Opening proceedings was the mother nation of the contest: Scotland. It was 3rd time lucky for Nina Nesbitt who'd come second in the past 2 attempts in ScotSong. This time she made it to the super-final and won the televote with double the votes of her nearest competitor La Boum Fatale. The song, Chewing Gum, is a contemporary pop song was a killer melody and chorus including a dance breakdown which is sure to get Helsinki rocking. The song currently sits 3rd in the bookie's ranking after the USA and Norway, but the staging amplifies the expensive sound, a typical technique Scotland exceeds at. After reaching their all-time high at 3rd place last year the expectations are high, can Nina's performance send her through into the top 5? Our prediction is hazy but this could be a title contender with the water features on stage and eccentric dancers she mesmerises you for 3 minutes solidly with killer vocals and a stage show to remember.

The second song to take to the stage was Australia, the big fans favourite of this year's edition. Men At Work were selected to perform the song 'Down Under' won an online poll which determined which song would go to Helsinki fending off Kylie and Jason. The land down under makes a much awaited comeback after taking 3rd place in their debut last year in Glasgow, and now they're back with bang. The staging was a bit lackluster but definitely stereotypical Australian and with the energy these guys bring to the stage, this could well sail into the top 10! Pyrotechnics are Australia's friend, as were the LED backdrops depicting stereotypical Australian objects and sayings with a full pallet of colour. The party atmosphere when this will be playing will certainly be out of this world!

It was time to bring the boogie to Helsinki, and how could you do it without the help of Manx group The Bee Gees. Yes, the Isle of Man will make their debut with a classic dance number! The entry and debut was revealed days after the re-launch, and we're ecstatic to have them here in Finland. The band who are a world-wide phenomenon have expressed their desire to perform for the island in the past, and finally they've made it. The staging isn't boring and dreary however, it a lively toe-tapper which bring 'Staying Alive' into the 21st century. boxes stacked up on the stage flashing with different colours and projected dancers and actual dancers in front as the band play on the island stage in the audience. Might stand out in the recap, might not also: I predict a see-saw in the voting to be honest.

Ireland are back yet again, and they've brought along the legendary band Oasis. The song was internally selected by RTÉ and will be their 5th entrant to the contest. The song chosen was 'Don't Look Back In Anger' and it is a stunner live. The audience will most certainly enhance what was already a top quality performance, it will be a much needed speed hump from the high tempo numbers in the final, but this will ignite a flame in Helsinki. You already start to imagine all the lights and candles in the crowd lit up moving to the music, the LED backdrop isn't used at all during the performance only an LED projection against a piano showing old home videos and photos from the band's lives. This has memorable staging and the band have a mega name around the globe and this song has a big anthemic quality.

Well...the next one was a bit of a shock. Canada make a return and with Robin Sparkles and her song 'Let's Go To The Mall'. Her entrance is what made her a stand-out joke act, she leans out from a pink maple leaf descending from the ceiling whilst sparklers fizzle away next to her. The ending with a march up the stairs to the green room whilst chanting 'today' follow by a parade of Canadian flags and yet again pyrotechnics. She definitely had the charisma needed on stage, but does she have the song: I don't think so. She'll get the votes from fans of How I Met Your Mother, but will that gimmick be enough to raise her? The yellow and pink colour scheme looked nice, but this song is going nowhere. Sorry, ey.

Finally, the last performance of the day was from Switzerland's entry Kadebostany with 'Castle In The Snow'. This may be their debut, but what a debut! A dark, modern pop song which will send your blood cold, but in a good way. The song won the selection 'Notre Chanson: Helsinki' the song just builds and builds throughout before we get to the climax of the song at the end, the full light show begins and dancer is released from her box on stage. There's something dark and mystical about the performance which hasn't rivals the like of Nina Nesbitt. The start of the song is a long shot with the box lit up solely with her on top, we get closer and closer and then the lights come in. This is a title contender, and the odds are narrowing by the second on Oddschecker.

A DJ deck is all this performance needed! France have arrived with a little unknown band called Daft Punk. The duo who remain behind the decks for the whole performance, with their iconic helmets fastened on. French singer Dr.Beriz provided the vocals for the song as he paraded around the decks chasing the camera bring the fun from Paris to the cold wilderness of Helsinki. It is yet another up-tempo dance number, and lets face it we aren't lacking them this season, that's for sure. The duo became the first internally selected act from France who normally submit their act last minute. It was fun whilst it was on, but after the full set of reps, we almost forgot it, even when the mini-recap refreshed us of the song. The bookies agree that it is a bit mid-pack and have it on odds ranging at 30-1.

Second song of the day was one of the bookies' favourites: Belgium. Our hosts from last time stormed it through their national selection, DSCBE, after winning both jury and televote with a landslide over Birdy in second place. The song Fortune Cookie is performed by returning artist Emma Balé and Milow, and the staging is an emotional rollercoaster! The start shows a lonely Emma standing alone swinging on a swing hanging from a tree on stage. Soon after the first chorus she moves around the tree with her back to the audience when Milow enters the stage. They slowly walk round the tree in the second verse before meeting at the chorus. They brought killer vocals and showed real emotion on stage, especially Emma Balé. This will get the tears running on Saturday and it will catch your eyes in the recap, a sure contender!

