Friday 11 May 2018

Eurovision Song Contest 2018 Analysis

Here are all the 26 finalists, in the order they will perform tomorrow night:
Ukraine, Spain, Slovenia, Lithuania, Austria, Estonia, Norway, Portugal, United Kingdom, Serbia, Germany, Albania, France, Czech Republic, Denmark, Australia, Finland, Bulgaria, Moldova, Sweden, Hungary, Israel, The Netherlands, Ireland, Cyprus, Italy.

Now for the 17 countries which failed to reach the final, but will still vote tomorrow night:
OUT: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Belgium, Croatia, F.Y.R. Macedonia, Georgia, Greece, Iceland, Latvia, Malta, Montenegro, Poland, Romania, Russia, San Marino, Switzerland.

N.B. Any use of "Tuesday" throughout this post means Tuesday 8 May 2018. Any use of "Thursday" or "last night" means Thursday 10 May 2018. Any use of "tomorrow" means Saturday 12 May 2018.

Now let's look at some country groups:

Baltic States (Ex USSR)
IN: Estonia, Lithuania. OUT: Latvia.

I'm overjoyed Estonia and Lithuania qualified Tuesday evening. Elina Nechayeva representing Estonia is an extremely talented singer to be able to sing high pitched like she does. Also I thought Lithuania's "When We're Old" is a beautiful ballad, which deserves to be in the final. I was so keen to see Estonia and Lithuania in the final that I voted for both of them Tuesday evening. I'm not surprised, and I'm certainly not disappointed that Latvia is out. Although Laura Rizzotto's "Funny Girl" was quite a nice ballad, and well sung live last night, I felt borderline about whether or not this middle of the road song should qualify, which is why it only ended up on my "Wouldn't mind qualifying" list last night. That now means Estonia and Lithuania are sure to award each other 12 jury points and 12 televoting points tomorrow night. Although Latvia failed to qualify, it will still be able to award high jury and televoting points to both Estonia and Lithuania tomorrow night.

Benelux
IN: The Netherlands. OUT: Belgium. (Luxembourg didn't enter yet again)

Belgium failed to qualify Tuesday evening. To be honest, when I first saw the preview video of "A Matter Of Time", I didn't like it as much as Belgium's 2017 entry, and I still wasn't overly keen on Sennek's live performance Tuesday evening. Hence Belgium ended up on my "Wouldn't mind qualifying" list Tuesday evening; I wouldn't have minded if it had qualified, but I wasn't desperate to see it in the final, and am certainly not disappointed it was eliminated. I'm a bit two-minded about The Netherlands being in the final. Although "Outlaw In 'Em" was one of my lesser-liked entries among the preview videos for the second semi-final, I liked last night's live performance a bit better; and thus it ended up on my "Wouldn't mind qualifying" list. Nonetheless, once the first nine qualifiers had been announced, I would rather the tenth slot had gone to Montenegro or Poland (both of which I had a much greater desire to qualify than The Netherlands). The upshot of this is, Belgium will still be able to give 12 jury points and 12 televoting points to The Netherlands tomorrow night, but who will The Netherlands give their high points to now that they can't vote for Belgium?

Nordic area
IN: Denmark, Finland, Norway, Sweden. OUT: Iceland.

The Nordic area did well this year, with four of the five Nordic countries qualifying to the final. I'm glad Denmark, Finland and Norway all reached the final this year. Finland's entry ended up among the countries I most wanted to qualify Tuesday evening, whereas Denmark and Norway were two of the songs I most wanted to qualify last night (I would have voted for Denmark and Norway if the UK had been voting last night). On the other hand, I'm disappointed with Sweden's entry this year; I think "Dance You Off" is somewhat poor quality compared to their entries of the last few years. That's why Sweden ended up on my "Prefer not to qualify" list last night; I'd sooner a country I had a greater desire to see in the final have the place Sweden took. It's a pity Iceland failed to qualify, because I really liked "Our Choice" when I watched the international webcast of Söngvakeppnin 2018 Grand Final from the UK, and I still liked it performed at the Eurovision Song Contest 2018 First Semi-Final on Tuesday evening (so much so, I ended up voting for Iceland that evening). Anyway, Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden will now be able to exchange high jury and televoting points between each other, and Iceland will still be able to give its top jury and televoting points to Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden.

Greece and Cyprus
IN: Cyprus. OUT: Greece.

