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eurovision 2005 - the rehearsals

     Angelica of Belarus has a great song but her vocal performance and messy stage act is not working.

From the reports coming back from Kyiv, the rehearsals are very much underway, and it is time to assess who will win. Having a good song may be an advantage, but are the artists singing it well (or even singing in tune) and do they have an act which can sell themselves to the Eurovision audience?

Austria. Selling themselves very much as a novelty act but with no great effect. Not as gimmicky as you may have hoped and not making much of an impact but still has an outside chance of qualifying.

Lithuania. A lot of people like this Swedish inspired song and Laura sings it well despite wearing a costume of chamois leather. Overall not making any impact and blending in with the crowd. Looks like not qualifying because it is hampered by an early draw.

Portugal. Not a great song and falling on deaf ears. Much energy is put in to try and sell the song but is reeks of desperate and looks like bombing badly, a possible null points.

Moldova. Terrible song but presented with quirky energy and they have a real live granny on stage playing the drums. The rehearsal crowd loved it. The gimmick is working and this looks like being a definite contender for great things robbing a genuine song of a qualification place.

Latvia. A beautiful song but the guys cannot sing it. Sounding terrible and their gimmick is sign language which is almost laughable. Not destined to do well unless they have singing lessons soon.

Monaco. Dull song from circa 1960s but boy can she sing it well. If reports are anything to go by she is really selling it and could surprise everyone by qualifying.

Israel. Now in Hebrew and English and it all works well. She is a fantastic singer and sells the song really well so looks like having a slim chance of qualifying if there is no political bias.

Belarus. Great song but the performance is a bit messy. There are 3!! changes of costume in the routine and it is not coming across as effective as one would have expected. She has toured Europe in the same way Ruslana did, so she still looks like a qualifier but she shouldn’t bet on it.

Netherlands. Everything seems to be working well for Glennis, she looks good, great voice and it is a typical belter of a Eurovision ballad, a sure thing.

Iceland. Selma has talent and can sing and dance at the same time. Consistently good performances should get her qualified but it is not the certainty everyone once thought it was.

Belgium. He can sure sing but looks a little plastic on stage and the song lets him down so expect a low placing.

Estonia. Despite having a catchy song they are struggling. They stand behind mixing desks and only by the dress rehearsal did it start to look like anything half decent. Could just miss out for Estonia like last year. A hard one to call.

Norway. The favourite for winning the whole contest and they are not disappointing anyone. All the reviews of every rehearsal put this as the best in show. Looks like running away with the entire contest.

Romania. Clearing away Norway and bringing on the oil drums of Romania is taking longer than the linking postcard so they end up standing on stage in silence for 20 seconds. After that there is lots of energy and fake pyrotechnics but the vocals have been consistently bad. This could be a surprise failure as the performance is hit or miss.

Hungary. Another even bigger surprise failure. It is just not working with fewer dancers and the vocal performance has been poor. It is a great tune and that may be enough to get it through but overall it could be a disappointment is they let things slip.

Finland. No vocal problems with Geir. A superb performance of a difficult to sing song. It is all working but no-one is convinced that the song has what it takes.

Macedonia. A Balkan block vote could get this one through and it is a catchy Euro-song but the performance and singing has been bad and Martin lumbers rather than dances. To the non-Balkan viewer this has no chance.

Andorra. Early rehearsals were just appalling but Marian and her topless backing dancers are going for high camp and it is starting to work. From potential last place they are working their way up to borderline qualification although it is still unlikely as the backing singer (Anabel Conde) is screeching a lot.

Switzerland. Again early rehearsals were terrible and this was looking a sure fire flop. Their jackets smoke and the guitars spark and it is starting to work. So with a good song and a well known band they are looking more like qualifiers.

Croatia. The song is weak but has sold well all over the Balkans. The performance has ethnic wailing and odd-shaped instruments and Boris in great voice. It is really working and it looks like an easy qualifier.

Bulgaria. Well sung but one work sums it up. Dull. Bottom five is assured.

Ireland. Great vocals but Donna originally attempted to be this year’s frock horror but was persuaded otherwise. Getting some interest from fans and casual viewers alike but may just miss out on qualification. The Irish dancing is a highlight.

Slovenia. This is working really well with Omar and his operatic backing diva both in fine voice. Builds well and with Balkan votes this un-Eurovision dark ballad could be a surprise qualifier.

Denmark. A professional and catchy performance but no-one is convinced the song is near good enough to pull in the votes despite everything looking and sounding good.

Poland. Flamenco dancers and shirts being ripped off. Everything looks and sounds great and Poland seem to be certain for qualification which is a real surprise.

UK. Javine is moving well and her singing is adequate but she fails to look at the camera. The backing singers are not so hot. Overall people think this is top 10 but not a winner.

Malta. Chiara sings this to perfection and everyone is overwhelmed. Looks like a big vote winner.

Turkey. A weak song but Gulseren is performing well and singing well. The show is based on the pre-contest video so you know what to expect. The drum beats sell this song and it could do better than expected.

Albania. Ledina is in fine voice but the whole show is hampered by poor choreography and no one is impressed so it looks like falling by the wayside.

Cyprus. Getting mixed reports as Cyprus have thrown everything into the act and there is just too much going on. Batons are thrown which turn into drum sticks, there are mirrors and more oil drums. But it sounds fantastic and Constantinos is superb as this year’s Sakis. The proverbial dark horse.

Spain. If you like the song you will love this, otherwise you may think it is hideous. Overall the girls are fantastic, the male rapper is the low point of the performance but it does break up the song to make the ending more effective. Regarded as a possible winner if Norway or Greece fail to do the business.

Serbia. Or rather this is just Montenegro. Done in Montenegrin national costume and the boys run about a lot, sing badly and in total they have ruined the whole song. Failing to become a Lane Moje and looking more like a Celebrate.

Sweden. A perfect performance of a song which is different enough to attract attention. Martin and the girls are faultless and all feel sure Sweden will not need to qualify next year.

Ukraine. Grant Mitchell sings well, there is some break-dancing and the sound is good. No-one is convinced about the song doing well but the act is effective.

Germany. She stands on stage. She sings it to perfection. She makes no impression. She will be propping up the scoreboard.

Greece. The pre-contest favourite although fans now see Norway as a more probable winner. The whole act is busy but good and the gimmick is Elena being lifted up and playing the dancer’s braces like a lyre which people are generally (but not universally) impressed with. Not a sure fire winner but still looks like doing well.

Russia. A similar song to Germany but sung with more impact but many still see this only attracting former votes from former allies. Not coming across as anything special.

Bosnia. The most Eurovisiony of songs and it appears the girls can sing after all. Everyone is liking it, so it looks as if it will do better than expected.

France. A good pop song but Ortal is in poor voice, the overall movements are unimpressive and this is a strong contender for last.