Mario van Tongeren of the Netherlands spent a lot of time to look at the 15 countries in semi final one – the rehearsals and prepared a word document for ESC Covers with his comments and also what he feels are the chances of the 15 countries to qualify to the final.
Yesterday the second rehearsal of each entry in the first Semi-Final of the 2023 Eurovision Song Contest took place in Liverpool, and the EBU and host broadcaster BBC released a video recap of the rehearsals, which you can find here: https://youtu.be/XASeTePlkQw.
I will talk you through what we saw, and will provide a first preliminary prediction of who will qualify from the first Semi-Final on Tuesday May 9th.
01 – Norway
Alessandra’s performance much reminds of her performance during the Norwegian national final and we see her dancers behind her carrying light sticks. The whole performance looks very well choreographed. It is also very well sung.
Chance of qualifying: Very high.
02 – Malta
We see The Busker on stage doing their thing with epic sax realness, as they did in the Maltese national final as well. The lead singer is wearing the exact same sweater and they are doing a very similar choreography to what we saw in Malta. They’ve added some nice touches, such as the car on stage. Nothing bad to say about the vocals here either. The placing in the running order, however, between two powerhouses, is not this any favours.
Chance of qualifying: Low
03 – Serbia
Luke Black has made it to the stage and he is giving his all as we can see in this very special, dark performance. The Serbian singer is doing a choreography with four dancers on stage, after emerging from what looks like a big white flower, although it’s hard to tell what the prop envisions exactly.
Chance of qualifying: Very high.
04 – Latvia
The band from Latvia have opted for a very retro staging, with many retro styled lamps. Other than that, the impression this clip leaves is one of a rather forgettable nature, and that is mostly caused by the song, which is unfortunately not standing out in this Semi-Final. The vocal performance is however on point.
Chance of qualifying: Very low.
05 – Portugal
Mimicat from Portugal is giving a highly energetic performance in her beautiful red dress, with her four dancers. This looks like it’s done exactly right, the staging is not as over the top as it could be with this song, but it’s also not too empty and it catches your attention. Add to that the great sound this lady produces and Portugal may just reach the Final this year.
Chance of qualifying: High.
06 – Ireland
Golden is the theme of the Irish performance, as we see this colour both in the clothing and in the lights of the stage. However, this looks very messy. The lead singer’s glittery golden outfit from eras long past is distracting from the song, and not in a good way. The vocal performance, however, is fine.
Chance of qualifying: Very low.
07 – Croatia
Well, no surprise there, the outfits of the Croatian ensemble are unchanged from what we’ve seen them wear before. Make no mistake, this is not a joke, it is a brilliantly thought out piece of cabaret protesting the war, and it is performed in a spectacular fashion in stage. Vocally, it is also strong.
Chance of qualifying: Very high.
08 – Switzerland
This is just gorgeous. The Swiss delegation have taken this participation very seriously, and you can see that in the effects used on stage and in the backdrop, which has a red theme. Remo totally gets away with that see-through jacket and he sings absolutely stunningly.
Chance of qualifying: Very high.
09 – Israel
My, oh my, we see an amazing dance routine in this clip, as Noa gives it her all. As the dancers join in, the whole thing is very impressive and the props and lights used on stage come across very effectively. For me, this is the big surprise of this year, and it may just be a dark horse to do remarkable things on the scoreboard.
Chance of qualifying: Very high.
10 – Moldova
We see traditional clothing here, as one would expect with this highly traditional song by returnee Pasha Parfeni. The dance routine with the masked flute player is very nice to see. To be honest, I was expecting this to be a bit less messy, as that is what it comes across as, but it looks decent and sufficient. Pasha’s vocal performance is good.
Chance of qualifying: Very high.
11 – Sweden
Loreen’s delegation has had to scale down the staging significantly, due to the fact that the large screen used in Melodifestivalen was too heavy for this arena, and it is very noticeable, as the effect has scaled down a lot as well. What does it mean for her chances of winning? It is too early to tell, but I for one am a bit worried about this SVT project that is not allowed to fail. Vocally, there is no issue.
Chance of qualifying: Very high.
12 – Azerbaijan
Then a sea of calm sweeps over us, as the Azerbaijani twins bring their soft rock song on a platform in the shape of a heart. You can see these are musicians with the music oozing from their souls, and it’s quite nice. The staging is very colourful and you get a relaxed vibe from this. Coming after Sweden, I don’t see this impressing many households, though.
Chance of qualifying: Very low.
13 – Czechia
Here come the Slavic sisters, singing about how nobody should dare take down the crown on the head of any sister. We know which Slavic people’s crown they mean specifically, too. The girls are dressed inpinka and all have a long pony tail, which they hold up during the performance. The backdrop is mostly in white, with some hands moving around in it. They sound very nice together.
Chance of qualifying: High.
14 – The Netherlands
They’ve done their best. The Dutch delegation has sucked up all the brutal criticism they received at home, and have come up with a plan. What is the plan? Strong backing vocals, to mask the limited vocal abilities of Mia and Dion. The clothing is shiny, but where is the chemistry? This is not a duo, these are two people together on a stage, looking tense and troubled.
Chance of qualifying: Low.
15 – Finland
Say what you want, but the Finnish delegation saw Loreen from Sweden, saw they are second with the bookmakers and then decided that no amount of creativity or costs need be spared, as only victory matters. And you feel that, from this short clip already. Käärija is giving the performance of a lifetime (in a rehearsal!), the staging is beautiful, there is extensive use of props. If you wish to bet against this, proceed with caution.
Chance of qualifying: Very high.
That’s all we have for now. We’ll be doing the same for the second Semi-Final when those rehearsals are done, and you can expect coverage of the second dress rehearsal of each show as well next week.
Mario has been fairly accurate in recent years in picking which countries would proceed to the finals, so we will see if he picked the right 10.