I'm glad Cyprus qualified for the final. Although I wasn't overly keen on "Fuego" when watching its preview video, I liked it better performed live Tuesday evening, which is why I ended up voting for Cyprus on Tuesday evening. I'm disappointed Greece failed to qualify; although I wasn't overly keen on "Oniro Mou" in the preview video, I liked it sung live Tuesday evening, hence I also voted for Greece on Tuesday evening. That now means Greece will almost certainly give its 12 jury points and 12 televoting points to Cyprus (especially as Cyprus is now the bookies' favourite to win), but who will Cyprus give its two 12s to? It can't give either its 12 jury points or 12 televoting points to Greece now.

Former Yugoslavia
IN: Serbia, Slovenia. OUT: Croatia, F.Y.R. Macedonia, Montenegro. (Bosnia & Herzegovina didn't enter this year).

This has been a year of mixed fortunes for the former Yugoslavia, with two of the five ex-Yugoslav countries taking part this year reaching the final. I'm appalled and disgusted Slovenia qualified as "Hvala, ne!" was one of my least-liked songs last night, which is why Slovenia ended up on my "Definitely don't want to qualify" list. The only other ex-Yugoslav qualifier is Serbia. I thought "Nova Deca" was very much a middle-of-the-road contender in last night's semi-final, which is why Serbia ended up on my "Wouldn't mind qualifying" list. I'm gutted and deeply upset that Montenegro didn't reach the final, as their entry "Inje" was a beautiful Balkan ballad. I thought it was one of the best songs, and thus one of the entries I most wanted to qualify, in last night's semi-final. Had the UK been voting last night, I would definitely have voted for Montenegro. I don't mind Croatia having not qualified, I thought "Crazy" was very much a middle of the road contender in Tuesday's semi-final, which is why it ended up on my "Wouldn't mind qualifying" list that night. I wouldn't have minded if Croatia had qualified, but I wasn't particularly keen to see it there. F.Y.R. Macedonia's "Lost And Found" was, in my opinion, an even weaker song, which ended up on my "Prefer not to qualify" list Tuesday evening, so it's just as well it didn't reach the final. The upshot of this is, Serbia and Slovenia will be able to award each other 12 jury points and 12 televoting points tomorrow night, and Croatia, F.Y.R. Macedonia and Montenegro will be able to award their top jury and televoting points to Serbia and Slovenia.

Founding Seven
By this I mean the seven countries which appeared in the very first Eurovision Song Contest in Lugano in 1956:

IN: France, Germany, Italy, The Netherlands. OUT: Belgium, Switzerland. (Luxembourg didn't enter yet again)

As I said earlier, I didn't mind The Netherlands reaching the final, but it's a pity that happened at the expense of other countries which I had a greater desire to see in the final but failed to qualify. I didn't mind Belgium failing to qualify as I didn't like "A Matter Of Time" as much as their 2017 entry. Thank goodness Switzerland failed to qualify, because their entry was one of my most disliked entries in the first semi-final on Tuesday evening, which is why Switzerland ended up on my "Definitely don't want to qualify" list that night. Of course, France, Germany and Italy automatically qualified for the final as Big Five members.

And Finally
Tomorrow evening's Grand Final certainly looks set to be a spectacular one, and I'm really looking forward to it. Over half of the countries I wanted to qualify are in, but most of the countries I least wanted (Czech Republic, Hungary, Israel, Slovenia) have slipped through against my wishes. I still think Armenia and Greece deserved the places Czech Republic and Israel took on Tuesday evening, and that Poland and Montenegro deserved the places Hungary and Slovenia took last night.

Thursday 10 May 2018

Eurovision Song Contest 2018 Second Semi-Final

Host country: Portugal (RTP)
Venue: Lisbon Arena, Lisbon, Portugal
Hosts: Filomena Cautela, Sílvia Alberto, Daniela Ruah & Catarina Furtado
Date: Thursday 10 May 2018

N.B. Any use of "tonight" or "this evening" throughout this post means Thursday 10 May 2018. All times in this post are in BST.

The Opening
The second semi-final began with an opening film followed by a speech from the hosts.

The Songs
Five minutes after the start of the show (20:05 BST) it was time for the first song. Each song was introduced by a postcard film related to the appropriate country.

