Junior Eurovision. Photo : JESC/EBU

Welcome to Sofia and welcome to our rolling blog for the Day 3 rehearsals of the Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2015.  There are going to be the 2nd rehearsals for these nine countries so lets see if anything major has been changed from their first goes back on Monday.

Our good friend Phil comes to us courtesy of OnEurope – so check him out too!.  We also have John of this Parish.  You’re genial host is otherwise engaged, but we are fine substitutes for yer man!

STOP PRESS – PRESS CONFERENCES! – Press conferences are streamed HERE from 1025CET

FYR Macedonia

Phil – As they are in reverse order of performance on Monday, it surprised me slightly that FYR Macedonia were first on.   It still sounds like it is very bubblegum pop and although the title translates as “Let’s make a braid” there appears to be a braid only at the end.  The girls are wearing panama hats (or possibly fedora’s) and are slightly static on stage but the backing singers seem more energised than them.  That’s a worry for the overall look of this song to be honest.  I’m not sure how well this is going to do, there are rumours that it will get some friendly votes, but to be absolutely honest, i’m not sure how many of them it can get.

John – The whole production seems a little tighter this morning. There is definitely the enthusiasm there, and you can tell that they genuinely believe in the sentiment of the song, especially in light of recent events elsewhere in Europe. We have a short break where they get the audience to clap along which does work. But in a very tough field, it’s difficult to call how this will do.

Italy

Phil – Italy has come on in small leaps and bounds since the rehearsal on Monday, Chiara and Martina are now looking good together and they appear to have loosened up somewhat, which is a good thing.  The song still sounds aged but their voices now blend together and RAI seem to have fixed the problems with the mix of the microphones and some camera shots have changed and it is looking all over a better song.  Does it have a chance? – I think now it is better than struggling but there are so many quality songs in this contest it may well get overlooked.

John – It’s interesting to compare with a similar duet from Macedonia. They are actually very similar in impact. However Chiara and Martina are dressed identically in red which does seem to help. In contrast to Macedonia, they are singing as a duo and not competing. Overall, it comes across much better than Monday which should be a huge relief to the defending champions. This will now finish in the top half.

QUICK NOTICE – JOHN MAY BE MISSING FOR A BIT, HE HAS “THINGS” TO DO THAT WILL MAKE YOU SMILE!

Ireland

Phil – So as you are stuck with me for a bit, let’s see how we can ruin Garrett’s day shall we?? – Sadly you can’t.  TG4 ( Pronounced “Car-har” and not “har-har”) have “done a number” on this song by taking all the bad bits out and putting the good bits in.  This, then, OR-TEE-EE ( or what though?)  is how you should stage a song.  It’s simple, it’s effective, it’s the kind of thing that Senior has been crying out for (just the once, mind, not a national final full of them!) – Aimee is engaging and serious at the same time.  She will get the Jurors going ” THIS…IS…SPARTA ( no, IRELAND)” and the kids going ” Mummy, I like the girl that can sing, can I phone for her?” – Good song, great staging, fab performer means she is #fabulous.

Georgia 

Phil – Sadly it’s still one performer and three backing singers for me.  The lead singer, Elen, takes over by being “the star” and the three girls Tako, Lizi and Data seem to be just there to make up the numbers and pander to Elen.  I don’t know if that is how it was supposed to be then it looks good.  If it was supposed to be a group effort, however, it looks disjointed.  Elen has the stronger voice, as you would expect, but sometimes he is drowned by combined female might.  As I said on Monday, this needed to put together quite quickly, however I don’t think the right strings have been pulled.  It will get votes for sure, but it could end up 6th-10th

Armenia

Phil – Well this is a turn up.  It was *supposed* to be Bulgaria and that took me back a bit to be honest.  Much as I like the Irish song, and it is up there with the 5 best in the contest, this has the edge over everything else for me.  Mika and his finger clicking and happy sound seem to be head and shoulders above everything else in this contest.  It’s staged perfectly from run through one and this, GPB, is what a group on the television should look like.  It is one coherent unit that know who the lead singer is and the camera plan shows it off to its full effect.  This will soak up points like a sponge all over Europe and the juries should fall in love with Mika, the televoters will see a bouncy pop song in Pink with hearts.  The English lyric is not clunky and it just makes you think “Winner”….

Belarus

Phil – Sorry Europe, There was a problem technique with my equipment which meant I didn’t get a chance to see this.  I am told not alot has changed though, sorry.

Malta

Phil – Destiny is being hampered here.  Not by a song, because it’s a cracker.  Not by choreography, because she doesnt need to do much other than strut down the catwalk at the right time, but she is being hampered by slightly negative camerawork but mainly by having “NO” written on the background several thousand times during the song.  This implants a negative image into the viewers brain and no matter how well Destiny sings this, and she really does sing it fantastically, it’s all being negated.  I fear its too late to change it, but if you could, that “No no no” has to go.  Still Top 5 in my book but those pages are turning rapidly.

Bulgaria

Phil – Sadly there seems to be very little that could get this out of the mid table.  As stated in rather harsh tones in other places, Gabriella and Ivan’s voices clash instead of mixing together and that causes a starkness that this song has.  I don’t think that it was intended but that is what the host broadcaster has.  It’s a challenging song to sing at the best of times but I think they might not be up to this particular challenge?

Albania

Phil – And Finally…. Albania.  Sadly, however, this is nothing but mainly a one word song sung to latin beats.  The foreign language parts really just seem to grate me and, if they do that, chances are they will do that to the viewers at large as well.  Jurors are not going to be in a position to make a musical judgement on just one word with very little else going on.  I have trouble seeing this as anything other than bottom 5 I am afraid purely because its repetitive and uninspiring.