The Netherlands is the one to beat at the final, as our Eurovision Correspondent Rob Holley comments: “Arcade” sung by Duncan Laurence has long been the pre-contest favourite and has been doing well in rehearsals.
“There’s absolutely nothing in the way of Duncan winning the contest,” Rob says, ”though the presentation veers worryingly close to ‘I’m just going to let the song do the talking’ – which regular viewers will know doesn’t always cut it at Europe’s biggest circus.”
“Arcade is based on someone close to me who I lost when I was younger,” Duncan Laurence explains. “She always longed for her love to come back after they’d split up, but until the day she died they never came back. I wanted to tell her story.”
Along with the performances by different competing countries, the second semi-final also had a show by the Shalva Band, comprised of 8 talented musicians with disabilities, who performed ”A Million Dreams” from The Greatest Showman and it’s pretty spectacular.
See the full running order for tonight’s competition below, along with our thoughts on each performance.
1) Armenia – Srbuk performing “Walking Out”
Ooh this is very dark and mysterious and atmospheric. Decent vocals, too. A good start, particularly with the staging and all those pyrotechnics.
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Difficult to follow such a strong performance, particularly when your own song is so lacklustre. The production is nice enough but it’s not particuarly inspired.
3) Moldova – Anna Odobescu performing “Stay”
Love the dress, very Mrs Havisham from Great Expectations. I’m guessing the song is about her begging her groom not to jilt her at the altar. Again, great staging and she’s getting some good belts in the chorus.
There’s a lot of pressure on him as his country hasn’t made it through to the final since 2014. He’s off to a good start with a bit of a “missing Jonas brother” thing going on. Very catchy track.
5) Latvia – Carousel performing “That Night”
She’s already drawing comparisons to Lorde with a striking, bohemian look and soft, sultry delivery. This is how you do the slow-tempo number at Eurovision, an arresting and beautifully delivered performance.
6) Romania – Ester Peony performing “On a Sunday”
Another strong performance by a female vocalist, with wonderful dramatic staging and an impressive vocal performance.
7) Denmark – Leonora performing “Love is Forever”
Right we’ve got Leonora performing “Love is Forever” for Denmark now. This former ice-skating champion (yep) has a wonderfully whimsical number and sweet, lilting vocals to sing it with. She looked a bit wobbly getting up that ladder, though, and the audience may be wondering why she was singing in French during certain bits.
8) Sweden – John Lundvik performing “Too Late For Love”
This is an uplifting, soulful track with gospel vibes, I’m a fan! He looks very confident on stage and, wow, this four-woman gospel choir has gone down a treat with the audience in Tel Aviv. Lot of applause, cheering. Definitely going through to the final.
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9) Austria – Paenda performing “Limits”
Oh dear. The first performance at this year’s competition that really seemed to go wrong. Of course, there was always going to be a lot of pressure given Austria won Eurovision in 2014 with Conchita Wurst, but even so... lacklustre, pretty boring and often quite off-key.
10) Croatia – Roko Blažević performing “The Dream”
It’s a bit much. Even for Eurovision. Did he really need the massive golden wings? He’s hitting some good notes though, and that chorus is actually pretty catchy.
11) Malta – Michela Pace performing “Chameleon”
Dare I say it, a highlight? Not the most inventive or original song, but lots of fun and incredibly catchy.
12) Lithuania – Jurij Veklenko performing “Run with the Lions”
After a very strong start the competition seems to have lost some of its momentum. This could be an X-Factor performance, such is the blandness of the lyrics and the singer himself.
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13) Russia – Sergey Lazarev performing “Scream”
I was expecting an upbeat pop number but got a decidedly menacing ballad instead. Sergey unfortunately came across as a Sweeney Todd figure singing to his victims. The song itself was performed well, very dramatic, but it gave me the wrong kind of chills.
Very moving, with just the right amount of intensity (did you hear that Sergey?). Also she looks absolutely stunning in that sweeping gown, with dramatic eye makeup and tattoos.
Right, this is another one of the favourites: KEiiNO performing “Spirit In The Sky”. One of their singer’s looks a bit like Gary Barlow from Take That. But this is great, and they’ve got the crowd dancing too. Given one of the biggest breakout pop stars of 2018 (Sigrid) hails from Norway, it’s not surprising to see such a strong pop effort.
16) The Netherlands – Duncan Laurence performing “Arcade”
I’m still not convinced this is a good enough song to win the competition, although it’s definitely the favourite so far among fans (according to our Eurovision correspondent Rob Holley). To me, it’s a fairly basic piano ballad.
17) North Macedonia – Tamara Todevska performing “Proud”
I’m sceptical about the empowering vibe this song is going for, it’s a bit obvious, but then the song isn’t really good enough to stand on its own. A good vocal performance but not much else.
18) Azerbaijan – Chingiz performing “Truth”
This is OK, although he definitely should have left that leather vest at home. Nice falsetto on the chorus and a fun electronic beat pulsing through. Some very impressive, traditional vocals on the refrain.
The liveblog is now closed
The Eurovision final takes place on 18 May at 8pm on BBC One.
I'll be bringing you all the latest news, updates and general hilarity, along with expert commentary from our Eurovision Correspondent in Tel Aviv, Rob Holley.
JUST IN. Rob has got confirmation that Madonna WILL be performing during the final this Saturday, following doubts after organisers said she had yet to sign a contract to appear on the Eurovision stage.
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