Song 1: Norway - Alexander Rybak "That's How You Write A Song"
#NOR Alexander Rybak represented Norway with the winning song "Fairytale" in 2009. He's back this year, this time to sing "That's How You Write A Song". I quite liked this song when I saw its online video shortly after it won Norway's national final. Since then, "That's How You Write A Song" has been one of my favourite semi-final 2 contenders among the official preview videos. Tonight Alexander sung the song well, accompanied by the on-screen effects including the virtual keyboard. He even managed to include a real violin towards the end, just like in "Fairytale" in 2009. I definitely want this in the Grand Final, but whether or not Alexander can become the next Johnny Logan is another story.

Song 2: Romania - The Humans "Goodbye"
#ROU A song I thought wasn't bad when watching the preview videos and listening to the ESC 2018 CD album. Based on tonight's live performance, "Goodbye" is quite a reasonable song, well performed, but I currently feel borderline whether this should qualify or not. I wouldn't mind this in the final, but I wouldn't miss it if it's not there.

Song 3: Serbia - Sanja Ilic & Balkanika "Nova Deca"
#SRB Now for one of the ex-Yugoslav entries. "Nova Deca" sounds very much an ethnic Balkan entry to me, what with its first verse and somewhat different chorus. When watching the preview videos, and listening to the CD album tracks for the second semi-final, I found this to be one of the middle-of-the-road contenders. I think I like tonight's live performance better than the preview video and the CD album track, but I'm currently borderline whether this should qualify or not.

Song 4: San Marino - Jessika featuring Jenifer Brening "Who We Are"
#SMR The smallest country to be taking part in the is year's Eurovision Song Contest is San Marino. This was one of my lesser-liked songs among the second semi-final preview videos. In my opinion, it's no better sung live tonight, in fact I thought the lead singer's voice was a bit weak early on. What's the significance of the robots? Perhaps it's best if this doesn't qualify.

Song 5: Denmark - Rasmussen "Higher Ground"
#DEN This was one of my favourite second semi-final contenders among the online preview videos and on the ESC 2018 album. I like it just as much performed live tonight. It's a pity the lead singer's voice wasn't a bit stronger for a powerful song like this. Nonetheless, I definitely want to see this in the final.

Song 6: Russia - Julia Samoylova "I Won't Break"
Julia Samoylova was going to represent Russia with "Flame Is Burning" last year, but due to political reasons Russia withdrew a few weeks before the Eurovision Song Contest 2017. This year she's back to fulfil her ambition of representing Russia in the Eurovision Song Contest. This is another song felt indifferent about when watching the preview videos and listening to the ESC 2018 CD album. Based on tonight's live performance, I'm not so sure. Julia sang reasonably well, but I question the need for the backing singers in the choruses (they overpowered Julia). Were the dancers really necessary? I'm not sure this merits a place in the final.

A short break followed at this point.

Song 7: Moldova - DoReDoS "My Lucky Day"
#MDA Another song I felt was reasonably OK (but not overly keen on) whilst watching the preview videos and listening to the CD album. I'm less keen on the live performance tonight. What's the significance of the wall with the panels they randomly open? This is likely to end up on my "Prefer not to qualify" list.

Song 8: The Netherlands - Waylon "Outlaw In 'Em"
#NED The Netherlands have gone for a rock song this year. This was one of my lesser-liked entries among the preview videos for the second semi-final, but I like tonight's live performance a bit better. Based on tonight's live performance alone, I wouldn't mind this in the Grand Final on Saturday, but I wouldn't miss it if it's not there.

Song 9: Australia - Jessica Mauboy "We Got Love"
Say what you like about Australia being in the Eurovision Song Contest for the fourth year running, but anyway this was one of my favourite entries among the preview videos for the second semi-final. I like tonight's live performance just as much, it was well sung with appropriate use of movement on stage. Were the flashing lights really necessary though? I'd definitely like to see this in the final.

Song 10: Georgia - Ethno-Jazz Band Iriao "For You"
#GEO This was one of my least-liked second semi-final contenders among the preview videos and on the CD album. To me it sounds a very depressing song, to say the least! I think I prefer tonight's live version, it was very well sung, but I'm not sure whether or not this should be in the final.

Song 11: Poland - Gromee feat. Lukas Meijer "Light Me Up"
#POL This was another of my favourite second semi-finals whilst watching the online preview videos and listening to the ESC 2018 CD album. This evening I like the live performance just as much. I'd definitely like to see this in the final.

Song 12: Malta - Christabelle "Taboo"
#MLT This was one of the my lesser-liked second semi-final contenders among the preview videos and on the CD album. I liked tonight's live performance considerably better; it was well sung but what was the significance of the screens. Based solely on tonight's live performance, I'd definitely like to see this in the final.

