Review of Eurovision 2019 Semi-Final No. 1

It's Eurovision time again, and Tigger is excited to review the Semi-Finals and Final. Due to the time difference, we get the broadcast later than Europe, so everyone who's interested will already know the results by the time they read this, but Tigger has fun reviewing it anyway. We hope all the readers have as much fun reliving the performances.

Oliver

Hello Everyone!

Eurovision 2019 is here and I am a bundle of bounces that cannot be contained! The local Australian station is airing the Semi-Finals on Thursday and Friday nights, followed by the Final on Sunday night. (The 2019 Australian Federal Election is on Saturday, so there will be a break from Eurovision that night.)

Because there is an Australian competitor this year, try as we might, we were unable to avoid spoilers from Semi-Final No. 1. I am sorry I know the result of the Australian entrant, but I am going to review the Semi-Final as though I do not know.

As in past years, I am going to rate each entrant by awarding 1 to 5 flags, then listing my top 10 at the end. Results are available at other sites, including Eurovision 2019, so I will not be listing the final results on my reviews.

Come and join me as we watch Eurovision 2019 Semi-Final No. 1:

Toy wasn't my choice last year, but I do have to say this new staging for the performance seems to fit the song better than the performance when it won last year.

The video postcards are fun but I still miss the ones when the performers made the county flags out of things. I do like that the postcards are all in places in Israel, rather than the performers' home countries. That's a fun twist on them.

Cyprus
Tamta
Replay
🇨🇾🇨🇾
This one is not doing anything for me.

Montenegro
D mol
Heaven
🇲🇪🇲🇪🇲🇪🇲🇪
Not terrible; I like the instrumental parts of the song best.

Finland
Darude featuring Sebastian Rejman
Look Away
🇫🇮🇫🇮🇫🇮
Nothing special.

Poland
Tulia
Fire of Love (Pali siȩ)
🇵🇱🇵🇱🇵🇱🇵🇱🇵🇱
Singing in the native language always gets extra points from me. It was fun.

Slovenia
Zala Kralj & Gašper Šantl
Sebi
🇸🇮🇸🇮🇸🇮🇸🇮
Another one in their native language, I'm always happy for those. Not bad.

Czech Republic
Lake Malawi
Friend of a Friend
🇨🇿🇨🇿🇨🇿🇨🇿🇨🇿
I like that it's poppy and bouncy.

Hungary
Joci Pápai
Az én apám
🇭🇺🇭🇺🇭🇺🇭🇺🇭🇺
I really like this one, absolutely a favorite from tonight.

Belarus
SENA
Like It
🇧🇾🇧🇾🇧🇾
I don't dislike it.

Serbia
Nevena Božović
Kruna
🇷🇸🇷🇸🇷🇸🇷🇸
I wish it weren't quite so angry.

Belgium
Eliot
Wake Up
🇧🇪🇧🇪🇧🇪🇧🇪🇧🇪
Not bad, in fact, I really like it.

Georgia
Oto Nemsadze
Keep on Going
🇬🇪🇬🇪🇬🇪🇬🇪
It's interesting, but I don't think the angry tone fits the words.

Australia
Kate Miller-Heidke
Zero Gravity
🇦🇺🇦🇺🇦🇺🇦🇺🇦🇺
I like it more now than in the Australia Decides competition, but those flexible stnads make me very nervous.

Iceland
Hatari
Hatiò mun sigra
🇮🇸🇮🇸🇮🇸
Another angry song; it's a bit scary in sound and performance.

Estonia
Victor Crone
Storm
🇪🇪🇪🇪🇪🇪🇪🇪🇪🇪
Ohh, this one is definitely a favorite!

Portugal
Conan Osiris
Telemóveis
🇵🇹🇵🇹🇵🇹🇵🇹
This is weird. The Australian commentators said it was weird, and they were right.

Greece
Katherine Duska
Better Love
🇬🇷🇬🇷🇬🇷🇬🇷🇬🇷
I am surprised how much I like this one.

San Marino
Serhat
Say Na Na Na
🇸🇲🇸🇲🇸🇲🇸🇲
It's fun and bouncy, but not my pick for winner.

It's been an interesting combination of musical styles and genres through this Semi-Final. I hope it continues in Semi-Final No. 2.

My top ten:
1. Estonia
2. Hungary
3. Australia
4. Greece
5. Belgium
6. Czech Republic
7. Poland
8. Montenegro
9. Slovenia
10. Portugal


Thanks for joining me.

See you tomorrow for Semi-Final No. 2
Tigger