Eurovision 2018 Grand Final Part 1

 Welcome back to part one of my review of Eurovision 2018. I am joined by my partner James, who is going to join me in reviewing the songs of the Grand Final. He's a bit of eurovision newcomer, so will provide a different take on the songs. Will our votes align? Or will they be utterly different. Only time will tell! In this first post, we will review the songs and performances, and it part two I will be watching the results, react to the winner, and provide our votes to see if the winner changes!

Again, we start with a video that makes us want to visit Portugal on holiday. And we begin the contest with some performances of Portugal's national music Fado. Its not the most gripping of opening ceremonies, but interesting none the less. The second lady with the blonde hair has an incredible voice. We get a pair of DJ'S on stage to mix it up a bit, to prove that Portugal can produce modern music!

I do love a good flag parade, but it seems to go on a much longer than they normally do. 

And just like that, its time to start! Up first is Melovin, representing Ukraine with the song "Under the ladder". Again, the staging for this is just fantastic. Rising like a vampire out of a piano, which then sets alight is supreme. Again, minor picks are just a lack of shots of his face of at the piano where you really need the moment to connect with the audience. Vocals don't seem as good as in the semi final, but still a solid performance.

James - Song was  a bit flat, interesting staging (in a good way) Melovin is multitalented with playing the piano at the same time. Felt a bit euro cheesy pop.

Spain is next, and we have Alfred y Amaia with the song "Tu Cancion". For me, this was a dull song, made worse by what I thought was a lack of connection between the singers. Again, they feel like a manufactured Disney couple to try and win the youth vote.  The lights in the audience when the camera pans around was a nice touch. This is a good song to have your toilet break in.

James - this song doesn't inspire. Classical love song, no fire, and never seemed to pick up the pace.

Slovenia is represented by Lea Sirk, with the song "Hvala Ne!". This is one of my favourites this year, the song is brilliant, and complimented with a brilliantly choreographed routine. It's fun, memorable, while being edgy and full of attitude. Love this song! Again though, the random break wasn't needed. And love that the final part was in Portuguese!

James - Felt like a manufactured entry, the break to get the audience to join in didn't work, not everyone can sing along with Slovene. The change halfway through worked and was fun. Was a bit like a techno disco

Ieva is representing Lithuania with the song "When we're old" It's a lovely staging, despite the fact it takes her too long to get up from the floor. It needed to be a few lines, then up and moving. Still just not a fan of the distortions in her voice when the does the oh-ohh parts. Loved the last few lines of the songs being in Lithuanian, added a really lovely personal feeling to it, as well as her connection with the chap at the end (who turned out to be her real life partner)

 James - Liked the song, not a typical eurovision song. But struggled to make the connection with the staging.

Cezar Sampson is next up, with the song "Nobody but you" representing Austria. Love this gospel infused song, the staging is also good, keeping him high and with the spotlight focussed on him. Even though he remains in the same spot for the first half of the song, he never drops that focus and intensity of the performance. He really is a stellar performer. As I said for the semi final, this is a song that has to be performed live, on the recorded version, it comes across as flat. Props to the backing singers, who help to raise this song to a dizzying new heights. Just wish the ending was a bit more punchy.

James - Seemed a bit like Craig David, got the audience going, had a mixture of tones in the song. 

Estonia is up next. "La Forza is performed by Elina Nechayeva, who undoubtably has the best female voice of the contest. Such a simple performance, yet so interesting. This is the first operatic song in Eurovision that stands a good chance of winning. Her voice absolutely transfixes me, and the act of singing in Italian even more so. Just a shame the final note wasn't quite as good as in the semi final. Great choice Estonia! 

James - Classical into opera was nice, impressive dress and a catchy song, even though it was opera. 

Returning winner Alexander Rybak is representing Norway with the song "Thats how you write a song". I was scathing of it in the semi final, and I continue to hate it now. Such a disappointment from someone who had the potential to be the second double winner of Eurovision. I still feel cheated by this naff song, which is only partially improved by the fun but childish onscreen graphics. Very lazily performed.

James - Feels like a stolen Bruno Mars song. Also has a big mouth. Invisible instruments was weird. 

Host's Portugal are next with the song "O Jardim", sung by Claudia Pascoal, and joined by Isaura. I like this, the stripped back, almost acoustic song at points, the beautiful layering of the vocals, the simple and powerful staging. I just wish they connected a bit more on stage, at times they were vibing but not with each other.

James - Didnt really get it, very slow, not much set up to it. 

Then we get a horrific straight joke from our hosts, before heading to the green room for another chat with Filomena. Love her trying to learn the choreo from Slovenia. And we get to enjoy Elina from Estonia's amazing vocals once more.