A short break followed at this point.

Song 13: Hungary - AWS "Viszlát Nyár"
#HUN Hungary has gone for a lively rock song this year, hence it's hardly surprising tonight's live performance contains much use of strobe lighting. Admittedly I don't like this style of music generally, but I really detested this entry when I first saw an online video of its A Dal 2018 final performance shortly after the A Dal 2018 ended. Since then I've continued to dislike this song just as much with subsequent viewings of the official preview video and when listening to the ESC 2018 CD album. I hated tonight's live performance just as much. Please, please stay out of Saturday's final AWS, kérem!

Song 14: Latvia - Laura Rizzotto "Funny Girl"
One of my lesser-liked second semi-final entries among the preview videos and whilst listening to the CD album. I like tonight's live performance better, it's quite a nice ballad, and well sung. Is there any particular reason why Laura is wearing a red dress, and the lighting is red. I wouldn't mind this in the final, but wouldn't miss it if it's not there.

Song 15: Sweden - Benjamin Ingrosso "Dance You Off"
Sweden has entered some excellent songs in recent years, but quite frankly I was disappointed with their choice of ESC 2018 entry shortly after the Melodifestivalen 2018 Grand Final ended. Since then "Dance You Off" has been one of my lesser-liked second semi-final contenders among the official preview videos and on the CD album. I dislike tonight's live performance just as much, so I'd sooner Sweden stays out of Saturday's final.

Song 16: Montenegro - Vanja Radovanovic "Inje"
#MNE Montenegro has gone for a beautiful ballad this year. I really liked this from the first time I saw this preview video. When I watched all the second semi-final preview videos earlier today this remained one of my most liked of tonight's songs. This evening I've enjoyed the live performance just as much. Based solely on tonight's performance, this is one of tonight's songs that I most want to see in Saturday's Grand Final. I would have voted for you Vanja if the UK had been voting tonight.

Song 17: Slovenia - Lea Sirk "Hvala, ne!"
#SLO From one former Yugoslav country to another, and in stark contrast, this was one of my least-liked songs among the second semi-final preview videos, and on the CD album. I hate tonight's live performance just as much. Are the strobes really necessary in this song? What was the significance of the pause about two thirds of the way through? Please, please stay out of Saturday's final!

Song 18: Ukraine - MELOVIN "Under The Ladder"
#UKR The final song already, it's amazing how time flies! Ukraine's entry was one of the second semi-final contenders among the preview videos, and I still feel the same way about it after tonight's live performance. What was the significance of the steps and the flame effects? I wouldn't mind if this qualifies, but I won't miss it if it's not there.

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Televoting and Recap
After the songs finished, (names) reappeared to announce the start of the voting at 21:26 BST. A recap of the songs followed. The UK was unable to vote in tonight's semi-final, and therefore UK viewers saw a message "UK viewers cannot vote tonight" at the bottom of the screen during the recap.

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My Preferences
Here are my preferences based solely on all of tonight's performances:
Definitely want to qualify: Norway, Denmark, Australia, Poland, Malta, Montenegro
Wouldn't mind qualifying: Romania, Serbia, Russia, The Netherlands, Georgia, Latvia, Ukraine
Prefer not to qualify: San Marino, Moldova, Sweden
Definitely don't want to qualify: Hungary, Slovenia

So these are the ones I want to see Saturday night: Norway, Denmark, Australia, Poland, Malta, Montenegro, plus four of Romania, Serbia, Russia, The Netherlands, Georgia, Latvia, Ukraine.

Had the UK been voting in this semi-final, I would have voted for Norway, Denmark, Australia, Poland and Montenegro.

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Eurovision Song Contest 2018 Second Semi-Final Results

Here are the results, which were announced in a random order at 22:06 BST. Any use of "tonight" still means Thursday 10 May 2018.

My desired qualifiers: Norway, Denmark, Australia, Poland, Malta, Montenegro, plus four of Romania, Serbia, Russia, The Netherlands, Georgia, Latvia, Ukraine.

Actual qualifiers (in order of announcement): Serbia, Moldova, Hungary, Ukraine, Sweden, Australia, Norway, Denmark, Slovenia, The Netherlands.

Bold entries represent the actual qualifiers that match my preferences.

OUT: Romania, San Marino, Russia, Georgia, Poland, Malta, Latvia, Montenegro.

