Eurovision Song Contest 2023 - Semi Final One

 Hello and welcome back to my review of Eurovision! May has rolled around quickly I hear you all saying! Our favourite musical contest has returned for another edition, and I will be here to provide my thoughts and feedback on all of the entries in the semi finals. And in the final James will also join me, and we will score all the entries to see if our points change any of the final results! So, without further ado, lets begin!

This year sees a couple of changes. We say goodbye to Bulgaria, Montenegro and Macedonia, all of whom are withdrawing, and with no one returning this year, we see one of the smaller amounts of countries taking part in recent years. We also have a change in the semi finals, now with only televoting scores deciding who will make it to the grand final Also, the rest of the world now has a vote too, and that will definitely be interesting to see. So it really is all to play for!

We are in Liverpool this year, with the UK & the BBC hosting the contest on behalf of last years winners Ukraine, who due to the Russian invasion are unable to safely host to contest. This now means the UK has hosted the contest a record nine times. Let's hope we can put on a good show and make Ukraine proud! 

The first semi final begins with a video about a young boy watching the news announcing the contest is coming to Liverpool. We get some nice shots of the nicer parts of Liverpool, and some friendly looking Liverpudlians getting the place ready. UK watchers may notice a few familiar faces in this video, with Paul O'Grady, Nikita Kuzmin, Paul Hollywood and even our new King & Queen making an appearance. 

Our little fella from the video appears on stage with a mirrored dance with a Ukrainian girl to a cover of "Electric dreams", before Julia Sanina, one of our hosts and singer of the Ukrainian band Hardkiss takes the stage to give us a performance to introduce herself with. Wow has she got a powerful voice!

Our fabulous tri of hosts for the semi finals are singer & TV judge Alesha Dixon, Ukrainian singer Julia Sanina and actress & host Hannah Waddingham. All three look fabulous tonight, but it's Hannah's rainbow dress that is the best look so far. I was wondering who would be our designated French speaker for the shows, and that falls to Hannah, who sounds incredible doing it. Already, the three have a great chemistry, and seem to get along well.

And just like that, it's time to begin. And take note of the postcards, they are some of the best concepts we have seen at the contest. Each one is themed, so like with Norway's, we see the National Ukrainian Library in Kyiv, the Central Library in Liverpool, and the Deichman Library in Oslo. It's a brilliant concept, and really links both the UK & Ukraine together with the competing country.

Anyway, representing Norway is Alessandra, with the song "Queen of Kings" It's one of the favourites this year, along with fellow Nordics Sweden & Finland. There's no denying, Alessandra has a fantastic voice, but the song is ok. It's not quite caught onto me yet. The backing dancers with the spinning lights was a great touch to add a bit of interest & drama behind her.

Malta is up next, and we have The Busker with "Dance (our own party)". The line up of previous Maltese entrants was a stroke of genius, as well as the bus stop. This whole performance is just good fun overall. It's camp, cheesy and good fun. By no means is this a winner, but it will certainly qualify. He changes out a hot & scratchy jumper into a more jazzy but equally scratchy silver jumper. I'm really quite enjoying this. 

Luke Black is representing Serbia, with the song "Savo mi se Spava". They've gone for a similar artistic and thought provoking concept to Konstraktas "In Corpore Sano" last year. However, where there was a clear message with a fun element with the clapping last year, this year it feels rather more misguided. I can't really tell you much about it. It doesn't have that same effect of wanting to know more about it, and I think there's supposed to be a concept behind it, but I couldn't tell you what. I think the ripping of the hoses implies disconnecting from the internet. Unfortunately, this is a bit of a miss for me.

The beautiful sandy beach at Boscombe, which forms part of Latvia's postcard

"Sudden lights" is the Latvian entry, performed by Aija. There's a sort of almost alternative type feel to it, and I notice they are using those big halogen stage lights Ann-Sophie used in her performance for Germany in 2015. Look how that went! The song doesn't really capture my attention in any way, and I'll admit, I'm a little bored. It's not my type of music, and I don't think it's a particularly strong song. But what do I know? I just have a blog and plenty of opinion to put on it! 

