Rehearsals: Day 1: Part 1 Montenegro-Greece

Rehearsals today are running about an hour and a half late, and based on previous ESC's this is unlikely to change. As I am not actually in Baku I will be blogging here as videos and opinions come through. I will be updating this page as the day goes on. I don't embed videos onto the blog as I find it slows it down but if you click on the link you should get a video of the rehearsal. I'll try to use eurovision.tv videos but they take a while to appear so you may notice some videos from escXtra who look to be shaping up to have the best coverage so far this year.

Montenegro - Video of rehearsal
No one really knew what to expect from Montenegro as it was never on live TV. This is one of the few songs where vocals really don't matter. I would say though that the overall staging of the song looks very messy and this seems to be the general view.No expects this to qualify and that is my view also but there is a little voice in my head asking me if I'm right in saying that.

Iceland - Video of rehearsal
I had forgotten just how amazing the Icelandic entry was. The rehearsal was really strong and seems to have cleared up any doubts about the song. It is just a pleasure to listen to it live. The back drop is Icelandic mountains which really impressive and keeps in tune with the Icelandicness of it all. The backing singers really lift this and it all looks like the usually excellently produced Icelandic entry. Most people seem to be identifying  this as a definite qualifier.

Greece - Video of rehearsal
Well at least it's not in a shopping center. When I first saw the video of the rehearsal I have to say that I though it now fits so much into the standard Greek entry. Yes this does remind me a lot of other Greek entries. But it still lacks anything tangible that will push it on. In my opinion My Number One would not do very well in this day and age. Lead vocals are fairly poor. This was a problem which I had flagged earlier but the general consensus is that Greece needs more backing singers. But then again remember the shock we all got when we saw Greece won last years semi-final?

Latvia's rehearsal is running a bit later than expected and I have to pop out for a while. More reaction later this afternoon.

From The Frozen North

Without a doubt Iceland's national final generated a lot of interest and to be honest it has proven that you don't have to be Melodifestivalen to generate fan interest. The result of the final was a foregone conclusion but there was some surprise and shock when Greta Salome and Jonsi didn't win the public vote.

Without a doubt Iceland has entered a big ballad in this years contest. It has a great "raw" Icelandic feel to it, and really reminds me of the sort of Frozen North. Unusually, for a duet, both Jonsi and Greta work extremely good and not only work well together but neither are weaker than the other, a problem that often occurs in duets. The song is exceptionally strong however it does lack a final punch that makes me want to stand up with fists in the air (which I do at the end of a surprising number of anthemic songs).

The problem that I have with the entry is that despite how well it is scoring with fans, it came second with the Icelandic public in the televote, that doesn't fill me with confidence. The other problem is the early running order.

Verdict: These are pretty much the only two problems facing the entry. But two problems with an entry is far less than a good number of songs I've reviewed so far. If this takes off with the public there's no telling how far it will go. I do love it as an entry too. But sometimes in order not to be biased for something we have to be cruel.

Grade: A

A Look Ahead To Tonight

All times mentioned in this article are CET for GMT subtract one.

There is a huge amount on this evening with 3 song selections and 2 semi-finals there is little reason to be bored. 

• Norway kicks of in about an hour at 19:55 for their final pausing at 21:10 and restarting for the super final at 21:40. We are expecting a result from Norway around 22:45. We are hoping for a Reidun Saether/Plumbo victory.
• Sweden gets going at 20:00 with their semi-final until 21:30. I think I speak for many fans by saying vote for Timoteij Sweden.
• Iceland have a two hour show from 21:30-23:30 they will be the last country tonight to give us a song and we sincerely hope that it is by Greta & Jonsi.
• Hungary kick off at 20:15 with a result expected around 22:00.
• If your watching Lithuania their show is from 20:00-22:30.

So we have a long night in store. Time to get the dinner eaten and popcorn on and enjoy every minute of the  biggest Scandinavian weekend of the year. 

The Strongest Icelandic National Final In Years

Many Eurovision fans throughout the world have been surprised at the high quality of the Icelandic National selection compared with recent years. So as we are about to see their national final in action time to break out the reviews and cast the critical eye over Iceland:


Regína Ósk - An Icelandic R'n'b, which may or may not do well depending on how it is performed. It was performed well in the semi-final but I just think it lags a little in comparison to some of the other songs that are in the final. Grade: D+

Simbi og Hrútspungarnir - This reminds me of Father'n'sons in the first semi-final. But this has a much stronger Icelandic feel to it. It builds well and is pleasant to listen to. Grade: C+

Rósa Birgitta Ísfeld - Given the standard this just doesn't do it for me at all. It lacks a really tune, the singer does not covey anything that is required to make this stand out. Grade: E+

Blar Opal – As with many of the Icelandic song this one needs to be live to truly enjoy it. However I think it could be just a little unsophisticated for Eurovision. It is strong but in such a strong national final, will it stand out? Grade: B

Greta Salome & Jonsi - Starts deep and intense but then develops with what sounds like violins and thunder. Greta’s singing is very intense. This really proved itself when it was live. Given its position in the draw it has a strong chance of being the Icelandic entry. Personally I love this one. Grade: A

Heida & Gudron Árny -  This is one of my favourites from Iceland. We have seen from earlier that all the artists are able to deliver vocally and I think this may be even slightly better than their other songs. The loss of Greta Sálome here may not be a  good thing but she has decided to go with Jonsi on this one. There’s a vote of confidence in her song. But I would like to see the awkward moment when they get choosen for Eurovision and Gretá asks to rejoin them…..Grade: B+

Magni Ásgeirsson - A strange starting song that builds into something that you weren't quite expecting (not sure if that is a good thing). Parts of the song are really good but there are bits of music when he is not singing is not exactly keeping in line with the song and is a little surprising. Grade: D

And of course Jonsi & Greta Sálome are our favorites to win and we think they have a very good chance of it.