I'm appalled and disgusted that Hungary and Slovenia qualified against my wishes. Of all the 43 entries in the Eurovision Song Contest 2018, Hungary's "Viszlát Nyár" is the one I dislike the most. Admittedly I didn't try watching A Dal 2018 final online from the UK (if that was possible), so I don't know what else "Viszlát Nyár" was up against, but nonetheless I was shocked Hungary picked that as their entry this year. I most definitely didn't want Hungary in the Grand Final, but they are there now, and there's nothing I can do about it. Slovenia's entry, in my opinion, is almost as bad, and I didn't want that in the final either, but it's there now, worse luck! I hope neither of them wins on Saturday.

I'm gutted and deeply upset that Montenegro didn't reach the final, as their entry "Inje" was a beautiful Balkan ballad. In my opinion, it was one of the best songs in tonight's second semi-final. Had the UK been voting tonight, I definitely would have voted for Montenegro. I'm also very disappointed that Poland didn't reach the final, as "Light Me Up" was a lively, catchy song which was among my most-liked songs tonight. As far as I'm concerned, Poland and Montenegro deserved the places Hungary and Slovenia took.

I'm overjoyed that Norway, Denmark and Australia all made it to the final because, as far as I'm concerned, all three had quality entries with excellent live performances tonight. They were among the songs I most wanted in the final; in fact I would have voted for all three of those countries if the UK had been voting tonight. So now that Alexander Rybak has reached the final, can he repeat his success of 2009 and win again for Norway this coming Saturday night "That's How You Write A Song"? Time will tell.

Romania and Russia failed to qualify tonight. This is the first time either of those two countries has failed to qualify for the final since the start of official, televised semi-finals in 2004 (before then, both those countries failed to qualify from the 1996 audio qualifier). To be fair I'm not surprised; both their songs were borderline entries. I didn't mind whether either of those qualified or not, but I wasn't desperately keen to see either of them in the final.

Anyway no matter how I personally feel about which countries' songs went thorough and which ones didn't, all the artists who performed tonight deserve equal respect. Well done to the ten countries which qualified to the final, and commiserations to the nine which failed to reach the final. So that means all 26 finalists are now confirmed and 17 countries have been eliminated (but will still vote in the final). Roll on the Eurovision Song Contest 2018 Grand Final at 20:00 BST Saturday evening.

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Tuesday 8 May 2018

Eurovision Song Contest 2018 First Semi-Final

Host country: Portugal (RTP)
Venue: Lisbon Arena, Lisbon, Portugal
Hosts: Filomena Cautela, Sílvia Alberto, Daniela Ruah & Catarina Furtado
Green Room:
Date: Tuesday 8 May 2018

N.B. Any use of "tonight" or "this evening" throughout this post means Tuesday 8 May 2018. All times in this post are in BST.

The Opening
The first semi-final began with the a short opening film followed by a speech from the four hosts.

The Songs
Seven minutes after the start of the show (20:07 BST) it was time for the first song. Each song was introduced by a postcard film related to the appropriate country.

Song 1: Azerbaijan - Aisel "X My Heart"
#AZE It's always tough judging the first song of the night, but someone has to sing first. When watching the preview videos and listening to the CD album, this was one of my favoured first semi-final contenders to qualify. Sadly based on tonight's live performance I'm not sure. After a weak first verse, the chorus is quite catchy, but I didn't think the lady's voice was anywhere near strong enough during each chorus. I'm not sure whether or not this deserves to qualify.

Song 2: Iceland - Ari Ólafsson "Our Choice"
#ISL From the United Kingdom, I actually watched the international webcast of Söngvakeppnin 2018 Grand Final during the evening of Saturday 3 March 2018, and I really liked "Our Choice" that evening, and was glad it was chosen as Iceland's Eurovision Song Contest 2018 entry. Since then I've liked it when watching the preview video and listening to the CD album. It's a really nice ballad, but I think Ari's voice ought to have been stronger for the live performance tonight. I'm currently borderline whether this should qualify or not.

Song 3: Albania - Eugent Bushpepa "Mall"
#ALB I wasn't overly keen on this when I first saw the preview video. Based on tonight's live performance, at least Eugent's voice is considerably more powerful during the choruses than the last two entries, but it's a pity about the near screaming a couple of times. Now I've seen tonight's live performance, this is likely to end up on my "Prefer not to qualify" list.

