Eurovision 2015: Semi-Final 1: The Winners and Losers

Last evening, the first semi-final of this year's Eurovision Song Contest was staged at the Wiener Stadhalle in Vienna and, not surprisingly, there were a few shocks among those countries that qualified and those that failed at this point in the competition.

The large stadium setting and the standing, flag-waving, audience have become the all-encompassing blueprint for the modern contest, as has the over-the-top presentation of many of the songs. We all know that Eurovision has developed into a festival of the camp and the kitsch, but this 60th edition looks as if it will be the most camp of them all.

Aside from the all-pervading bearded drag queen, the first semi-final served up, among other things, leather clad male cops in shorts, a similarly leather-clad Georgian Lily Munster/Elvira lookalike and a drag queen alternative - this one more rotund, more Serbian and more ear-piercing.

Some commentators lauded Bojana Stamenov's performance of Beauty Never Lies - mainly because it was more typically "Eurovision" it seems - rather than judging it on the merits of the voice and the staging on the night. Blown around like a tent in a Force 10 gale, Bojana struggled massively at times with the vocals, but thankfully continued her static presentation while her backing crew acted out its strange dance ritual around her.

Considering several factors before the semi-final, Serbia was one of the six nations which it was thought may not qualify, as were both Hungary and Armenia.

Armenia was perhaps the more surprising of the two to make it through to the Grand Final. With the conflicting mix of voices, Face the Shadow has always battled to be a cohesive unit of a song. Genealogy's rendition last night did little to overcome that battle. The vocals were 'off' in several places throughout the performance, so one can only assume that it was the jury votes which saved it from assured oblivion.

Hungary's qualification was more deserved, however. Faced with a less than convincing performance by Denmark and a somewhat forgettable song from Macedonia, Boggie's presentation and vocals were more assured, giving Wars For Nothing a justified boost on the scoreboard.

Surprise of the evening: The qualification of Armenia.
Annoyance of the evening: Three presenters (plus Conchita). One would have been sufficient.
Favorite Moment: Estonia's clever presentation.

Here are the ten songs that will progress to Saturday's final (as announced):

Country	Song	Performer
Albania	I'm Alive	Elhaida Dani
Armenia	Face the Shadow	Genealogy
Russia	A Million Voices	Polina Gagarina
Romania	De la capăt (All Over Again)	Voltaj
Hungary	Wars For Nothing	Boggie
Greece	One Last Breath	Maria Elena Kyriakou
Estonia	Goodbye to Yesterday	Elina Born & Stig Rästa
Georgia	Warrior	Nina Sublatti
Serbia	Beauty Never Lies	Bojana Stamenov
Belgium	Rhythm Inside	Loïc Nottet

These are the six countries, and their songs, which failed to make the cut this year:

Country	Song	Performer
Moldova	I Want Your Love	Eduard Romanyuta
The Netherlands	Walk Along	Trijntje Oosterhuis
Finland	Aina mun pitää	Pertti Kurikan Nimipäivät
(FYR) Macedonia	Autumn Leaves	Daniel Kajmakoski
Belarus	Time	Uzari & Maimuna
Denmark	The Way You Are	Anti Social Media

Eurovision 2015: Semi-Final 1: Who Won't Qualify?

With forty countries participating and only twenty-seven spots available in the Grand Final, which songs will suffer the indignity of falling at the semi-final stage of Eurovision 2015?

It's never an easy task to predict how the public will vote at this point in the competition, but there are usually some strong contenders which you know will qualify - even if you are someone who is hearing the entire selection for the first time. What can be much harder is to pick out those six or seven songs which won't be heard again on the Eurovision stage. 

Much depends on the presentation and the live performances of course, but here are some thoughts about the possible casualties:

Semi-Final 1: Tuesday, 19 May (Six songs will not qualify)

1. Finland | Pertti Kurikan Nimipäivät | Aina mun pitää

Much has been written about the developmental disabilities of the Finnish act and it seems that the song's qualification chances are more dependent on how the audience reacts to that fact, rather than the song itself.

Musically, this short punk anthem may appeal to some, but in Eurovision terms, it is unlikely to capture enough votes to progress.

2. Armenia | Genealogy | Face the Shadow

Whether there is any political motivation behind the song or not (it purportedly pays tribute to the Armenian Genocide victims - something vehemently denied by both Azerbaijan and Turkey), this well-intended mishmash of voices does not blend at all.

The idea may have been a good one, but the execution falls flat - as will Armenia's hopes of qualifying. Performing in the dreaded second spot does not bode well either.

3. Serbia | Bojana Stamenov | Beauty Never Lies

There is something about this song that has never really clicked. It sounds like two compositions which have been badly crow-barred together to produce a trashy, forgettable Eurodance concoction.  Lots of unfathomable wailing does not help the cause.

However, the whole package has Eurovision written all over it, so it will probably qualify and finish in the Top 10. Let's hope not.

4. Moldova | Eduard Romanyuta | I Want Your Love

The studio version of this song is not too bad, possessing a likable Britney Spears-vibe, as well as benefitting from an uptempo beat among the abundance of this year's ballads. However, Eduard's live rendition at Moldova's national final was atrocious.

Lousy vocals, and an even worse dance routine, did not endear his performance to many. A repeat of that, combined with taking the stage first, and he's likely to be taking an early bath.

5. Hungary | Boggie | Wars For Nothing

Another ballad and another song with a message. It has its heart in the right place, but unfortunately, the whole package lacks any sparkle. It looks and sounds old-fashioned and those that tune in to the semi-finals are likely to reject it.

Were it fortunate enough to progress to the Grand Final audience, it could possibly rank quite well. It's very doubtful that the song will get that chance, though.

6. Belarus | Uzari and Maimuna | Time

At this point, there are a couple (or three) songs that could be in the frame: Macedonia, The Netherlands or perhaps the entry from Belarus.

With Russia and a few of their other Eastern voting pals in this semi, Uzari and Maimuna could advance to the Final, but their violin-driven melody really doesn't deserve that honour.

Admittedly, it's a lot livelier than many of the other contenders, but its lyrical and creative deficiencies let it down.

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Naturally, everybody has their own opinions about the possible non-qualifiers from this semi-final and your thoughts are welcomed.

A full list of those countries participating in this semi-final can be found here.

Who Won't Qualify From Semi-Final 2? See here 

Semi-Final 1 Playlist (in draw order)