EUROVISION 2025 - Best of Semi Final No 2

The second Eurovision Semi-Final had a better selection of songs than the first, but with no obviously killer song or performance to steal the show. There were some repeated themes. Songs that are really two types of song bunged together and will abruptly shift from one to the other style. With the best will in the world this is a hard bifurcation to pull off. You just end up surprised and not a little disappointed when the song looses consistency. After all you only have three minutes to sell your song in, keep it simple guys. The other thing was the dramatic costume change, which somewhat mirrored the song change tendency. You could tell in advance, at some point that cloak will have to be ripped off to a round of applause. It was done so often it became a cliche over night.

Our two hosts for the evening were trying too hard to be funny (failed) or did really peculiar behaviour that had you shaking your head, or turning it away cringing.. 'The so called 'comedian' was dressed like a mermaid with iridescent fertilised eggs all over her dress.  Thank god I wont be watching any more of them. So now to the three best songs.

The evening opened strongly with the Australian entry. This is a charmingly silly song that was an utterly entertaining joy to watch, which the staging and the not one, nor two, but three costume changes made all the more impactful. He gives it all the energy and sheer chutzpah he can, but it still didn't make it through to the Final unfortunately. Otherwise there would've been a serious clash of the silly song with Estonia. 

Its a tactic in Eurovision to often go for the eccentric, really out there song/performance to hit home with. What the Latvian entry does is give you a really unusual and interesting song, but on the right side of weird. The six singers are beautifully harmonised, dressed as they are in their wood nymph costumes. I think this is the most distinctive and original thing in this entire competition. For that reason alone, it is probably not going to win. But in the straight song competition, as opposed to the delightfully silly parody one, this wins hands down for me.

The Malta entry is the obvious gay crowd pleaser, sung with great conviction and gusto. Already controversial because when sung in Maltese it was very obviously playing with rude sexual derogatory words. Even adjusted to spare our blushes, the presentation is incredibly sassy and on it. This woman is happy to break those boundaries girl. A definite contender for winning, but who can say with Eurovision?