzerland, Huit Points!

A bit later than expected but Mans does exactly what he's supposed to do; He's confidently performing his Eurovision entry 'Heroes' the way he's done twice in Melodifestivalen.

There's not a lot of remarks, really. He doesn't seem to be trying very hard, but he doesn't have to. He knows this song by heart. He knows the choreography, and every trick there is in the book to keep the viewers engaged.

The square screen has been changed to an oval one on which Mans' figure, slightly adapted with a pair of trousers and a hat, is now being projected.

Solid, confident, but to me it just doesn't scream a winner yet. Perhaps because the impact is lacking as we've seen this performance twice already.

Still Sweden is a surefire finalist and actually a deserved one too, but there simply is something lacking for me personally.

Sweden, Dix Points!

Maria Olafs from Iceland is next on stage, wearing a pink ballerina/tutu dress with stones inset onto the bodice. She's performing on stage barefoot. She's joined by five backing vocals who are all dressed in black and stand together on the right side of the stage.

The overall backdrop consists of the Northern lights, which I personally like for the song. However when the bridge finally kicks in, its being replaced by a golden backdrop and I'm failing to understand why that was included.

In the first run, Maria was quite off key, but the second time round she sounded much better. After all, the live performance is what counts.

I think there's plenty of potential for Iceland, it just needs some tightening, especially in terms of the vocals. But Maria's absolutely captivating the camera's.

Israel, Sept Points!

Elnur Huseynov is the first ever Azerbaijani candidate to return the contest, and I personally think it was a great choice for him to come back with a much much much better solo effort.

I love the staging. It's very aqua-blue looking with a moon. But it gets really really gorgeous when there's red included.

Elnur is a fantastic performer, he is so so professional and sings his song with ease. I'm however not so sure about the backing vocals. During the chorus they are really overpowering him. While the backings are not on the stage, Elnur's joined by two contemporary dancers.

I like the feel of it, and am quite certain Azerbaijan will qualify. Best we've seen so far.

Azerbaijan, Dix Points!

Latvia are bringing one of the best current tracks in my opinion and they've chosen a very effect staging for it as well.

It's very similar to the way it was staged in the national final, so we're seeing a pretty static Aminata performing in front of a microphone stative. She's joined on the stage by three backing singers who are all in black. Aminata herself looks the absolute part in her figure hugging red dress with mermaid tail made of tulle.

Vocally she's par on, she sounds great. If I have to look for a minus point it would be engagement with the viewers at home. The overall staging is also red with white, red and black beams coming from the backdrop. It has a bit of an alternative ice queen feel to it and it's totally up my street.

The thing that's however really distressing, is the fact that ORF are testing recorded applause through out the song, and that's just really annoying because Latvia's song really doesn't lend itself to applause. So it spoils the mood a little for me, however that's not something that has anything to do with the Latvian performance.

Great start for Latvia, and my highlight so far.

Huit points!