Song 4: Belgium - Sennek "A Matter Of Time"
#BEL Belgium has gone for a ballad again this year. When I first saw the preview video I didn't like this song as much as Belgium's 2017 entry. I've seen the preview video a few times, and heard the song on the official CD album, but it hasn't grown on me much. Based on tonight's live performance, it's not bad, I'm still not overly keen on it. At least Sennek looked much more confident tonight than the rather nervous looking Blanche in the semi-final during which Belgium performed last year. I'm currently borderline whether this ought to be in the final or not.

Song 5: Czech Republic - Mikolas Josef "Lie To Me"
#CZE Well at least Mikolas is able to perform tonight after his accident during the first semi-final. On a general note, I don't like this style of song, so it's hardly surprising I was disappointed with Czech Republic's choice of entry when I first saw the preview video. I've continued to dislike "Lie To Me" on subsequent viewings of the preview video, and I hated it just as much performed live tonight. I hope this stays out of Saturday's final.

Song 6: Lithuania - Ieva Zasimauskaite "When We're Old"
#LTU When I first saw the preview video for this song I thought it was rather a weak entry, but I've started liking it more on recent viewings of the preview video, and whilst listening to the ESC 2018 CD album. Based on tonight's live performance, this beautiful ballad is one of my preferred entries so far. I'm strongly swayed to seeing this song in the final.

A short break followed at this point.

Song 7: Israel - Netta "TOY"
I really detested "TOY" from the moment I first saw its online preview video, and I've continued hating it on subsequent viewings of the preview video (and occasions when I've listened to my ESC 2018 album). Despite that, this is strongly tipped to win, against my wishes! I hate tonight's live performance just as much. Please, please stay out of Saturday's Grand Final Netta, s'il vous plait, por favor!

Song 8: Belarus - ALEKSEEV "FOREVER"
This was one of my most liked songs when first started watching the preview videos. The song was modified just before Easter so as not to get lively so quickly. I'm disappointed with tonight's live performance. Alekseev had a rather weak start to the song, and I thought he looked rather nervous towards the end. What was the significance of the rising platform towards the end? Maybe it's better for this to stay out of the final.

Song 9: Estonia - Elina Nechayeva "La Forza"
Estonia have gone for a very operatic song this year, not the sort of thing for Eurovision. Still if last year is anything to go by, song styles you'd least expect to win can win. Based on tonight's live performance it's a beautiful operatic song (even though I can't understand the lyrics), and Elina is highly talented to be able to sing high pitched like that. This deserves a place in the final.

Song 10: Bulgaria - EQUINOX "Bones"
#BUL From the moment I first saw the preview video, I didn't think "Bones" was as good as last year's Bulgarian entry. Based on tonight's live performance alone, I'm disappointed with Bulgaria this year. Were the stroboscopic effects at various times really necessary for this style of song? The manner in which it was performed tonight didn't seem as good as in the preview video. Maybe it's best if this doesn't qualify.

Song 11: F.Y.R. Macedonia - Eye Cue "Lost And Found"
#MKD This is another song I didn't think much of when watching the preview videos, and when listening to the official CD album. Based on tonight's live performance alone, I still don't think much of this song. This is another song I'd rather not reach the final.

Song 12: Croatia - Franka "Crazy"
#CRO Croatia has gone for an unusual sort of song this year. When watching the preview video and listening to the ESC 2018 CD album, I wasn't overly keen on this. The song in the preview video sounded very much like a James Bond opening theme, and the moving pictures in the preview video looked like the sort of sequence that would open a James Bond film. Tonight's live performance seemed worse than the preview video. I'm not convinced this merits a place in the final.

A short break followed at this point.

Song 13: Austria - Cesár Sampson "Nobody But You"
#AUT A song I thought was reasonably OK from a few viewings of the preview video, and I thought it was just as good performed live tonight. Why did Cesár perform on the high platform for much of the song? I wouldn't mind seeing this in the final.

Song 14: Greece - Yianna Terzi "Oniro Mou"
This seemed an unusual song when I first saw the preview video. I wasn't overly keen on this when watching the preview video or listening to the ESC 2018 CD album. Having seen the lyricsw, I've noticed it's quite a sad song. I like tonight's live performance better than the preview video, it was well sung. This ought to be in the final.

Song 15: Finland - Saara Aalto "Monsters"
#FIN Another song I wasn't particularly swayed towards whilst watching the preview videos. I think I like tonight's live performance better. Was there any reason for Saara spinning on the vertical turntable for the early part of the song. I wouldn't mind seeing this in the final.

