Achille steals: Eurovision 2nd rehearsals, day 2 review

Today was day two of the second rehearsals, with the remaining countries from semi-final 1 and the first seven entries from semi-final 2 taking to the stage. The quality on show today was a big step up on what we saw yesterday.

The online press stream started again with technical difficulties on Iceland’s rehearsal, but we eventually got to see the final run through. Systur were in fine form vocally and this felt like a very warm performance, with the final minute of the song being the highlight. The split screen effect on the final bridge was seamless and looked good on camera, and the trio introduced new harmonies to the final chorus which added depth. With Croatia stumbling yesterday, is there a folk-shaped hole opening up in the qualification slots for Iceland?

Next up was Norway with a rehearsal basically unchanged from Subwoolfer's national final performance. The malfunctioning sun was quite noticeable, with the black void blocking some of the effects on the LED screen. Nothing much to add here; it’s a surefire qualifier that should get a decent result in the final.

Armenia, the last of the semi-final 1 acts, rehearsed next. Rosa Linn brought a giant bedroom set to Turin, and thankfully the paper covering the walls looked much less like toilet paper than the pictures of the first rehearsal suggested. She was solid vocally throughout the three takes, but missed a few cues in more than one run through. Furthermore, the lighting was very dark and Rosa Linn didn’t stand out as much as she should have against the backdrop. Again, though, this is a qualifier but needs some tightening up before Tuesday’s semi-final.

Finland kicked off the second semi-finalists with a disappointing session. The first 30 seconds of the performance was awkward, with Rasmus lead singer Lauri holding a yellow balloon and staring into the camera, with Pennywise comparisons easy to make. Once this part was over, the staging concept looked better for the rest of the song, with (sometimes obstructive) large balloons successfully covering the broken sun. Vocally, however, this was really weak. While he got through the choruses with help from the loud music and backing singer, Lauri was completely exposed in the verses and sounded strained and uncomfortable. I maintain that Finland is much too short in the qualification market, with potential for the juries to punish the vocals and the early running order slot being a televote risk.

Michael Ben David performed next for Israel and smashed it from the first take. This was a Eurovision-ready performance with strong vocals, choreography and probably the best LED floor effects I’ve seen in rehearsals so far. While the song isn’t one of the strongest in the contest, the performance elevates this and Israel should be considered a real qualification contender. I’m glad to have backed this to qualify at the price I did.

Serbia’s rehearsal came next, and Konstrakta delivered as always, though she felt much more on edge than usual, likely due to the staging issues the Serbian team have encountered in the last week. The performance looked very similar to her national final performance, with the welcome addition of some on-screen lyrics likely to elevate the song’s appeal. These lyrics were a little sporadic, though, and while they were present for the last section of the song, I would have liked more. ‘In corpore sano’ has a lot of potential, but this is another entry that needs tidying up before the main event (the wide shots on the song’s clapping hook ought to go, for example).

Another arty stage show followed, with Azerbaijan’s Nadir Rustamli sitting on some American-style bleachers for the start of his perfromance. The solo dancer mirrored his moves throughout, but this is nothing we haven’t seen before from Azerbaijan (see 2014). There’s a decent staging concept here, but ‘Fade to Black’ felt pretty forgettable and ended up getting buried by the chaos surrounding it in the semi-final. I was very surprised to see this topping the press poll at the end of the day.

Circus Mircus for Georgia gave a convincing performance and were a nice surprise. The live vocal on the ‘take me to the spacecraft’ section was turned down and felt less jarring than previous renditions of the song. 'Lock Me In' was staged well with a fun ‘what’s in the box?’ reveal midway through the performance. Don’t write this off just yet.

Malta’s rehearsal was fine. Emma Muscat was strong vocally, but the song remains very pedestrian for me and brings nothing new to the contest. Although it’s not my thing, there is a subsection of the public that could take to this (especially younger kids). Malta may be pushed over the line with a little help from their friends in this semi (Australia/Azerbaijan/UK/Ireland).

Last, but by no means least, was Achille Lauro for San Marino who improved with each take and stole the show on his final run through, accompanied by a big-budget feast of fireworks, pyro and smoke. The staging really works here and Achille delivers a strong performance. San Marino rightly shortened in the qualification market after the performance, though there may still be some value at 2.16. Regardless of its chances, it would be a great shame if this doesn’t make it to Saturday’s final.

Most impressive of the day
San Marino

Most disappointing of the day
Finland

Image of Achille Lauro by EBU / Andres Putting.