Recap of Rehearsals Day 5

/ Sekhmet Morgan

vienna eurovision 2015Eurovision 2015 – With eight days to go to the contest, daily rehearsals start and of course the Eurovision Times will do its best to cover them; here’s for the second rehearsals to the first semifinal: pics and vids have been officially released, so tell us what you think so far!

This is how it works: for each country, you can click on the picture to see a full photoset, or in the song’s title to watch the recap video (the artist’s name will redirect you to the participant’s official page on Eurovision.tv).

So that’s it for today’s rehearsals. Tomorrow will be a very long day, there’ll be all 17 enties from semifinal 2 getting both their second rehearsal (and last year we got all 3mns clips from the official website for them!) and their official press conference! So Stay tune!

53 thoughts on “Recap of Rehearsals Day 5”

  1. Moldova: I usually want some party,up-tempo songs to make it to the final but this one looks creepy and rather offensive to watch.I believe they won’t qualify in the end.

    Armenia: I really liked this one!They managed to ge the most out of their song with this stage performance and i love the bridge.It’s a qualifier.

    Belgium: It’s good and it works on stage as something different and comtemporary.Now,that we’re able to see the close-ups,i think he’s coppying Maddie Zigler now.I sound like Donnie now but i can’t help but notice it. :P

    Netherlands: A much better outfit.It looks rather static and there were some vocal issues here and there.I can’t see it qualifying at this point.

    Finland: Based on what i saw,i’d say it’s a non qualifier but just because it’s PKN i’d say it’s the most unpredictable entry of the year.

    Greece: It looks and sounds just like the rehearsal.It’s a solid effort but the song remains an average ballad.It looks more like a qualifier at this point.

    Estonia: It looks ok and i didn’t really mind the vocal issues but it doesn’t really look like a winning performance.Top-2 in the semi and top-5 in the final is within reach,though.

    FYROM: A trainwreck!The r&b dance routine looks awkward and out of place and i don’t really like his outfit.I don’t mind the backdrop.It looks ok.A non qualifier.

    Serbia: This is so camp and kitsch!I don’t really know what to say other than i don’t like this as much as i like Bojana.It’s borderline,imo(9-12).

    Hungary: It’s clean and simple and the changes at the backdrop are effective.Another one that it’s hard to predict.I’d say it’s a borderline qualifier.

    Belarus: I quite liked it this time!It’s just that it looks so static and they should made a much better use of the backdrop.

    Russia: As i wrote above,it will be top-2 in the semi and will do really well in the final.

    Denmark: It’s well-performed but i just can’t wait for it to finish.Nothing to like here for me.If it wasn’t Denmark,i’d say it’s a non qualifier but the juries may support it.

    Albania: Much better than the first rehearsal but still it doesn’t look great on stage.Good vocals too.I believe they’ll qualify.

    Romania: It will get my vote in the semi.I like the melody,i love the Romanian lyrics,it manages to take me to this beautiful fairytale-like place.A qualifier!

    Georgia: She’s gutsy and looks fierce on stage.She’s is definitely a warrior.The backdrop is ok but i’d much prefer the women in ethno costumes from the official video.Her diction kind of annoyed me today.A sure qualifier!

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  2. It was an interesting day…
    The rising possibility of Russia winning really spoiled my mood I have to admit though…Anyway, fingers crossed it won’t happen.
    Pretty much everyone was solid today and those who weren’t previously have stepped up their game (with the exceptions of FYR Macedonia, Moldova and Serbia who, for different reasons each, have little of value to work with at this point I am afraid).
    The Netherlands was the biggest improvement, the dutch delegation really listens to feedback and that’s good. Still I am afraid Trinjtje is far from qualification.
    Albania and Belarus stepped up their game, both were much more comfortable on stage.
    Armenia is shaping up to a top 12 contender I think. Another excellent performance.
    Greece has solidified its qualification imo, she is really delivering.
    Denmark is really good and refreshing and should qualify imo.
    Romania was good, Calin has to drop the tacky message at the end.
    Hungary oozes class and should qualify as well imo.
    Georgia is really impressive and a top 10 contender now.
    Estonia is very effective on stage..Can it win ? I am not sure..But anything but top 5 would be an injustice.
    Finland is Finland, nothing more nothing less.
    And Belgium…I really loved Loic’s performance, it is edgy as the song and fits his artistic style. It may be a tad too sharp though for this semi final and this worries me. I don’t think its a song that will reasonate with eastern europe at all (I expect a flow of zeroes from Belarus, Russia, Georgia, Armenia, Serbia, FYR Macedonia, Albania and even Greece) and I am worried the support of the rest of the countries may not be enough to take Loic in the final. If he gets there I expect him to do better than he will do in the semi given the wider pool of likely voters.