Song 16: Armenia - Sevak Khanagyan "Qami"
#ARM I've become increasingly swayed towards this song with repeated viewings of the preview video, and multiple times of listening to my ESC 2018 CD. This ballad was well performed tonight, but were the strobes near the end really necessary? This is one of my most-liked songs this evening; I'd like to see this in the final.

Song 17: Switzerland - ZiBBZ "Stones"
#SUI I didn't think much of this song in the preview video or on the ESC 2018 CD album, and I still don't think much of "Stones" based on tonight's live performance. I'd rather this stays out of the final.

Song 18: Ireland - Ryan O'Shaughnessy "Together"
#IRL I was ever so disappointed when I saw the first preview video of this song, and I've continued disliking it with subsequent viewings of the video (and when hearing the CD album). To me the song seemed flat and lifeless on the preview video and CD. Thankfully I'm liking it a bit more performed live tonight, but are the two dancers really necessary for this type of ballad? Based on my viewing of tonight's live performance alone, I think this ought to be in the final as not only is the live performance better than the preview video, it's better than some of the other songs tonight.

Song 19: Cyprus - Eleni Foureira "Fuego"
#CYP The final song already, it's amazing how time flies! This is yet another song I wasn't overly keen on when watching its preview video. I think it's better performed live tonight, the dance routine certainly fits the beat of the song, and I liked the flame effect in the middle eight. Were the strobe lighting effects really necessary though? I'd like this to qualify to the final.

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Televoting and Recap
After the songs finished, (names) reappeared to announce the start of the voting at 21:28 BST. A recap of the songs followed. The UK voted in tonight's semi-final, and therefore UK viewers saw the voting numbers at the bottom of the screen during the recap.

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My Preferences
Here are my preferences based solely on all of tonight's performances:
Definitely want to qualify: Iceland, Lithuania, Estonia, Austria, Greece, Finland, Armenia, Ireland, Cyprus
Wouldn't mind qualifying: Azerbaijan, Belgium, Belarus, Croatia
Prefer not to qualify: Albania, Bulgaria, F.Y.R. Macedonia
Definitely don't want to qualify: Czech Republic, Israel, Switzerland

So these are the ones I want to see Saturday night: Iceland, Lithuania, Estonia, Austria, Greece, Finland, Armenia, Ireland, Cyprus, plus one of Azerbaijan, Belgium, Belarus, Croatia.

The UK voted this evening; I voted for Lithuania, Estonia, Greece, Armenia, Cyprus, Iceland.

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Eurovision Song Contest 2018 First Semi-Final Results

Here are the results, which were announced in a random order at 22:04 BST. Any use of "tonight" still means Tuesday 8 May 2018.

My desired qualifiers: Iceland, Lithuania, Estonia, Austria, Greece, Finland, Armenia, Ireland, Cyprus, plus one of Azerbaijan, Belgium, Belarus, Croatia.

Actual qualifiers (in order of announcement): Austria, Estonia, Cyprus, Lithuania, Israel, Czech Republic, Bulgaria, Albania, Finland, Ireland.

Bold entries represent the actual qualifiers that match my preferences.

OUT: Azerbaijan, Iceland, Belgium, Belarus, F.Y.R. Macedonia, Croatia, Greece, Armenia, Switzerland.

I'm appalled and disgusted that Czech Republic and Israel are through. I really hated both their entries. Never mind the fact that, until tonight, they had only previously reached the final once since their debut entry in 2007; it wouldn't have hurt them to have failed to qualify this year and come back next year with a decent song worthy of the final. As far as I'm concerned, Czech Republic's "Lie To Me" in the final is bad enough, but Israel's "TOY" in the final is even worse. In all honesty, Israel's "TOY" is the one song I detested the most tonight. At the other extreme, I'm shocked and gutted that Armenia's "Qami" didn't qualify, as it was one of my most-liked songs this evening. I'm also disappointed Greece failed to qualify; although I wasn't overly keen on "Oniro Mou" in the preview video, I liked it sung live tonight. As far as I'm concerned, Armenia and Greece deserved the places Czech Republic and Israel took.

Azerbaijan failed to qualify this year. I'm not surprised though; although "X My Heart" was one of my most liked songs among the preview videos, I thought the live performance tonight was a bit weak, which is why I was in two minds about whether or not it should qualify, and it ended up on my "Wouldn't mind qualifying" list. Belgium also failed to qualify, but again I'm not surprised because I didn't think "A Matter Of Time" was as good as last year (in the preview video, on the CD or sung live tonight). Belarus failed to qualify too, but when I saw and heard the disappointing live performance of "Forever" tonight, I was convinced it wouldn't qualify.

