A very expensive show in Moscow has entertained many in Europe. The Russians were promising one of the best shows for a long while and they did not disappoint. The stadium was huge and packed and you could see the excitement in the performers despite their attempts to remain professional and calm. This was one of the best shows not only due to the hosts but due to the very high standards the participants had brought. The western European nations tired of the endless switching of the host between eastern European neighbours brought a lot of effort to their songs and performances to win the votes of both the populations and juries of the continent. Sadly Moscow is a very expensive city and unlike the events held in the other countries there weren’t parties on corners of streets or city sponsored events in the evenings everywhere. A few private parties in bars and clubs did take place however. Also sadly the city police broke up a Gay Pride march while allowing nationalists and religious radicals to march. These events soured an otherwise flawless event.

Lithuania started the contest well with a nice number. It was never really destined to score big and had the unfortunate first slot. After 24 other acts this isn’t one that people remember clearly when it comes to vote.

Following Israel’s entry, France brought cheers and applause from the audience. Echos of Edif Piaf in the voice and a very polished song. A true gem in and out of the contest. It performed well picking up points here and there but despite the big name singer, Patricia Kass didn’t pick up enough to make it into the top five sadly.

Sweden’s operatic entry was stunning with notes not often reached in the contest. A brilliant performance which sadly scored badly. A disappointing result at 33 points for a wonderful song and singer. It was brave to enter an opera singer into the contest and we hope such efforts are not looked at with suspicious eyes next time round. Experimental songs are sometimes worth it.

Portugal’s wonderful fairground style song was an exciting and beautiful tune but didn’t seem to resonate with the voters scoring only 57 points in the end. Full of passion it was a good song.

Judging by the number of visitors to this site, Iceland was the most popular video in the run up to the contest. Her performance on the night was brilliant and Yohanna is truely stunning. In the end she came second with 218 points. Disappointed not to win, we suspect the Iceland broadcasters are sighing in relief that they don’t have to pay for next year given the present state of Icelandic finances. Let’s hope this isn’t the end of Yohanna’s career because she’s a true star.

One of the favourites to win, Greece did not disappoint in the performance but did in the voting. The very handsome Sakis Rouvas put a lot of energy into his act and the audience really got into the swing of it. The cheers at the end showed how much they appreciated it but in the end they only scored 120 points. Not a bad score but not enough to challenge the leaders.

Armenia’s mix of modern and traditional went down very well and was appreciated by the crowds. Sadly the wonderful act did not satisfy the European audience and they only managed 92 points in the end.

Russia’s entry was performed by the Ukrainian singer Anastasia Prikhodko and was a last minute choice to represent the country. The amazing video behind the singer of an ageing Anastasia was very clever. The energy she brought to the song was truly stunning. Russia spent an enormous amount of money on the show and we suspect they didn’t really want to host two years in a row. Russia picked up points from all the traditional neighbours however the new voting system stopped a repeat of last year and they finished with only 91 points.

Azerbaijan’s AySel & Arash brought a lot of waving arms and cheers from the crowd and a standing ovation. The song is very popular in and out of Azerbaijan and it’s hard not to see why. It’s a very catchy price. They were a surprise success in the voting too coming third with 207 points. A very respectable figure.

Bosnia and Herzegovina’s Regina once supported the Rolling Stones and is well loved through the Balkans. Their sudo-military style uniforms and drums accompanied a passionate song. A good act and well loved by the crowd. They scored 106 points in the end failing to attract the big scores from outside the region.

Moldova’s musical tourist song was danced and performed with a great deal of energy. With mutual voting between it and Romania it wasn’t enough to pull them into the leading 10 amassing only 69 points in the end.

Malta’s act, “What if We?” was the third attempt for Chiara to win. No doubting her perseverance. It plodded along at a respectable pace and her incrediable voice certainly filled the stadium. Sadly the song did not inspire and only received 31 points in the end.

Estonia’s Urban Symphony sang “Rändajad” and was very beautiful. One of our favourites and admired for the use of Estonian rather than English in the song. No jumping and dancing with this one, just a very beautiful song performed by beautiful people and string instruments. They scored well with 129 points!

