Eesti Laul Final 2015. Photo : Eurovision Ireland

WLECOME to our LIVE BLOG of the Eesti Laul 2015 Grand Final.

Estonia – The Final of Eesti Laul 2015. The show Begins at 20:35 CET and you can view it HERE  and HERE. 

So the Grand Final of Eesti Laul is upon us. One of the more eagerly awaited events in the National Finals calendar comes live from the Nordea Concert Hall in Tallinn (other banks are available). John Stanton will be describing the action as it unfolds.

You know the DRILL – Just REFRESH the page to get our LIVE Views on the songs. 

Tere tulemast to live coverage of an event I always look forward to. One of the best shows from the Baltic area, it always showcases a wide variety of music.

And to start, last year’s entrant Tanja with a reworked version of her song ‘Amazing’. The song also features a saxophonist who joins here on stage. Maybe if they’d entered this version last year…

We now see the 10 acts taking part tonight. The biggest cheer is reserved for Elina and Stig (song 3). Is that a sign?

Our hosts are Henrik Kalmet (r) and the evergreen Marko Reikop.

Between each of the songs, we get a little sketch called ‘Alasti Tõde’ (‘The Naked Truth’). They’re performed by children in adult situations. No, not those sorts of situations – in an office, in a kitchen.

LIVE BLOG – 20:35 CET

1. Luisa Värk – Minu päike

John’s opinion – Luisa is at a swing dressed in a vibrant sunny yellow (the song title means ‘My sun’). She has a nice little bouncy song that is a great opener for the show. The prop (swing) works, and her three winsome backing singers also use it very effectively. I like this.

Before song 2, Henrik introduces us to the jury members, whose scores will make up 50% of the eventual vote. Tanja is among them.

2. Maia Vahtramäe – Üle veshihalli taeva

John’s opinion – Another great song (to me anyway). It reminds me of something from a Finnish Euroviisut from the 1980s or 1990s. And that’s not a bad thing. But if I didn’t know better, I’d say her first verse was slightly nervous. She picks it up by the second chorus and starts to work the camera a lot better. There’s an interesting side-effect of the dry ice on stage which moves up around Maia, to make her look like she’s smouldering.

3. Elina Born & Stig Rästa – Goodbye to yesterday

John’s opinion – Our first song of the night in English and the hot favourite. Stig’s photo apparently appears in the venue’s lobby. The sound is very contemporary, and with a hint of country about it. The lyric is very clever and the two contrasting voices work very well. They avoid the ‘trick’ of standing a foot apart and screaming at each other. Stig’s hair may need some work if they make it to Vienna, but there was nothing wrong with that at all. I can see why it’s the favourite. And yes, it was shown in monochrome.

4. Kali Briis Band – Idiot

John’s opinion – Kali greets us with a ‘tere õhtust’ (good evening in Estonian). This band’s outfits are striking – to say the least. The drummer’s in a Superman T-shirt – is that allowed? Anyway, the song: it also has a contemporary sound and is a little bit quirky. Am I an idiot for liking this? I think not. It’s good for this, but if it were to progress, I don’t think it’s quite got the right vibe. Made me smile though.

5. Robin Juhkental & The Big Bangers – Troubles

John’s opinion – Robin – he of Malcolm Lincoln fame – still sports the scars he got in a Moscow semi-final. But despite these he has a very upbeat piano-heavy song that he sings with a mischievous smirk (most of the time anyway). I could imagine Paul Heaton of the Beautiful South singing this. Robin may not have hit one or two of the challenging notes, but it gets polite applause from the crowd. And the prize for best prop so far is the small supply of chives the keyboardist has with him all the time.

Half way through the ten songs, and we cut to Marko in the Green Room. He surprises one of the bands playing cards with a pack sporting a Ryanair logo (other airlines are available).

6. Daniel Levi – Burning lights

John’s opinion – Daniel get a large round of applause before he’s even started singing. I wasn’t expecting that. He has an electric guitar slung around his person, but doesn’t play it all the time. His band is very young – maybe so young they wouldn’t get served alcohol. The song bumps along nicely a he has a half-decent voice. There’s a lot of interaction with the crowd and a crowd surf – it’s been done before, sorry. As performances go, it’s unique, maybe among all national finals this year. But as a song, I fear it may get lost.

7. Elisa Kolk – Superlove

John’s opinion – This isn’t any old love. This is superlove. Maybe Elisa likes Kali Briss’s drummer. This is a darn good ballad and will appeal to those who like this sort of thing. If you like Birgit’s Eurovision song in 2013, you’ll like this. And it’s in English. She easy on the eye and selles this really well. A challenger to Elina and Stig? Who knows.

8. The Blurry Lane – Exceptional

John’s opinion – Our next band like their saxophone which introduces us to a very downbeat song. Very subtle I think with a lead singer who has a good voice, a talented collection of musicians and a very nice girl on keyboards. It sounds good, but maybe ends with a whimper rather than a bang.

9. Elephants From Neptune – Unriddle me

John’s opinion – If you get the chance to watch the official video for this song (on Y*u*u*e for example) you’ll get the impression that this is a little left-field. Not quite in a Winny Puhh sort of way, but it’s a great rock band. It’s right up my street this sort of song and I would love it to make the superfinal with Stig & Elina. I think this would also go down a storm in Vienna.

10. Triin Niitoja & John4 – This is our choice

John’s opinion – Our final song is a little like Stig & Elina’s crossed with a certain Common Linnets runner-up and Malta’s Firelight’s ‘Coming Home’. Nothing wrong with it at all. There’s a great hook. Familiarity can be a bonus in contests like this: it can tick the right boxes. The only thing that maybe lets it down is the interesting choreography towards the end.

The lines are now open, and the good people of Estonia can vote by SMS (text) or good old telephone. And all for less than €1.

To entertain us while the public get their say, we get treated to the sounds of Tartu Popi ja Roki Instituut. Yep, that’s rock and pop. The music is in the same indie vein that Estonians are good at. Not to everyone’s taste, but imaginative all the same.

You can see the results below, but between the first and second sets of voting, we get Estonian rap from Suur Papa featuring Semy. Something for everyone in this show I’m sure you’ll agree.

Lines close after the second part of the voting, and we get Junk Riot with the song Lišnije Golovõ – a song in Russian.

JOHN’S PREDICTIONS

As there is a Superfinal consisting of the best two songs, my heart would pick Stig & Elina and the Elephants From Neptune. But since my choices are often a little out of sync with the mainstream, my head would pick Stig & Elina and Robin Juhkental. And from those two, Stig & Elina.

THE RESULT

Here are the first results, from the jury:

These do not contain the public vote, so could change completely. Marko reads the final results out, and the two for the Superfinal are Daniel Levi(!!), Stig & Elina and Elisa Koik. Just shows what I know!

With that bombshell, the lines re-open for a straight fight. The jury have done their work and do not vote in the second and final stage. It’s down to the televoters and texters.

Voting closes, and in third place was Elisa Koik. And in second place: Daniel Levi. So Stig & Elina win!! A good result for Estonia I think!

I hope you enjoyed Eesti Laul as much as I did. The right song won, but it will be one of the best national finals of the 2015 season. Thanks for reading an good night.

Author: John Stanton

Source : Eurovision Ireland