Ryan Dolan and Emmile De Forest hanging out together – Photograph courtesy of Lisa Wikstrand and RTE

Tonight the Jury vote on Semi Final 1 and I will give you the news – there are some shocks as there has been some nervous performances and technical hick-ups. It is just Garrett here so bear with me.

Austria

I have not see Natalia this nervous all week. Her vocals were not as assured as normal and she was very tentative on stage. A somewhat muted reaction in the hall despite being the first song on stage

Estonia

Birgit was extremely nervous to the point where her hands were making the microphone stand shake considerably. Vocally great though but she was not so comfortable.

Slovenia

Hannah gave this 100% in effort but her vocals again were affected by the nervousness. Making the final just became a longer road for Slovenia

Croatia

The first act tonight that were perfect both in vocals and performance. Stands out from the crowd now!

Denmark

Surprising but Denmark’s vocals were not of the usual standard and Emmile was very nervous – however she received a strong reaction from the gathered Eurovision fans

Russia

Again Dina was notably nervous and you could see in her eyes that the occasion was getting to her.

Ukraine

The walk on with Igor was out of time. Zlata was good vocally but again a little nervous

Netherlands

Simply stunning – enough said

Montenegro

Who See and Nina put in an energetic performance that was fun, energetic and out of this world – though the audience didn’t seem to appreciate this Dub Step beat – while I LOVED IT!

Lithuania

If there was a prize for the most nervous performance as Andrius was completely over awed by the show. However this is where there could be some controversy. One of the camera men went too early in doing a 360 degree shot of Andrius. Andrius  knew this but he went along with the shot and ended up with his back to the camera for 5 seconds that made the performance look even more awkward. If I was in the Lithuanian delegation I would be highly frustrated.

Belarus

Better performance than earlier today. An average song was sung well so this could buck the earlier predictions and make the final.

Moldova

Vocals were good but the hair was strange! Still looking good for the final

Ireland

Great performance from Ryan. Vocals and visuals were great and strong Audience reaction. Looking good for the final

Cyprus

Despina nailed the performance. Elegant and stunning. Huge audience reaction. For me getting into the final

Belgium

When Roberto started to sing I could hear there was something wrong but he soldiered on. However Petra has now informed the audience that Belgium will be performing again after the interval Act. I cannot believe that Lithuania are not asking for a retake also. We get to see the off-putting dancers AGAIN!!!

Serbia

I cannot get excited by this song that just fails to inspire me with it’s bad 80’s costumes – oh wait the 80’s weren’t that bad!

Belgium – Again

Roberto on again and it still sounds off key at the start and the dancers still spoiling the song. Roberto was almost in tears of relief at the end of the song.

Mock Voting Results

1. Belgium (Laughter in the Press Hall)
2. Moldova
3. Montenegro
4. Netherlands
5. Lithuania
6. Cyprus
7. Belarus
8. Austria
9. Slovenia
10. Russia

Author/Website co-founder and editor in Chief Garrett Mulhall

Source – Eurovision Ireland