Denmark’s song was written by Ireland’s Roland Keating. Brinck sang it as Roland Keating and even looked a little like him. Perhaps a bit weird that. Never the less it was a great song and one which like many of the acts would stand on it’s own outside of the contest. The exaggerated rock-star style behaviour of the band didn’t add to the event though. Randomly walking around the stage with guitars nodding to each other is a little bit cliché. Still a great act. In the final results they obtained only 74 points.

Germany’s ‘Alex Swings Oscar Sings!’ sang Miss Kiss Kiss Bang. Alex is a big star in Germany. Like many of the acts the performers are big stars in the own rights. Uncertain if the shiny trousers added to the Latin style song, but the crowds loved it and the Burlesque performance was out of this world. Sadly the European votes said otherwise and they managed only 35 points. Disappointing.

Turkey’s Hadise was singing “Düm Tek Tek”. Belly dancing beauties always seem to go down well in any culture. A very good performance from the Turkish team. A strong effort and one which the viewers around the continent loved too giving them 177 points and taking them into 4th place in the end.

Albania’s Kejsi Tola was accompanied on stage by very odd performers. A green masked sparkly leotard man and black suited clowns looking just a little bit creeper than they should. A very strong song but no idea what the dance act was or how it fitted in. In the final results they only scored 48 points.

Norway’s Alexander brought cheers from the audience before he started. “Fairytail”. Another of the strong favourites to win this year’s contest he did not disappoint on the performance. A lovely act and a great passionate effort and had more points than any other act in any previous contest. A great and deserved win with 387 points.

Ukraine’s Svetlana Loboda allegedly mortgaged her home to pay for the set used to perform with. She, like many of the acts, already have a following outside of the competition and “Be My Valentine” is already a hit in and out of the Ukraine. A very energetic performance complete with semi-naked Spartans. A great song but sadly only taking 76 points in the end.

Romania’s entry was sung buy Elena. Anyone familiar with girl-groups like Girls Aloud etc. will already know the formula. Pretty girls singing and dancing to a song with a repetitive drum machine and simple lyrics. It’s a winning formula in the pop world. However the lead vocals seem to have been sung by a solo woman standing at the back of the stage. Very odd. They gave most of their points to their neighbour Moldova but in the end finished with only 40 themselves.

The United Kingdom’s performance was one of the strongest in many years. Jade seemed very nervous on the stage before millions across Europe and thousands in the stadium as she started but as she got in the swing of it a better act seemed to come through. She was warmly received by Russians before the contest and there is no doubt the UK really wanted to make an effort this year. Backed by Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber on the piano the crowds really did love her. They came in fifth in the end with 173 points. A great effort.

Finland sent a dance act, Waldo’s People to perform Lose Control. It was a very strong song like many this year. A very entertaining piece with a great stage show. The lead singer seemed to be doing his best at a Eminem impression but it didn’t detract too much. Lots of dancing. Lots of fire. Lots of fun all round. Unfortunately for them, the rest of Europe thought their act wasn’t up to it and they came in last with only 22 points. A long fall from former winners.

The last act of the show, Spain, brought another strong song to the contest. A very pretty singer mixing English and Spanish. Lots of flag waving and lots of cheers. Sadly not a lot of points in the end. They finished with only 23 points. One off the bottom.

The final scores of the evening were in order of highest number:

Norway – 387 points
Iceland – 218 points
Azerbaijan – 207 points
Turkey – 177 points
United Kingdom – 173 points
Estonia – 129 points
Greece – 120 points
France – 107 points
Bosnia & Herzegovina – 106 points
Armenia – 92 points
Russia – 91 points
Ukraine – 76 points
Denmark – 74 points
Moldova – 69 points
Portugal – 57 points
Israel – 53 points
Albania – 48 points
Croatia – 45 points
Romania – 40 points
Germany – 35 points
Sweden – 33 points
Malta – 31 points
Lithuania – 23 points
Spain – 23 points
Finland – 22 points

It’s unlikely the 2010 contest in Oslo will be of the same scale as Moscow but with a new voting system that seems to work, we will be sure of a fun time.

Eurovision Song Contest