#ICELAND: Live blog of Söngvakeppnin semi-final – JOIN US from 20.45 CET

By John Stanton on March 4, 2017 • ( Leave a comment )

Eurovision’s westernmost member – Iceland – has its second semi-final of Söngvakeppnin tonight. Six songs will compete for three berths in next week’s final, joining three songs chosen last week. Hopefully we’ll help you to distinguish your eth from your thorn (Ð and Þ). So what are tonight’s six songs?

Aron Brink – Þú hefur dáleitt mig
Daði Freyr Pétursson – Hvað með það?
Svala Björgvinsdóttir – Ég veit það
Páll Rósinktanz & Kristina Bærendsen – Þú og ég
Linda Hartmanns – Ástfangin
Sólveig Ásgeirsdóttir – Treystu á mig

LIVE BLOG

And we’re off, with lots of talk from presenters in the audience and backstage. It seems to be most of Reykjavík are involved with the show tonight. Including people with natty green jumpers bearing pixelly pictures of the wearers. Nice.

Anyway, enough of the chat backstage, it’s time for the show to start after a word from some of our sponsors.

The show proper is now starting. The three lucky songs will be chosen by 100% televoting. RÚV values the views of its public. And true to form, the running order above has been re-jigged. Because first on is…

Song 1 – Linda Hartmanns – Ástfangin

Linda is sat at a piano. She’s in a red dress with a lot of fabric. Imagine the girl Farid Mammadov was singing to. She’s joined by a couple of dancers. It’s a pleasant enough opener and there’s the essence of a key-change without actually changing key. It’s OK.

Song 2 – Daði Freyr Pétursson – Hvað með það?

Daði and his chums come along with props of an LED nature. They’re the ones in the aforementioned natty green jumpers. His little band has also got guitar like instruments that look like they’ve been made from Lego.He’s even got a bright red keyboard that is quirky to say the least. It comes from above. The song bounces along and has a very electro-vibe that wouldn’t have been out of place at a Kraftwerk gig. It may just be too out there to qualify, although he has his fans in.

Song 3 – Svala Björgvinsdóttir – Ég veit það

Svala likes the white jacket look. And a dark stage with a couple of spotlights. I almost had to do a double take and make sure she wasn’t Valentina Monetta. It’s a dramatic Even the laserlights that appear as the song develops suggest she means business. And to me it’s the best one so far.

It’s the mid-song break, so one of our presenters is backstage chatting to our first three performers. Linda has some nice earrings to show us. Daði is stuck in the 1980s judging by the computer games he’s showing us.

Song 4 – Páll Rósinkranz & Kristina Bærendsen – Þú og ég

Páll and Kristina have opted for a country-style ballad. There’s one of those steel guitars with its twanging sound much in evidence. It’s a pleasant little number, and suited to the dark staging it has. It’s actually not bad, and the duo perform well together. I’d like to see this one make the final as it’s nice. Not offensive. Just nice.

Song 5 – Sólveig Ásgeirsdóttir – Treystu á mig

Sólveig is in a pleasant long blue dress, which goes well with her blue background. She has dancers too. The song is refreshingly upbeat, or at least midtempo, and you can hear clapping in the audience. Is this one to watch? Well, it builds quite well. She has a decent voice too which definitely suits the song. Yeah, it’s OK.

Song 6 – Aron Brink – Þú hefur dáleitt mig

Last on is little Aron. He looks very young to be in senior ESC. This is the most upbeat and, dare I say it, contemporary song of the night. He has four backing dancers, two in shorts! As the chorus kicks in you can easily pick up the latino beat. Upbeat in Kyiv? That would be a change from female ballad. It’s almost what Spain could have entered, and with the happiness it exudes it could stand a chance. The dayglow confetti is the finishing touch – perhaps that’s why they put him on last.

More chat with the performers and a few ads thrown in for good measure. And more about what our performers do in their spare time. They go on Skype by the looks of things.

While the tele-votes come in, it’s interval time. So we get a downbeat version of ‘Save your kisses for me’. It’s very pleasant with small band and a prominent fiddler.

More recaps of the six songs, and adverts. We can’t be far off now.

It’s the announcement! Which three are the lucky ones?

First out, to compete next week is Svala Björgvinsdóttir. She’s obviously pleased.

Next to be revealed is Daði Freyr Pétursson. Green jumpers aplenty on stage!

The third finalists from tonight is Aron Brink! The best of the bunch tonight I think.

Are you happy with this result? The final of Söngvakeppni is next Saturday. Let’s see if Iceland also pick a ballad.

Author: John Stanton

Source: Eurovision Ireland, Rikisútvarpið