United Kingdom is next. And I, like everyone does every years, hopes for a memorable performance to get the votes coming in. And while we got a memorable performance, it wasn't for the right reasons. The song is not the greatest, its nice but not memorable, and she's not the most amazing performer. Then, things go wrong, a stage invader, shouting about media Nazi's bursts onto the stage out of no where, and almost derails the performance. But give Surie her due, she gets the microphone back, and this is when we see her really perform the song. Her vocals are strong and passionate, and she really rocks it, further raised by the fantastic audience response to the interruption. Interestingly, they chose not to perform again, which I thought was the wrong decision. If you get the chance to perform a second time at the end of the other songs, then do it. The song is fresh in peoples minds just before the voting starts. I also discovered that this performance was actually replaced on the version I'm watching on You Tube, and after a bit of research I discover it was covered up with her jury show performance. This is what prompted the green room interview with the Ukrainian performer Melovin, which was kept in, while they presumably secured the stage area, and go the intruder out the arena. I do wonder how something like this can happen, and although this is not the first time its happened, for example to Spain in 2010, or with Jamala in 2017, this was the first time a performance was severely disrupted by it. Lets hope this does not happen again.

James - Felt like a repetitive song, not a lot too it. Beats at the start which seemed to disappear. Needed more lyrics.

Serbia is next, with the song "Nova Deca", performed by Sanja Illic & Balkanika. Again, I am hooked from the start. The harmonies are fantastic, then the drums come in, and the song takes a different turn. Through the performance, the song evolves and grows and we seem to have an almost dance folk anthem. This is a brilliant entry, and one I will be listening to again, long after the contest has finished. 

James - Started and I had no idea what was going on, then the catchy under beat came in and I forgot it was in Serbian and quite enjoyed a bit.

Germany is next, and again, I find this a dull song.  Michael Schulte is perfoming his entry "You let me walk alone" The graphics work well, and help bring home the meaning of the song, but I find my attention wandering while he is performing.

James - Feels like a German Ed Sheeran, felt a bit rip off. Unsure if he could sing, and it felt manufactured, I like the song though and really understood the message

Eugent Bushpepa with the song "Mall" is Albania's entrant this year. The song is not my favourite, it feels a bit generic, but he performs it well and with passion, despite wearing a horrific jacket that should have been burned before he went onstage.

James - This song would make a great into for a TV series. He sings with passion, I thought it was a good song and I enjoyed it. No idea what is was about though.

"Mercy" is the French entry, performed by Madame Monsieur. First up, the message behind this song is really good, combining it with a paired back yet strong performance. I love the accents of red, in the lipstick, shoes & guitar as well as the outfits that match, yet feel individual. Its performed well, and gets the audience joined in, further elevating the performance. It almost seems like it doesn't belong at eurovision, but in a good way. 

James - Seemed a lot of je'mappelle and mercy, felt dry and slow.

Next up the Czech Republic with the song, "Lie to me" by Mikolas Josef. Again, the staging is brilliant, makes it feel like a music video. So catchy and well performed. Maybe all Eurovision songs should include some backpack-ography? A very refreshing entry indeed.

James - Trendy pop, quite fast paced and fun. Good beats, enjoyed this one.

Eurovision's first Viking is here, representing Denmark. Rasmussen is his name, and his long ship is parked in the car park while he performs "Higher ground". This sort of Viking pop is not for me, I feel like the song doesn't really go anywhere. For me, the song is grounded on a sand bank and gets stuck there.

James - Build up the passion as it went through, bit niche though

Aussie Aussie Aussie! OI OI OI! The Australians are back, represented by Jessica Muaboy. It's a shame, because she has a great voice, but the song doesn't do it justice. While it is fun, its also a bit bland and lacking character. It also seems to be a bit of a miss with the audience too, the reaction through the song is not great when she's trying to get everyone to join in. The dress irritates me, she looks like she's about to trip on that long bit several times. The staging needed to be better, while Jessica looks like she is having a great time, it needed some dancers to give it more of a fun party vibe.

James - Pure pop, wasn't too cheesy. Didn't really inspire me though.

And we are back to the green room, after our hosts show us how to take a good picture. Filomena has the Serbian delegation up close with her, before heading over to Austria to speak to Cezar who shows his strength by lifting Filomena. Daniela brings up back to earth, with a lovely yet brief tribute to Lys Assia, Eurovision's first ever winner.

Saara Alto is back, with the song "Monsters" representing Finland. This is the true definition of more is more when it comes to staging an eurovision song. Lets just strap her to a spinning wheel while she tries to sing, while dancers who look like orderlies at a psychiatric facility dance around her. Ooh, then lets give everyone a flare! Its a decent song, and Saara performs well. My biggest bug bear again is her makeup. You cannot see her eyes through most of the song. Her make up artist needed to be fired, how are you supposed to connect with a singer without seeing into their eyes? Other than that, a decent effort from Finland

James - Very europop, catchy chorus, lots of staging and props. 

