Eurovision week is now in full swing, and it’s safe to say host city Liverpool is fully embracing the contest coming to town – you can’t move for pink, blue and yellow everything and the ‘United By Music’ slogan plastered on every available surface.
Tonight we’ll see another 16 countries battle it out for the last ten places in Saturday’s Grand Final. They’ll join the ‘Big Five’ – France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the UK – and last year’s winner Ukraine (who were unable to host this year due to the war, so the UK has stepped in to fulfil those duties after placing second) as well as Tuesday’s semi-final qualifiers. Croatia, Moldova, Switzerland, Finland, Czechia, Israel, Portugal, Sweden, Serbia and Norway all made it through, but who will be joining them?
UK fans will be able to vote in tonight’s semi final, with up to 20 votes available. We’ve got our favourites here at EF – more on those later – but if you’re still undecided, here’s what to look out for in the semi final tonight…
1: Pink suits and orange dresses
I don’t know if there was a fabric sale on at El Kilo, but the pink suit definitely seems to be the fashion trend of Eurovision 2023. Worn by the likes of Denmark’s Reiley – opening the show with the sweet, poppy ‘Break A Broken Heart’ – as well as Theodor Andrei from Romania who’ll be performing his sassy rock song ‘D.G.T. (On and Off), it’s a colour you’ll see popping up a lot throughout tonight’s semi final. However, by far the standout pink suit of semi final 2 is worn by Belgium’s Gustaph, who teams MC Hammer-style pants with a very impressive hat for his 90s dance-influenced track ‘Because Of You’. It’s certainly an attention-grabbing performance and the upbeat number stands a good chance of making it through to Saturday. There’s also a little bit of an orange dress theme going on, with Poland’s Blanka sporting a Strictly-esque number for her Latin-tinged song ‘Solo’ and Monika Linkyte from Lithuania taking inspiration from the 60s for her outfit in the lush, soaring ‘Stay’ with its traditional folk music influences.
2: Use of the LED screens
One of the most impressive things about Eurovision has been the amazing LED stage, and we’ve already seen plenty of performers make fantastic use of that. This is only set to continue in Semi Final 2, with the likes of Cyprus’ Andrew Lambrou using them for a dramatic rainstorm effect in ‘Break A Broken Heart’, Brunette from Armenia creating a psychedelic effect in her song ‘Future Lover’ (a dark horse to take the trophy) and Georgia’s Iru who creates a dark forest scene complete with wind effects and powerful vocals on ‘Echo’. However, the absolute standout for me was fan favourite Teya and Selena, representing Austria with the quirky ‘Who The Hell Is Edgar?’. They make brilliant use of the screens to get round the six performers on stage rule, and their catchy track is all but guaranteed to have you chanting along by the end.
3: Bands are back
Maybe it’s the Maneskin effect but there seem to be a lot more bands entering Eurovision this year. Sadly Malta’s The Busker, We Are One from Ireland and Latvian representatives Sudden Lights all failed to qualify on Tuesday. But that could change tonight as many of the bands who are favourites to win take to the stage. I’ll particularly be keeping an eye on San Marino’s rockers Piqued Jacks – performing ‘Like An Animal’ – Slovenia’s Joker Out with their funky 70s-inspired number ‘Carpe Diem’ and outfits that wouldn’t look out of place if Harry Styles made a cameo in ‘Daisy Jones and The Six’, and Voyager who are representing Australia with the 80s-style synth-led ‘Promise’. One word: keytair!
4: The interval act (yes, again)
After Rebecca Ferguson and Ayosha wowed us on Tuesday with their heartfelt performance of ‘Ordinary World’ and its gorgeous storytelling, tonight’s interval act has a lot to live up to – and it certainly succeeds. Hosts Alesha Dixon, Julia Sanina and Hannah Waddingham enter the ‘Queen Machine’ to become even more fabulous in a performance featuring a medley of classic dance hits from the likes of Ultra Nate and former Eurovision contest Jessica Mauboy. It’s a real celebration of how much Eurovision has embraced and been embraced by the LGBTQ+ community and an utterly joyous moment of the show – make sure you’re back from your tea break before then! Elsewhere, there’s a medley of some of the most well-known pieces of Ukraininan music – including one from a classic Christmas movie – and a dance routine starring an absolute UK legend.
5: Mae Muller’s Eurovision debut
Sam Ryder took us all the way to second place (and the top of the jury vote) with ‘SPACE MAN’ last year – the UK’s best result since 1998 – so it’s safe to say there’s a bit of pressure on this year’s entrant Mae Muller. However she’s been getting plenty of buzz for her track ‘I Wrote A Song’, which she’s due to perform last in Saturday’s Grand Final, and fans watching tonight’s semi final will be treated to a sneak peek. Without giving too much away, Mae makes incredible use of the screens to deliver a cheeky, playful performance as well as some pretty impressive vocals and dance moves. It’s set to be a brilliant ending to the show and we’ll be rooting for her all the way – good luck for Saturday night Mae!
The second semi final of the Eurovision Song Contest 2023 will be broadcast live from Liverpool Arena tonight (Thursday 11th May 2023) on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.
