Later tonight Linkoping and its Cloetta Center will welcome Swedes to the second semi-final of Melodifestivalen 2014. We’ve now watched several rehearsals and listened to the studio versions, so are ready to give you the scoop!
But before we begin, it’s worth saying that Nour and Anders, the hosts, will stage a mini birthday party for ABBA, marking 40 years since “Waterloo” won the contest. The two hosts will appear from two giant birthday cake! Thankfully both of them will be fully clothes (unlike last week when we saw more of Anders than we would have liked…)
JEM – “Love Trigger”
J.E.M roused the crowd with their entry “Love Trigger”. Bathed in red lights, they have a strong presence on stage, partly due to the three cubes that frame each artist. This act seems to have a lot of fans. The two female singers are elegant in their shirts, skirts and trousers, mainly in black, while the rapper wears a black shirt with a white star on it.
The Refreshments – “Hallelujah”
They aren’t just dressed to impress: they’re dress to fit with their country music song. The Refreshments wear suits in yellow, black, orange and red. A crazy guitarist, a real car on stage (along with girls sitting in it) and a pianist are some of the gimmicks that the Refreshments hope will coax voters to phoning in for them. Unlikely.
Manda – “Glow”
This energetic girl, wearing a skirt akin to Krista Siegfrid’s last year, sings a dynamic song, acompanished by 3 violinists. The spectators hold their breath while watching these 3 girls turn around. You can’t help but fear they will fall! There was some technical drama yesterday so Manda rehearsed again. It’s a meaningfull song that also has a nice beat. It may pass through, or at least make the Second Chance.
Panetoz – “Efter solsken”
Pa Modou is having major voice problems, so the group made the people do all the shouting for their African-inspired entry. The boys wear suits including black trousers and jackets, along with grey shirts. This entry makes us forget about Linkoping and dream of Hawaii. Aloha!
Pink Pistols – “I Am Somebody”
Walking and dancing with confidence, the group makes us think that we are somebody. These boys and girls looks super elegant wearing clothes mainly in black. The music is a bit weird, but most of the lyrics are good.
Sanna Nielsen – “Undo”
Perhaps the strongest artist in tonight’s show, Sanna comes back and sings a touching ballad. In the beginning it is simillar to Miley Cyrus’ hit “Wreacking Ball”. With lights around her, as well as shiny stones behind her, she sings alone on the stage, wearing a long black dress. This woman is headed back to the final.
Little Great Things – “Set Yourself Free”
Little Great Things wear smokey eyes and casual clothes, both of which fit with their rock sound. This could really soar when performed live. Lasers are also essential: they provide the neccessary tonal shift to help us forget Sanna’s song.
Martin Stenmarck – “När änglarna går hem”
With Scottish trousers, a black t-Shirt and a leather jacket, Martin is a verified cool cat and the evening’s last contestant. “It’s difficult to sing this song at the end. There’s not enough air,” he said earlier this week. Will he manage to breathe and go straight to the final?
Click here to see the latest betting odds!
Billy Xifaras contributed this report from Greece. Follow him on Twitter at @bill_xifaras. You can also keep up-to-date on the latest Eurovision news and liking our Facebook page.
Photos: SVT
Live or studio recording the outcome remains the same from the perspective of who will vote: Sanna … only because she is Sanna Nielsen (the popularity factor works on her behalf) and it’s gonna be a tight race between both Martin and Manda. One of these will go to the final or both shall have to go through AC. I am still impressed with Martin’s song … strong and emotional 🙂 What a deserved shift from dreadful Las Vegas. But in overall … none of these songs surpasses the uniqueness of “Songbird” … So having said this, I’m so sorry… Read more »
I like JEM!
Sanna Nielsen’s “Undo” sounds like a calmer version of Wrecking Ball by Miley Cyrus. Right??
Both songs are written by Frederik Kempe, that explaines a lot
Sanna’s Undo is at some points identical to Eric Saade’s It’s Gonna Rain http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cmoCwfLo4oA It like her song however
From a bit that I listened:
Love Trigger: contemporary cool song, but nothing special 7.5/10
Hallelujah: boring, stopped listening at 15 seconds 6/10
Glow: good song, with cool lyrics 8.3/10
Efter Solsken: cool. Just that 7.7/10
I Am Somebody: also nothing special 7.3/10
Undo: by far the best, emotional great ballad 9.4/10
Set Yourself free: contemporary rock song! Feeling it! 8.5/10
Nar anglarna gar hem: really not feeling this one has something special.. 7.5/10
To The Final: Sanna and Little Things
Andra Chansen: Manda, Panetoz
Love: -Manda with “Glow” – The studio version sounds a thousand times better. I really like it and it sounds like a song many Swedes will love. The only thing is that her live vocals need to be than they were in the rehearsals. However, I feel it may be the “Casanova” of semi-final 2 and place 5th. -Little Great Things with “Set Yourself Free” – I love this one. I’m a fan of rock music, but not most. This is the type I like. Many people may assume Swedes generally only like the “Swedish” dance pop we mostly send… Read more »
My TOP 5 For the final 1. Martin Stenmarck – “När änglarna går hem” 2. Pink Pistols – “I Am Somebody” To the second chance 3. Sanna Nielsen – “Undo” 4. The Refreshments – “Hallelujah” 5. Little Great Things – “Set Yourself Free” I think result will be To the final 1. Sanna Nielsen – “Undo” 2. The Refreshments – “Hallelujah” (suprise of the evening, remember The Playstones from MF 2011 they go straight to final, and Top Cat from MF 2012 they got to second chance and after second chance to final) To the second chance 3. Martin Stenmarck… Read more »