Alesha is in the greenroom, and tells us Liverpool is the friendliest city in the world. I can't agree! Sarajevo, Trebinje and Wells are all much more friendlier! Perhaps its the Scouser accent, maybe it makes everyone sound more friendly. Anyway, she is chatting to the Busker from Malta who visited the cavern club and saw a football game.  Alesha then springs into a rap that I was not expecting! She's been a TV presenter for so long I forgot she was a singer on Mis-Teeq. We then get a fun skit with Hannah & Bucks Fizz forming a queue at a telephone box.

Mimicat is representing Portugal this year, with the song "Ai coração" and this really is a feast for the senses. There's a dramatic, almost Chicago themed entrance, before the song picks up tempo. It's a fun song, and she has a great charisma about her. Her voice is lovely too. I'm really quite enjoying, and the audience seems to. Should be another easy qualifier for Portugal.

Ireland is up next, the song is "We are one" performed by Wild Youth. I think we have our first definite non qualifier here. It's just a very bland song trying to be an anthem, and there's a rather nervous and shaky start. I am also personally offended by whatever the lead singer is wearing. Talk about a camel toe, or rather, a glittery camel toe. The adrenaline then takes over, the performance starts to become messy, with our lead singer not even holding the microphone anywhere near him, and it all starts to fall apart.

Anyone else finding that the postcards are brilliant, then the onscreen graphics are almost seizure inducing with the colours and words flashing up and all around the screen or is it just me?

The tower in Rijeka, as you head towards the port area, where I treated myself to strawberries from the local produce market there!

"Let 3" are representing Croatia with the song "Mama ŠČ!". If you'd never seen Eurovision before, you probably wouldn't understand it. And if you have seen Eurovision before, then you still probably won't understand it! I haven't a clue as to what is happening on stage, the music is a bizarre mix of styles, and then everyone starts taking their clothes off, grabbin instruments while a man dressed like Groot carries two missiles on stage with sparklers on them. Eurovision loves a bizarre entry, so this will probably qualify. All I got from it was some sort of war message, but other than that, I couldn't tell you!

We now have Switzerland, the song is "Watergun" and is sung by Remo Forrer. If you're needing a wee, this is the time to go. It has a very powerful anti war message, but is very dreary, bordering on boring. The contemporary but listless choreography feels a little at odds with the musicality of the song. One of the dancers with the long dark hair and stubble is hot though. I wouldn't mind dancing with him! This is too slow a song to make it through.

If you want to see someone with star quality, then Noa Kirel is here to beam a light into place. She is performing "Unicorn" for Israel. It's a dramatic start, and with a fantastic light tunnel concept onstage. She is oozing so much charisma it has slicked her hair back, and she has an incredible voice. My issue is with the song. It's fun and catchy, but a bit jumpy and the final dance break at the end just seemed to go on forever, and it didn't seem to add anything to the overall package? It's like they saw "SloMo" last year and tried to rebrand it into a pop package. The song is missing a bit of soul to it. It's a bit of a shame, but this is a really slick and well produced entry, typical of Israel, who seems to bring a level of production to the contest a lot of countries envy. It will do well, but it's not my favourite.

One of our returning artists this year is Pasha Parfeni, who represented Moldova in 2012 and again appeared as part of their 2013 entry. Both times he came 11th, so he will be hoping to crack into the elusive top ten this year. The song is "Soarele și luna" and it continues the trend of modern & folk infused songs. I really like this, I love the feeling of drama & mystery to the song, and Pasha is very nice to look at. This is going on my playlist! Ohh it gives me the chills! The performance itself is good, with the drummers, backing singers and man on the flute all adding to that feeling of discovering an cult in a forest. Pasha's vocals are a little quiet at times, perhaps the microphone needed turning up a bit, but overall, I think this is my favourite entry so far.

