The Big Review (13) Ireland

Ireland is the reigning Eurovision champion with 7 victories to date. Having qualified for the last three contests with a bit of help from Niamh Kavanagh and Jedward, hopes are high that Ryan Dolan will take them to the final again this year. The song itself is quite repetitive and not particularly original. That said, this semi-final is short on uptempo numbers, as is the contest in general this year. I can see this qualifying with ease. Ryan is a good singer, the song is catchy and it might just take Ireland back into the top ten this year. I would dearly love it if they won although I can only imagine the carnage of the parties if OGAE Ireland's preview party is anything to go by! Watch out for Linda Martin and Daniel O'Donnell in the video!

Qualifying: Yes



The Big Review (12) Moldova

Moldova is an interesting country in Eurovision, they're very hit and miss. Their debut in 2005 was a hit and their follow-up in 2006 was a big miss. Last year's song was a cracking little ditty and I even thought it was going to win the whole thing at one point (I know, I had obviously listened to the songs too many times to remain objective!) This year is a bit of a miss for me. I don't like Aliona's voice for a start nor do I like the song. Even having the lovely Pascha on piano doesn't help this. It all comes across as rather messy. Good use of the frock though, very Azerbaijan 2012! I would dearly love Moldova to win one day, it would be fascinating if the contest was staged in what is a very problematic country, economically and politically (it's the poorest country in Europe and has seen massive civil unrest in Transnistria). With Romania unable to vote in this semi-final, I think it's safe to say that it won't be Chisinau 2014!

Qualifying: No

The Big Review (11) Belarus

This is what this semi final was needing - a bit of oompf! "Solayoh" might not be the best in terms of lyrics but it's catchy and Alyona attacks this and sells it really well. What's not to like? Topless (male) dancers, writhing, bum shaking; Belarus do trash like nobody else! Of course, this wasn't the original choice for Belarus, in typical fashion the song was switched. You might expect nothing less from "Europe's last dictatorship" - they need to keep the Dear Leader happy! Apparently Mr President takes an interest in Eurovision and Belarus' entries. I dare say that if the contest ever heads to Minsk, he'll be there waving a flag in the audience! In what is quite a subdued semi-final this really stands out. I can see this easily qualifying and may give the Belarussians their best result to date.

Qualifying: Yes

The Big Review (10) Lithuania

Lithuania have had mixed fortunes in Eurovision, from their debut in 1994 which suffered the humiliation of the dreaded nul points, to their surprise qualification in 2011 and 2012. Their song this year, "Something" definitely has something about it; something of the night! Andrius is a good performer but the eyebrow thing is just downright creepy! The song reminds me of an album track from The Killers. It's a credible entry but I can't see it picking up too many votes somehow. I hope I'm wrong as I'd like to see this in the final but at the minute I can't quite see it happening.

Qualifiying: No (just missing out)

The Big Review (9) Montenegro

For once Montenegro aren't opening their semi-final! This is a pretty brave choice, although that's not saying much. It will be interesting to see how this is performed on the night. The male rapping reminds me of "Euro Neuro" from last year. It's essentially a remixed version of that with a female vocalist thrown in for good measure. I can't see this doing anything and it looks like we'll have to wait another year before Montenegro grace the Eurovision stage for the final.

Qualifying: No

The Big Review (8) Netherlands

Netherlands have a bit of a depressing history when it comes to modern Eurovision. The country that used to dominate in the early days have missed every single final since 2004. Last year they were widely tipped to qualify only to narrowly miss out on a place amongst the 26 finalists. This year they've chosen the popular rock chick Anouk in the hope that she'll be able to reverse their fortunes. "Birds" is a haunting, highly original piece of music. It reminds me of something from the 1940s, it's daring and a brave choice. Clearly more conventional pop songs haven't worked for them so they're going a bit left-field this year. It might just work. I think this will get a big jury vote and even though the public might not go for it, this might just sneak through. I hope they do, it'll be good to see them back in the final after a long absence. Netherlands are one of the favourites to win the entire contest. I can't see that happening, I can see them having something to celebrate this year though. Fingers crossed for Nederland!

Qualifying: Yes (just!)

The Big Review (7) Ukraine

Ukraine, like Russia, have been highly successful in the Eurovision Song Contest. Ukraine won Eurovision with their second ever entry and have continued to perform strongly coming second in both 2007 and 2008, qualifying to every single final since the semi-finals were introduced. Their offering for 2013, "Gravity" resembles something from a Disney cartoon. The video is bizarre and features amongst other things, unicorns. One thing Ukraine know how to do is sell a song, even weak ones. The singer, Zlata, has a good voice and isn't afraid to use it. Given a good draw I see this doing very well indeed. I quite fancy a trip to Kyiv next year!

Qualifying: Yes