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  4. I’ll continue with Georgia here. I know that it is supposed to be loud, angry and aggressive … and it certainly succeeds in transporting the emotional message designed for. All those feeelings exclude subtlety, and this is exactly where my problems with GEO15 begin. I can understand that this is a strong package but it hasn’t been made for me.

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  5. My prediction is getting more and more definite as rehearsals procede
    1.Russia
    2.Estonia
    3.Hungary
    4,Belgium
    5.Romania
    6.Georgia
    7.Armenia
    8.Greece
    9.Albania
    10,Denmark
    11.Serbia
    12.Moldova
    13.Belarus
    14.Finland
    15.FYROM
    16.Netherlands

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    • Let’s wait and see how many you got right. I feel at a total losss this year because I have no idea how Finland will do. We don’t have a precedent for an act like that in the history of ESC. Albania and to a lesser degree Denmark and the Netherlands left me confused too … 2012 was so easy to predict. I got 19/20 back then.

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        • Yes, before the whole jury ranking was introduced we could use televoting patterns as a scaffolding for our rankings. Result-wise it is more fun now but I still don’t like the full jury ranking because it allows juries to strategically kill certain songs for reasons not related to music.

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    • Hungary third really ?? That’s bold…And since I believe Finland will win the televoting closely followed by Russia, I doubt they won’t qualify at any case. Fingers crossed Russia does not win the semi…

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  6. I changed my apartment and here tv and WiFi work properly :))) and guess what I watched first?

    One thing I can say – I adore Ings as singer! Don’t know how good vocally Mary J is but Ingas voice is gorgeous!

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  7. Honestly can’t get the hype around Russia! Smuch bland song and show… Somehow reminders Sabina Babaevas lighting dress!

    As for Azerbaijan the show is epic fail after the official video! Those dancers shouldn’t be on the stage and show should be more minimalisti As video was!

    I quite liked Georgia and disliked Belgium! To be cocontinued

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      • Let’s bet that France will get the 12 points from Armenia?
        If I win you must take on a shirt with photo of Putin and walk in Brussels for one hour in it ;) I
        :))

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        • I highly doubt it tbh…Sure its a deal ;) What if I win the bet though hmmm let me think..I’ll be gentle to you…You won’t be picking Armenia for the next two editions of FDLC deal :P ;) ?

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  9. We left Jade a few hours ago. Myself and Jane went to the free ballet trip. Jade was left doing sterling work in the press centre. We got back to the hotel, no sign of her… got a bit worried. Then I went to write a post on ET and saw 2 draft pages she’s working on. 1 about a San Marino party tonight she’s been to, one about the Euroclub. She is out partying, isn’t she?!

    Seriously though I just want to say a big thank you for all the hard work she’s done this week already. She’s covered for me when I had other non-ESC work to do and when I was queuing for interviews, networking etc. Thanks Jade!

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  11. I don’t know if it is just me, but looking at the feathers worn by Nina Sublatti in the picture above, it is almost funny… I don’t suppose it is meant to be so.

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    • The feathers (ok and the english accent but I learned to live with that..) is the only thing that spoils the performance for me..They add unnecesary volume. She is an agrresive feminist woman, she needs a tight, composed figure not ruffles and feathers. They failed the concept with that addition imo.

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      • To be honest, I normally don’t really take notice of the singers’ outfit. It’s not something I care much about, I mostly focus on the song. When I do notice the outfit, it is often because it is gimmicky in some way (f.e. feathers), or if is daring.

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  14. Apparently somehow some (at least one) of the postcards have unintentionally leaked. Here is the estonian one :

    Elina and Stig went skateboarding apparently..!

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  15. The updated betting odds for the first semi.There’s some serious reshuffling :-o :

    1.Russia
    2.Estonia
    3.Georgia
    4.Romania
    5.Greece
    6.Armenia
    7.Belgium
    8.Albania
    9.Belarus
    10.Finland
    11.FYROM
    12.Denmark
    13.Hungary
    14.Serbia
    15.Moldova
    16.Netherlands

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  16. I can see why the betting odds are looking this way. Personally, I think that the first 7 will reach the final. Russia will win the semi and who knows what else. :(

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    • I agree.The top-7 looks like a secure prediction atm.The next 3 are in with a chance although Hungary and Denmark may upset things.As for Serbia,if’s it’s top-5 with the televoters then it can qualify.