We get a video of this years contestants on the turquoise carpet, some look lovely, some look...well, like their luggage got lost and they had to pick something up at the airport. But anyway, we head back to Alesha in the greenroom, who introduces Sweden.

Interestingly, we have another entrant returning from the 2012 contest, (is this a first I wonder?). This is Loreen, who won the contest for Sweden with "Euphoria", a song that broke the Eurovision mould and went on to have chart success across Europe, unlike many songs that failed to replicate Eurovision success with commercial success. She is the most talked about entrant this year, and will be hoping to replicate her win, and become the second person to win the contest twice. The song is "Tattoo" and from the first couple of bars, you know she is the contender for the win. The song is soaring, and enigmatic, her breathy vocals perfectly paired with the music and lyrics, and to top it off, the staging is incredible. So simple, but so effective. Shall we just give her the trophy now? She is such an interesting performer to watch, you can just hear and feel the emotion from her. She really is such a pro.

Azerbaijan is up next, and we have TuralTuranX with the song "Tell me more". The song & performance has a lovely vintage look and feel to it, and while it's not a banger, it's a nice little song with a nice sound to it. There was a slight malfunction with the guitar strap breaking, but it didn't seem to bother him. The split camera angles worked well to give the staging some additional interest. And, perhaps I'm thinking about it too much, but this is clearly a song about a boy yearning for love from a partner that doesn't seem to be as invested as he is. But they are twins, are they singing about the same person? If so, that a little confusing and strange, but hey, if that's what you're into, then why not? I think it might struggle to qualify and stand out amongst some of the more punchy entries around it.

Vesna are the Czech entrants this year, and are performing "My sisters crown". It's an interesting concept with a powerful message, with them all in pink with the superlong plaits almost touching the floor. It's got a modern, almost hip/hop vibe to it at times, but with an almost folk sound at other times. Its quite an interesting composition, and I quite like it. I'll be interested to see how this does.

The Netherlands are up next, and we have "Burning Daylight", performed by Mia Nicolai & Dion Cooper. For some reason, when I see the title I always expect this to be a heavy metal song, anyone else get that vibe? Anyway, it's written by previous winner Duncan Laurence, but the song just feels like it's missing something. It feels very posed and played up, and I don't feel like they have very much chemistry. The staging is an interesting concept, with a moving circle which moves them both closer and further apart, which really works for the song. I think it feels too similar to "Die Diepte" last year, with its fantastic and catchy vocal riff. This feels like an inferior song & concept, and I think it's not interesting enough to qualify. I think if it had been a bit more fleshed out and re-tooled, it could have worked well. 

Our final country this year is Finland, the song is "Cha Cha Cha" and to say it is performed by Käärijä, is perhaps an understatement. He performs like his life depends on it, and the performance is a feast for the senses to say the least. There's complex Finnish lyrics, a catchy chorus, bizarre choreography, very white teeth and an insane audience reaction. This song is a contender, and I feel like after watching it, I need to sit down for a moment with a cup of tea, there's that much energy and adrenaline coursing through the arena!

Back to our hosts, Alesha, Julia & Hannah, as they give us the details of how to vote, before opening the phone lines! But remember, this is in the past, do not try to vote! Who was your favourite? Comment below and let me know! We get our first recap, before we get our first interval act, with Rebecca Ferguson and Alyosha (who represented Ukraine in 2010, coming 10th). It's an incredibly moving performance, especially considering Alyosha had been evacuated from Ukraine, leaving her husband behind. She performs a beautiful Ukrainian version of "ordinary world" something that I think will take Ukraine many years or decades to return back to normal again, if ever. It's a really lovely concept, and a poignant reminder of why the contest is here in Liverpool.

We get another reminder, if you've not decided your favourites yet, then you need to do so now! We now get a performance from Rita Ora, who Alesha describes as a global superstar. I'll take your word for it. Rita is wearing this ridiculous black wide tutu which looks like she would get stuck in every doorway in the arena. Thankfully it gets ripped off quite quickly. I get that the UK is hosting, but couldn't we have gotten a Ukrainian artist to perform rather than wasting our time with Rita singing a cover of "Praise you". I feel like that was a bit of a filler performance. 