From one exceptional number to another! Here comes Norway, the red hot bookies' favourite. This did not disappoint, this did the complete opposite, it was sophisticated and technically perfect. Iselin Solheim and Alan Walker's song Faded made it through Melodi Grand Prix after a close duel with Farao, but the song has received a revamp and is here in Helsinki to fight for the title. The staging shows Iselin alone on stage with a long sheet behind her with an amphitheater of lights in front of her. The lights create shadows against the sheet to fit with the music, sometimes spelling out the lyrics. The lights blaze out into the crowd during the chorus as she serves up some dance moves and woks the camera angles to perfection, it looks like she did her homework. You can get odds on her at 5-2, and she is the standout at the moment.

Welcome back England. And we bring back-alley britrock from the golden era. The Clash is the group and they of course chose the song London Calling. The staging reflects the typical British vibe throwing up a tour of London on the LED with interruptions from an apocalypse scene. The band are playing as they usually would,a ll the music is done live, no playback needed. The start is memorable when a model of Big Ben chimes down on the island before the band thump out the opening beats. The staging is OK, but the song is a classic but in a field of rock classics, will it stand out?

Speaking of classic rock songs, Greece make a return after an all-time high in Antwerp. Scottish-Greek band, Franz Ferdinand were chosen with the song Take Me Out. The song has a nice intro and the band perform it flawless with a sort of Roman/Greek ruins thing going on in the background which doesn't really match the song, but it matches the beige, grey colour scheme they had going on. The song is good and infectious and I give it a chance in the voting, running order will effect this one big time.

Another day of rehearsals ended with early favourite Alter Bridge and their song Metalingus. The US have made a major improvement in past editions, and this is one of them. The song is not over-produced it is a proper rock/metal song which has pop-esque values which will definitely pay off for them. We caught an exclusive interview with the lead singer Myles after their rehearsal:

Myles has heaps of energy on stage and emits a real rockstar vibe to the camera, especially in the verses, he stares right into your soul whilst the camera pans around him. But the final 1 minute is unforgettable, pyrotechnics firing away whilst he pulls back and serves the long notes and hitting every guitar note in the song. The constant movement around makes the performance so interesting, and why it is so captivating. The producers will surely leave this as a show-closer!

emre99 wrote:


Meh, I should have spent more time selecting a song

We went straight into the action with returnees Portugal, who come with the Portuguese-American artist Nelly Furtado and her song 'Say It Right'. This your diva power ballad and she delivers it with real power. Albeit the staging looks cheap with strips of what looks like toilet roll hanging from the ceiling accompanied by some dancers too. The song was selected internally again and Nelly has a big fanbase which could play in her favour. She stands mid-table in the bookies' prediction.

New Zealand were next up to the mark with the song 'Somebody That I Used To Know' by artists Gotye and Kimbra. The song doesn't really slot into any category making it a stand-out musically, and the stage show is quite contemporary as well, replicating the music video on a much wider stage. It screams out Måns Zelmerlöw Heroes, but the song screams out Just A Boy from Edition #1. It was really stunning artistically but I'm not sure if it is too far fetched for the DSC, the winners tend to be quite basic songs with a wide appeal, but this could win it all if it comes across well on the night.

K'NAAN makes a much needed return to the DSC for his native country Somalia! The Somalian born singer performed his song Fatima in Stockholm last year, we fell in love with the song back then and we love his new entry Wavin' Flag. This is more of dance number and a DSC anthem. The song is infectiously catchy and it will have you belting out the chorus by time it comes around in the recap. Flags are waving left, right and centre in the chorus and we love it. The drums and drummers painted with UV paint and the backing vocalists bring the traditional African vibe into Helsinki. Long, swooping camera angles support the song and the bright colour scheme is sure to catch your eye. This is a more lively song than Fatima and it has a greater chance, the bookies are moving it up floating around the 12-1 mark: this is a song which you can imaging in the top 10.

We give a warm welcome to debutantes Trinidad & Tobago. I Like To Move It will be their debut entry. The party song is a bit of a club banger from the 90s but still serves up a slice of fun in 2016! On stage the vocalist 'Mad Stuntman' is alone on a red platform dancing away to the song whilst some female dancers orbit around him. It is slightly disappointing as we all expected something a little more on the Bee Gees' level.

Our host nation Finland was the last country up tonight. The song was selected in the UMK selection show and will fly the flag on home turf for Finland. The hosts have never finished outside the top 10, and this song seems promising. 'Sugar Rush' is the song and it will be performed by home town girl, Venior. On stage this really works, it does look a bit patchy at times, but it also looks very expensive too. The verses start out very monochrome before a flash of light before the explosive chorus which is a colourful breakdown. The camera flickers and split-screens at times giving an almost 'biased' home advantage feel. It looks and sounds very produced and polished and is a title winner. The way the DBU have planned these rehearsals out, it looks as if they put the main contenders last on the day. It stood out in the 5 act recap and could swing people over to #TeamFinland on Saturday.

TheManxMissile wrote:
Dakot is a better song than Have A Nice Day anyway. For the next competition check out their Graffiti On The Train album (Indian Summer is my fav song of therse ever)