No, not really. Before the madness of Super Saturday I outlined who I wanted and who I thought might make the cut across the six selections. Few right, most wrong, a Norwegian heartbreak that I may never recover from…y’know, just the usual.
NORWAY 🇳🇴
PREDICTION: TIX to win.✔️
I sincerely promise you dear reader, I wish I had been wrong. I would have been delighted to have over-estimated Tix’s popularity, happily losing £50 in the process (not every day a Scotsman says that). On Friday I described Tix’s win as a “foregone conclusion” and although not quite a landslide (that’s coming later) the inevitable came through with relative ease. All but one of the five Nor-regions voted for Fallen Angel so there can be doubt that Norway backed the right song for them. For the Contest? That remains to be seen. We’ll always have Monument though, the song ain’t going anywhere.
FINLAND 🇫🇮
PREDICTION: Aksel to win. ❌
Finland picking the nu-metal song to go Eurovision? I mean it was obvious wasn’t it? This was the landslide victory of the night and when you think about it, of course it was. Blind Channel managed to record three times the televote of The Teflon Bros. in 2nd place and they topped the jury. OK, so it’s not a Roop level landslide but that’s going to be hard for anyone to better. I suppose I was too busy trying to create some interesting narratives that I overlooked the blindingly obvious, Finns love metal.
SPAIN 🇪🇸
PREDICTION: Memoria to win. ❌
How did this last for two hours? HOW? That’s basically one hour per song, it made Sanremo look ‘pacey’. Like Finland, this is a prediction I was happy to get wrong. I only predicted Memoria because I marginally preferred Voy e quedarme. I just assumed I’d be out of sync with the Spanish voting public? Turns out no, I wasn’t. They only needed 127 voting recaps to get there but when they did they made the right call. And in all fairness, whilst the songs may have been bland, the broadcast did show off what a cracking set of pipes Blas has on him. Fair play lad.
ESTONIA 🇪🇪
PREDICTION: All the men to qualify. ❌
So this was very much a tongue in cheek prediction after the first semi final but once again, it’s another I’m delighted hasn’t come true. This meant that A*****a W******d and their self titled anti-lockdown, anti-trans garbage will be nowhere near the Eesti Laul final. Good. The only real disappointment from Saturday was Gram-of-Fun, who’s song Lost in a Dance had been a favourite since it’s release. Sadly a poor live vocal meant that they joined Raylee in Norway and The Teflon Bros. in Finland on the sidelines, after a bad night for the 80s renaissance.
PORTUGAL 🇵🇹
PREDICTION: Karetus & Romeu Bairos ✔️, The Black Mamba ✔️, Miguel Marôco ❌, Nadine ❌ & Valéria ✔️ to qualify.
What is it Meatloaf didn’t once say? 3 out of 5 ain’t bad. Saudade from Karetus & Romeu Bairos was the only one I was properly rooting for, and after a cracking live performance I knew they were safe. Has to be said that (apart from length of broadcast) the first semi of this year’s Festival da Canção was a real treat. After the somewhat fraught nature of the earlier selections it was like a soothing arm round the shoulder from an old pal. Not sure how that reflects on a Eurovision stage in May but Portugal, just you keep being the cool laid back beauts we all need.
SWEDEN 🇸🇪
PREDICTION: Tusse ✔️ & Charlotte Perrelli ✔️ DTF, Emil ❌ & Alvaro ✔️ to AC
Much like when Sweden win silver at the Winter Olympic curling, this was so nearly a Swedish clean sweep! Tusse was the easy one to call but getting Charlotte cruising straight through to the Melfest final was probably the highlight of the night. Schlager lives on and after 12 months of doom and gloom it’s a welcome tonic. After all the previews I had high expectations but Still Young was everything I wanted and more. La Perrelli served! And fair play to Klara Hammarström, who beat Emil for the one AC slot I didn’t call, it was very much deserved.
And that, as they say, was that. A rollercoaster of a night featuring a wide range of emotions over a six hour super Saturday. What now? Well, it’s less than three weeks till NF season is over…
Pif Paf Blog 