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  17. After going through the photos posted above, I think that the Hungarians are the best dressed ones, so far.

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  18. 01 Moldova Moldova | Eduard Romanyuta | I Want Your Love
    Well, overall, I liked it. Not that it’s great and that I would have it in my top 30, but it was a bad song with an awful performance booed in its nf for xenophobic reasons. The worse was to be expected, and as usual with TVM, they did very well with the given material (and I usually don’t like their OTT esc approach which people tend to praise, but at least they gave the Ukrainian boy an equal chance than their last entries). It’s silly, ove rthe top, and yes I agree the kind of camp crap Eurovision wouldnt really feel complete without. Id rather have an Eurovision full of great songs like Estonia and Belgium, but if we’re gonna have bad ones, I prefer Moldova and Serbia to the campy and turdy Armenian and Russian ones…

    02 Armenia Armenia | Genealogy | Face The Shadow
    I completely hate this. Messagewise, it’s probably the worst entry of the year, huge dumb propaganda that the EBU should have never allowed. Both the songs and the group, but especially the group, are just a concept pushed into an entry and with a campy performance which is close to laughable in its “folk” gimmick. If it were a fair world, this one would be the true last in this semi. But it’s within a big chance, the Armenian diaspora has been the most insane one, making all Belgium, Netherlands and France give the country 12pts every year in the 100% televoting era…

    03 Belgium Belgium | Loïc Nottet | Rhythm Inside
    What I wanted it to look like, and with Loïc’s amazingness. His vocals are great, the song is amazing and the backdrop is artsy, he’s quirky, the pirouette. In that same fair world, it’ would quite easily win.

    04 The Netherlands The Netherlands | Trijntje Oosterhuis | Walk Along
    I genuinely think it’s not a bad performance per se. It’s just lame and underwhelming, and even quite lazy. You don’t make a good performance ust by dressing your backings in a crazy way that’ll make me go “oh lol” and disregard your entry. The backdrop is a cool idea poorly executed. And for all the “i dont care about the dress fuss” (said in the official eurovision.tv article about nl today), they still changed it… But the veil stayed… A definite non-Q…

    05 Finland Finland | Pertti Kurikan Nimipäivät | Aina Mun Pitää
    I still dont like the song. But it’s a “cool” entry overall. Sadly, its fair results as a song+performance will never be known since there is that one aspect of the entry every commentator will mention and that’ll curve things. In good or bad? For televoters or juries? It’s one impossible to predict. I’m not sure how I feel still, but YLE gave them a very cool visual. And they seem to have a hell of a time in Vienna.

    06 Greece Greece | Maria Elena Kyriakou | One Last Breath
    I still hate it, and I find it extremely hateful. Overall, that grand diva ballad with some rather poor vocals (which are down to just shout-breah-shout-breah is the genre I despise the most. When in 2008 Poland qualified, for instance I absolutely hated it. So this one isn’t completely killed yet in terms of chances, but Russia is a better formula (way better singer, cooler visuals, stronger anthemic song) however the diaspora is another crazy one (as seen in the Uk’s often top marks). We’ll see.

    07 Estonia Estonia | Elina Born & Stig Rästa | Goodbye To Yesterday
    Probably the best rehearsals overall in semi 1 (since Loic still struggled a bit with his cues), this is a great song with amazing visuals, one of the best backdrops of the year, very neo-noir. THe shadow is a nice gimmick, easy to make, actually makes sense with the song and will underline more the song and explaisn the not-chemitry at the end quite well. It’s clever and looks actually really good. Elina’s vocals seemed perfect to me. I think but mostly hope that it puts them back in the game.

    08 F.Y.R. Macedonia F.Y.R. Macedonia | Daniel Kajmakoski | Autumn Leaves
    For what it’s worth, it’s now between laughable and cool in quirkness. In general, I think it’ll leave people too puzzled to care to remember it. And in general pointless. Everything could have worked independantly but not together like that it’s just plain silly. And the columns, seriously… Anyway Daniel’s cute smile kinda redeems this one from the big bin for me. I doubt the neighbor votes will be enough, this one looks like a certain non-Q to me.

    09 Serbia Serbia | Bojana Stamenov | Beauty Never Lies
    It’s silly, it’s fun, but it’s also a bit pointless and irritating. Moldova is fun all throughout, this one takes too long to take itself seriously til it explodes. And neither looks (the all white or the big colourful hipsters) work so both look bad, not to mention weirdly put together. If it wasn’t for the casual televoters always going for the campy stuff and I’m sure adoring Bojana’s personality oozing from the lyrics and performance, I’d say this one was dead. It’ll battle Moldova for the fun entry making it from the semi. With a better draw, better singer and way more neighbor friendly votes. So I’d say it’s in, barely.

