Wonder From Down Under

May 5, 2019 by Matt Rickard

Belgium

“I came to fight” opines Eliot, but this is pretty weak all round. He pitches up as the classic boy next door, with a questionable choice of jacket. Two drummers add a cliched touch to what seems a missed opportunity to me. The Outright and Top 10 markets remain unmoved, though qualification solidifies around 1.5.

Georgia

Oto would be much handier in a fight and brings with him five heavies, who beneath the fires of hell, harangue the press room into submission. This is an unfriendly song in an unfriendly semi but in a sea of bland does offer some memorability at least. Not sure this will be enough, though one optimistic punter takes 3.5 before the inevitable drift to a more sensible price.

Australia

Australia bring some magic to the staging with Kate floating high above the world. Despite this, the first two minutes are a little static, with only gentle swaying, but the “nothing holding me down” refrain ushers in more concerted swinging for a pretty powerful close. The qualification market overreacts with almost £2,000 matched at 1.25 and a sea of blue appears on the Outright at Oddschecker.

Iceland

Nothing much to say about Iceland which looks similar to the national final. As a package it remains pretty arresting, though the bigger stage dissipates some of the intensity. The Outright price drifts a little as the market settles.

Estonia

Most of Victor’s rehearsal is used up with a pre-recorded green screen segment which will be slotted into the performance on Tuesday. What we do see is a severe case of empty stage syndrome in this sketchy first-run, but there is some effective rotating camera work and potentially impressive audience shots, looking out from the stage. Victor remains far too polished for his own good. Estonia is sandwiched between Australia, Iceland and Portugal. Working out whether this will be a help or hindrance will be the key here.

Portugal

The biggest loser of the day is Portugal as the market reacts to a largely uninspiring performance from Conan. The Top 10 price is layed at 4.6, having once traded odds-on. The dancer remains, as does the absolute lack of narrative. This feels like art for art’s sake and after a sea of craziness, I wonder if Portugal is in danger of disappearing simply by standing out.

Greece

This is more like it. Katherine is vocally excellent and Greece’s running order couldn’t be more perfect to allow its undoubted quality to shine. Some of the staging elements feel redundant, but Greece is backed in to 2.8 to win semi-final 1, while drifting a little on the Outright.

San Marino

Serhat returns, resplendent in white. He is complete with gold megaphones and floating neon letters. It has the pimp slot and is perfectly fine, but it is neither novelty or quality. Instead it just drifts along and its qualifying price does the same as it slides from under to over 3s.