We now get a fun film about Ukraine's history in the contest. I have to say, Ukraine has a fantastic track run of results, and seem to have the knack for both great songs and fantastic staging. If you ever want staging advice, speak to the Ukrainians. This compares hilariously to the UK's recent track record, but we won't mention that! 

Hannah mentions that while Ukraine is good at Eurovision, the Brits are also good at talking about the weather. I mean it is true, but it hardly compares to a Eurovision win! With just a minute left to vote, it's still all to play for, and this year the rest of the world can also vote. I can't wait to see what the rest of the world thinks of the songs tonight. But with that said, the countdown begins and just like that, the lines are closed! There's nothing more anyone can do! 

Alesha is with Timor Miroshnychenko, Ukraines commentator and host from the 2017 contest, and we see a fantastic video of Timor commentating and reacting to Kalush Orchestra's win last year from an air raid bunker. Hannah & Julia are in the greenroom who are joined with Dustin the Turkey, one of those Eurovision entrants you'd rather not see again. Why he is there, I have no idea.

We then get a video of Filomena Cautela (ESC host 2018) and the constantly reappearing Mans Zelmerlow (Winner 2015, host 2016). It's a fun game, where they guess which countries qualified or didn't make it. Mans is his usual dry self, but Filomena is such good fun, I could watch her all day. I remember her being one of the better hosts from the 2018 contest. And Alesha is back in the greenroom, where we get a dance master class with the entrants from Israel, Finland and Malta. It's chaotic but fun, and doesn't require too much dance experience! Even I could do it! 

Hannah & Julia are at the main stage, playing air guitar and rocking out. I can't imagine Hannah being in a rock band, but she soon proves me wrong with an incredible note. Alesha is in the green room with three of our automatic qualifiers. Now I will be reviewing the songs fully in the grand final post, but first we get a video of them being asked questions, and it's quite a nice way to introduce themselves with some interesting answers. We start by chatting with La Zarra from France, who loves Mr Bean, I mean I think we all do, don't we?  We then chat to Germany's Lost of the Lost, who are described an industrial rock. They look almost glam rock to me. And we have another returning entrant, Marco Mengoni from Italy, who seems rather nervous, but points out he was here ten years ago. It feels so strange to say it was ten years ago. I think we all forget how fast times goes. 

Back to Julia & Hannah at the main stage who are joined with the Eurovision Trophy. The results are not far away now, as we chat to Martin Österdahl, who says those famous words, you're good to go! And without further ado, our first qualifier is Croatia! Closely followed by Moldova, Switzerland & Finland. Our fifth & sixth qualifiers are Czechia & Israel. You can feel the tension rising as the slots are filling up! Next to qualify is Portugal, Sweden & Serbia. With just one place remaining, it's got to be either Norway or Malta qualifying, both of whom I thought would make it. But the final qualifier is announced as Norway!

And there we have it, our ten qualifiers! I was very surprised that Malta did not make, especially considering Switzerland was not a song I thought would appeal to televoters. But there we go, that's the way the Eurovision cookie crumbles! Did your favourites make it? Let me know in the comments. 

And all that's left to do is to announce my votes! 

1 Point is for The Netherlands

2 Points are for Norway

3 Points are for Czechia

4 Points are for Israel

5 Points are for Azerbaijan

6 Points are for Portugal

7 Points are for Malta

8 Points are for Finland

10 Points are for Sweden

and finally, 12 points go to Moldova! 

Does that change any of the results? 

A few minor movements in places, but no change to the qualifiers. I was surprised to see that the bottom four countries were grouped so close together in the voting. I think we've been so used to seeing larger scores in the semi finals where everyone voted twice, that anyone scoring single digits is a surprise. The biggest surprise was Malta not making it through, I had them down as a solid qualifier. 

Anyway, that completes the first semi final! Thank you for reading, and I will see you next time for the second semi final! Will my votes change the results? We shall have to see!