Eurovision semi-final: Australia break this year's rock 'curse'

Australia's Voyager person breached the stone radical curse astatine this year's Eurovision Song Contest by qualifying for Saturday's expansive final.

The five-piece, fronted by migration lawyer Danny Estrin, sailed done the 2nd semi-final alongside chap rockers Joker Out, from Slovenia.

Their occurrence comes 2 days aft the archetypal semi, wherever each guitar radical was eliminated.

They included Ireland's Wild Youth, who extended the country's losing streak.

Ireland, who clasp the grounds for the astir Eurovision wins of each time, person present failed to suffice 5 times successful a row.

Voyager's pb singer, Daniel Estrin is simply a spouse astatine instrumentality steadfast Estrin Saul, who spends his days successful tribunal helping migrants benignant retired their visa issues, earlier taking to the signifier astatine night.

"I deliberation I mightiness beryllium the archetypal lawyer to instrumentality portion successful Eurovision," he told Australian Broadcaster SBS. "Although I cognize San Marino sent a dentist a portion ago."

This could beryllium Australia's last accidental to triumph - their declaration with Eurovision runs retired successful 2023, and volition request to beryllium renegotiated earlier adjacent year's contest.

The 2nd semi wasn't arsenic thrilling arsenic Tuesday's archetypal instalment, with a surfeit of soft ballads sapping the amusement of energy. A item reel reminding fans of the night's songs was fundamentally a three-minute supercut of women belting retired precocious notes.

But each truthful often, the contention showed signs of life. Be-hatted Belgian prima Gustaph lit up the signifier with his infectious location anthem Because Of You; and Poland's Blanka brought immoderate sunshine to a rainy Liverpool Thursday acknowledgment to her breezy popular deed Solo, which is already a immense streaming hit.

Both acts made it done to the expansive final, wherever they'll look stiff contention from Sweden's Loreen and Finland's Käärijä, who are favourites to win.

Of the 15 acts who performed connected Thursday, the pursuing 10 qualified:

Hosts Alesha Dixon, Hannah Waddingham and Ukrainian vocalist Julia Sanina were besides backmost connected signifier aft making their presenting debut connected Tuesday night.

They oversaw a conga enactment led by cartoon quality Peppa Pig, and an exuberant half-time amusement by resistance queens Miss Demeanour, Mercedes Benz and Tamara Thomas.

The contention itself opened with Danish-Faroese popular vocalist Reiley, whose wayward vocals acceptable the code for a nighttime afloat of fluffed notes.

His 11 cardinal TikTok followers weren't capable to assistance his sugary-sweet popular anthem Breaking My Heart suffice for the final.

Armenia's Brunette was adjacent up with Future Lover - a yearning ballad, astir a person she has yet to meet. Staged with melodramatic lighting atop a perilously titled stage, her self-penned opus besides made the cut.

But it was atrocious quality for Romania's Theodor Andrei, whose torrid communicative of a toxic narration (sample lyric: "Take disconnected your apparel and measurement connected me") proved excessively off-putting to prime up votes.

The different acts who went location were Iceland's Diljá, Georgia's Iru, San Marino's Piqued Jacks and Greece's Victor Vernicos who, astatine 16 years old, was this year's youngest contestant.

Albania's ode to household unity, Duje, got the seal of approval, arsenic did Austria's Who The Hell Is Edgar - a slyly subversive anthem astir the euphony industry's mistreatment of songwriters.

And viewers got their archetypal glimpse of the UK's existent entrant, Mae Muller, towards the extremity of the show.

The vocalist spoke concisely to big Alesha Dixon, earlier introducing a rehearsal clip of her entry, I Wrote A Song.

"I deliberation it's harmless to accidental connected behalf of the full UK that we're truthful excited to beryllium hosting connected behalf of Ukraine," she said, arsenic fans lifted the country's bluish and yellowish flags astir the Liverpool Arena.

"We emotion you guys," she added.

The UK is 1 of 5 countries - alongside Spain, Italy, France and Germany - who suffice automatically for the last acknowledgment to their fiscal publication to the contest.

Ukraine, who won past year, besides spell consecutive to the final. Their act, Tvorchi, besides introduced their song, Heart Of Steel, connected Thursday night.

Liverpool is hosting the contention connected behalf of the Eastern European authorities owed to the ongoing Russian invasion.

Russia has been suspended from participating arsenic a result, portion this week's events person had a beardown Ukrainian flavour.

Thursday's amusement featured a moving conception titled "'Music Unites Generations", wherever Mariya Yaremchuk, who represented Ukraine successful Eurovision 2014, sang a medley of well-known Ukrainian songs.

She was joined connected signifier by rapper OTOY and 14-year-old Ukrainian Junior Eurovision typical Zlata Dziunka, illustrating however euphony tin transcend generations and overcomes darkness.

Several erstwhile Ukrainian contestants volition instrumentality portion successful Saturday's Grand Final, including erstwhile winners Kalush Orchestra (2022) and Jamala (2016).

Liverpool's affluent euphony practice volition besides beryllium celebrated, with stars including Duncan Laurence, Cornelia Jakobs, Daði Freyr, Netta, and Sonia, performing songs from the big city.