37 countries compete in Malmö for victory in the largest entertainment show in the world. As you know, Israel is also allowed to participate, despite the war in Gaza, which makes the Swedish host city look like a secured fortress due to the announced protests and terrorist threat. Israeli singer Eden Golan will not perform until Thursday, but Palestinian flags will not be allowed in the arena tonight either, organizer EBU decided.
Are welcome in the first semi-final: Luxembourg, which won five times in the distant past and is now participating again for the first time in thirty years, and Australia, which is actually dragging a didgeridoo onto the largest European stage. Which acts still stand out?
Party animal from Lithuania
“Luktelk,” sings the cute singer Silvester Belt. That means something like ‘Wait a minute’, but it doesn’t take long before the curly haired woman in the bright red costume sets the dance floor on fire. The break after two minutes is especially cool, as if the Eurovision Song Contest afterparty has already started.
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Deviled Bambie from Ireland
“Avada Kadavra / I speak to destroy!” screams Irish non-binary artist Bambie Thug, and damn, how convincing it is from start to finish. The alternation between gothic horror and sweet scenes may sound forced on paper, but in the fantastic ‘Doomsday blue’ it works. Bambie, who seems to have walked straight out of a Tim Burton film, must finally give the once so successful Ireland a top score at the Eurovision Song Contest.
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Sacred duo from Ukraine
No other country takes the Eurovision Song Contest as seriously as Ukraine. Two years ago, just after the Russian invasion, Kalush Orchestra won the hearts of Europe, and this year Ukraine once again has a good chance of winning. This is certainly also due to the musical qualities of singer Jerry Heil and popular rapper Alyona Alyona. The duo sings the praises of Mother Teresa and Mother Mary, two icons of peace and feminine strength, and asks them for protection. Would Putin be watching too?
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Croatian sensory bombardment
Do you remember the Finnish hulk Käärijä, who won the public vote last year? This year there are a lot of clones and copies of his bouncing style at Eurovision. Even more than on Joost Klein, the bookmakers bet their money on the Croatian entry Baby Lasagna. With ‘Rim Tim Tagi Dim’, singer Marko Purišić presents a catchy pastiche of Rammstein and electro beats, which is supposed to be about a boy from a farming village who moves to the big city. But most of all you will remember the bombardment on the senses, and the flashing pink goats!
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Windows guy from Finland
Who hatched out of a big denim egg? Is that Franky Backeljau, wearing nothing but briefs? No, it is Windows95Man from Finland, who and his sidekick pay tribute to the anarchic Wild West of the 90s. He wears a T-shirt with a blurred Windows logo, because the EBU does not allow advertising. ‘No rules’ is not high art, nor is it sung flawlessly, but it is unpretentious Eurodance fun that does not aim too ostentatiously at the audience voice.
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The first semi-final of the Eurovision Song Contest can be followed on Tuesday evening at 9 p.m. on VRT 1 or via VRT Max.
Tags: Ukrainian freedom song gothic horror Ireland Finnish Windows man tonight Eurovision Song Contest
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