And next up, is a master class on how you do minimalist staging. There are 5 singers in Equinox, performing "Bones" and they all shine equally on stage. This is an absolute banger, the song still gives me chills. I love the fun little quirky camera shots, all the while the semi darkness and bright lights keep you focussed in on the singers. Melodic yet projecting, the end crescendo is great, but the final few moments of them breathing in the darkness is so powerful. Love this.

James - Giving boy band vibes, likes this one, feels a little manufactured at the start, which went as the song progressed, good mixture of singing and sound used.

"My lucky day" is Moldova's entry this year, performed by DoReDos. In the first few seconds, you think what on earth is going on, but then the staging really comes into its own. Its such a fun song, its impossible not to enjoy this, despite the cheesy and camp nature of it. And we all love a eurovision song that gives us a meme that lives on and on.

James - Liked the fun story in the background, catchy pop with party vibes, 

Sweden has perhaps the most fantastic staging of the night. "Dance you off" Performed by Benjamin Ingrosso has one of the most fantastic and well thought out staging's this year. The use of the bars make you feel like you are in a crowded nightclub on a packed Saturday night in the summer, yet makes you feel alone with him. The backing vocals are brilliant, adding just enough to add layer and depth to the song, without taking over. Another stellar entry from Sweden. My only criticism is the same from the semi final. That single long shot of the stage that breaks the illusion of being in the club. Whoever decided that needs to be shot.

James - Light show was very good, catchy beats and pop vibe. 80's pop, sounded a bit like Justin Bieber

AWS are up next, representing Hungary with the song "Viszlat Nyar". These sort of songs never seem to do massively well in Eurovision, but by god does this song whip the crowd up into a frenzy, more than some of the pop/dance ones manage to. Again, this is not my cup of tea, but it is certainly memorable. The pyrotechnic budget for this one must have nearly bankrupted the organisers. But it just adds another level to the energy of the entry.

James - Heavy rock with a passion and story, plus points for mosh pitting. Well played.

Israel is up next, with the song "Toy" performed by Netta. You don't have to like the song to know its going to do well, its perfect Eurovision material, fun, quirky, sing able and stand out. The wall of waving cats are a high point for me (my own collection at home contains only 3). The camera work is brilliant at elevating the performance, of Netta at the DJ deck, the backing singers/dancers on the bridge, the shots of the audience absolutely loving it all adds to the overall performance.

James - Weird, very weird. Made my foot tap, but very weird.

The Netherlands is next, Waylon is performing "Outlaw in 'em" Its a fun song, although repetitive at times. Its got a fun almost rock and hard country feel to it. The bizarre, almost seizure esque dancing throws it off a bit. The backing vocal works well in supporting Waylons lead vocals and providing some depth to it.

James - Catchy Midwest song, one liners came through nicely. Didnt feel the connection between the song and Netherlands, not something I would expect to hear as a Dutch entry.

Taking us on a bit of a calmer direction "Together" is the Irish entry, performed by Ryan O'Shaughnessy. It features a male couple dancing, which melted my heart a little bit. As a gay person, its so nice to see two man dancing together in a nice way, not just as a spectacle. The song is a nice one, with some fabulous harmonies between Ryan and the lady at the piano. Some of his high notes were a little excessive, but overall, it was a wonderfully staged performance for a nice song.

James - This was a good, well done song, but not an exciting love ballad

Cyprus is here, and Queen Eleni Foureira is performing "Fuego". While not the most talented singer, she smashes this out of the park and into the stratosphere. The song of the summer, its performed with gusto and you just cannot help but fall in love with it. I'm still listening to it regularly, and it has become the benchmark of a good eurovision song. The entire performance was fire, and utterly mesmerising with highs and lows, and a chorus you cant resist.

James - Vixen, striking song, but very repetitive. Lots of dancing, this was a good song for Eurovision

Our final song of the night is from Italy. This is "Non mi avete fatto niente" Performed by Ermal Meta & Fabrizio Moro. First of all, lets talk about the song, while its nice, its massively memorable until the performance reaches it's peak, and thats when I start to take notice. However, there is little chemistry between to the two men, especially when they separate. It feels a little bit like they are singing two different songs. The graphics on the screen make a brilliant point of bringing the message to every single viewer, which is something that many songs fail to do.

James - Didn't get it, and it didn't really seem to flow to me.

And thats it, all 26 songs have been performed, and its time to open the phone lines.

While Europe is voting  its time for this post to end. In the next post, I will be posting my review of the results, as well as the interval acts. You'll also find out who was our favourites, and if our points have any effect on the final scoreboard. 

See you soon!