    10 Hungary Hungary | Boggie | Wars For Nothing
    Nope, I still don’t like and do find the visuals too cheezy. The song does have a nice slow and gentle melody which is a nice change of pace in the modern contest. But if it’s to serve such dumb lyrics (the dumbest of the year in that they take themselves way too seriously), what’s the point. Boggie is so tiny! And well dressed, but I don’t like the backings’ look, it’s too formal, makes them look stiff (in French we have this funny expression “as if they had a broom stuck up their asses”, well that exactly). But I do think its simpleness will touch many, at least enough to make it to the final. And probably it deserves to.

    11 Belarus Belarus | Uzari & Maimuna | Time
    I totally like and respect this new Belarus approach, that wants to be sublte, arty and not gimmicky or over the top. They probably thought Maimuna’s violin was a gimmick on its own and they tried to underline this. The NF performance felt too Uzari, this one feels too Maimuna. But oh well. It’s not a bad song, but too repetitive, the last minute really drags on forever and with nothing going on in the backings or on stage, this will be lost. Don’t see it in and it’s a shame because it might make Belarus feel they need butterfly wings or disco balls to qualify…

    12 Russia Russia | Polina Gagarina | A Million Voices
    No I don’t see it winning and think everyone’s blowing this out of proportion, like every year the “press” (or as I like to call them, fans with enough money and ability to take 2 weeks leave) gets things totally wrong because they see it through their own perspective. Not that it’s obviously going to be top 3 in this semi and top 10 in the final, but the dress is a veery old gimmick by esc standards (and in many other tv shows) by now, and there’s nothing else going on there to really make that big of an impact like winners all have had before!

    13 Denmark Denmark | Anti Social Media | The Way You Are
    Not much to say, it really does stand out in the line up, the band is great except for the main singer which is a slap-worthy face, the added 50s touch gives it a bowl of fresh air and in general, it’s both naive and cute and I’m sure juries will have this one very high. I don’t think televote will go crazy over them, borderlinish 8th-11th but the two votings together should help it through, as usual. But we’re going to have another poor finnish for Dk à la 2012. It’s not a song you remember or care for once it’s over, while not hateful during.

    14 Albania Albania | Elhaida Dani | I’m Alive
    Well this one is probably the one I’m most certain about being completely out. What a trainwreck. Besides her good vocals, which are a thing for sure, there’s nothing going on there, and more iportantly, the song for the last half (90s) is just about showing off these vocals. Not really a song is there? And her outfit oh my god, hands down the stupidest one now that the Dutch have changed theirs. And the visuals are a mess, no direction, no idea what to do with their live. Albania have really lost it in esc now, without a Rona to save them (meaning an artist that imposes his or her style to the entry…) With their star failing, might Albania finally withdraw after toying with the idea this year?

    15 Romania Romania | Voltaj | All Over Again
    I hate this? Seriously, another big campfest in this semi, making Finland almost top 5 in subtlety. I never liked the song, a boring poprock that was radio friendly (like too often with Romania, remember “change”? oh lord), but with extremely corny lyrics which are very in your face about its message, but at least it’s in Romanian and they believe in it. Right? Wrong! Now it’s in English and they shove it down your throat, the suitcase, the line at the end… the all white was good looking though. Romania never failed to qualify and I see all the Eastern european countries eating it up…

    16 Georgia Georgia | Nina Sublatti | Warrior
    I dunno now. It’s very manga and cartoony, and the feathers add to that impression. I like Nina, and the raw in your face aspect works with what the song’s about and it surely is better than too-sweet Amber or amateurish Mélanie. But in the end, while this is probably getting top 4 thanks to the draw, it’ll go down at 13th or so in the final. It’s not as great as I originally thought and the song’s nice but it’s just that, nice. At least it’ll consolidate Georgia in the contest, sorta.

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  19. Estonia 10
    Belgium 8
    Albania 7.5
    Hungary 7.5
    Russia 7
    Georgia 6.5
    Greece 6.5
    Romania 6
    Denmark 6
    the Netherlands 4.5
    Belarus 4.5
    Armenia 4.5
    FYR Macedonia 4
    Serbia 3
    Moldova 2
    Finland 1

    I like Loics clothes :) Great style.

    As for prediction. I expect my top 9 to proceed to the final. Armenia will finish off Netherlands.

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