Day 2 - Watersports, dentistry and neon

Good morning one and all!

So, day two went by without much incident.  The second (less inspiring) half of Semi Final 1 all rehearsed and did press meet and greets. So here are some thoughts and pics.

©EBU

Now there's an image to perk up your morning!  Demy from Greece gave a good (if not vocally on point) first run through accompanied by two hot boys who played together in a paddling pool in front of her.  Well!

Kasia from Poland sang well...

  

Then we had the Moldovans, featuring Epic Sax Guy, who are making a return visit after taking Moldova to the final back 2010.  (Actually, I might suggest that Epic Sax Guy may want to rebrand as Fat Sax Guy).  While the performance was energetic I have to admit I can't stand it.  Sorry chaps.

Svala from Iceland seems like a lady that you wouldn't mess with.  Confidence is certainly her middle name and this girl knows what she wants and gets it!  I though she had a great rehearsal, and I would think that she should qualify based on what we saw yesterday.  Absolutely LOVING the hair!!!

Then it was time for Czech Republic and the very sweet Martina.  Her song is pleasant.  Her Head of Delegation is even more pleasant...

Next up it was Hovig, who is representing Cyprus.  A good rehearsal, very reminiscent of Loic from Belgium a couple of years ago.  Hovig has Armenian roots.  The rest of his hair is lovely too...

My fave turn of the day came from the absolutely stunning Artsvik from Armenia.  As Mama Ru's girls would say "that fierce bitch absolutely slayed..."!  I completely adore both her and her song.  This is a certain qualifier and could be worth an each-way bet for a Top 4 placing.

Our penultimate song came from the utterly charming Omar Naber from Slovenia.  Goodness, this guy has grown into a very personable and well-rounded chap from the shy and awkward 23 year old who represented his country here in Kyiv back in 2005.  Omar gave a fabulously confident and professional rehearsal and then chatted animatedly in his press conference about his early decision to leave his chosen career path in dentistry (his Jordanian Dad is a dentist) to become a singer.  

Finally, it was time for Latvian indie-dance band Triana Park to take the stage in an explosion of neon.  Boy, did these guys deliver!  I've never really rated the song, but the energy and dynamism that they bring after so many ballads is certainly welcome.  I'm also loving Agnes' wig!  This might be a surprise qualifier.

So there we are.  That's Semi 1 done and dusted.  At this stage I can't see past Sweden and Portugal for taking first place in this semi, but let's see how they all do when they are back later in the week.

For now, we've just started Semi 2's rehearsals, and lovely little Nathan from Austria is currently belting it out of the park... More about him soon!