I'm glad Lithuania, Estonia and Cyprus qualified as I voted for them. I thought Lithuania's "When We're Old" is a beautiful ballad, and that Elina Nechayeva representing Estonia is an extremely talented singer to be able to sing high pitched. As for Cyprus, I liked "Fuego" performed live tonight. So that means three of the six countries I voted for reached the final, not bad I suppose. Finally I'm glad Ireland made it through. Although I thought "Together" was a dull and boring song when watching the preview video, I thought it was quite a nice ballad sung live tonight; consequently I ended up liking the live performance enough to put Ireland on my "Definitely want to qualify" list.

Anyway no matter how I personally feel about which countries' songs went thorough and which ones didn't, all the artists who performed tonight deserve equal respect. Well done to the ten countries which qualified to the final, and commiserations to the nine which failed to reach the final. So that means 16 finalists are now confirmed and 8 countries have been eliminated. Another 18 countries will battle it out for the 10 remaining places on Thursday evening.

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RCCGB Blackpool Bash 2018 Midi Report

Date: Friday 6 April 2018 to Sunday 8 April 2018
Venue: Blackpool Pleasure Beach
Who Went: Me and a large number of other RCCGB members, including Andy and Christine Hine, Adrian and Katelyn Hikin, Barry Frost, Big Stevie B, Carol Hedges, Catherine Bland, Dan Ould, Death, Debra Boggis, Gareth Arkell, Gareth Preece, Gary Williams, Graham Shaw, Heather Hall, Herman Coaster, Jan Bryan, John Musk, Julie and her mother, June Ross, Linda Reynolds, Lorraine Downing, Mark and Margo Lewis, Martin, Linda, Ellis and Kayla Lowery, Matt Walker, Peter, Laura and Aiden O'Brien, Rachel Walker, Ryan Hackett, Wendy Adams Evans.

DISCLAIMER: The above is NOT intended to be an exhaustive list of everyone who attended. It's a small sample of attendees; mainly those who performed billed or Gong Show acts Saturday night, and/or who I spoke to / rode with over the weekend. I sincerely apologise to anyone else who was there and I've not listed. Not all attendees (whether or not listed above) attended the event in its entirety.

Introduction
The Club's annual UK mega-trip to start the new coaster season. Once again the Blackpool Bash was a great success, with three professional entertainers performing Friday evening, a day of riding Saturday daytime (including the morning ERS), an 80s Icons themed fancy dress party with songs, games, the Gong Show and a disco Saturday evening, and another ERS Sunday morning. This year's Blackpool Bash was extra special because it commemorated the RCCGB's 30th anniversary. There was a great turnout too with over 300 members from all over the UK (my list above is just a handful of them). I was determined as ever to attend the Blackpool Bash, and to take part in the Gong Show Saturday evening.

To make the rest of this report easier to read, I've split it into sections. Click the applicable link below to jump to the section you want to read:

Thursday 5 April 2018
Friday 6 April 2018
Saturday 7 April 2018 (daytime)
Saturday 7 April 2018 (evening)
Sunday 8 April 2018
Monday 9 April 2018
Outro

Thursday 5 April 2018

Getting to Blackpool
I travelled to Blackpool by train Thursday 5 April. My journey from Bath Spa to Blackpool North began on the 12:36 train from Bath Spa to Newport (Gwent), followed by onward trains to Manchester Piccadilly and Preston. From Preston I completed my journey on the 19:00 rail replacement bus to Blackpool North. Having finally reached Blackpool North at 19:38, I had a taxi to my pre-booked hotel, where I checked in for four nights.

Thursday Evening
Having checked into my hotel I went to The Velvet Coaster (Wetherspoon) for an evening meal. Unfortunately when I arrived there around 20:10, I was told there was a 45 minute wait on food. Anyway I ordered a Curry Club meal: large Chicken Vindaloo for main course and a pint of Carlsberg to drink. I also ordered a dessert: British Bramley apple crumble with two scoops of ice cream. Having placed my order around 20:20, I estimated that my main course would arrive around 21:05, but thankfully it arrived at 20:46. My chicken vindaloo was quite hot, and its accompaniments bulked it up. Once I finished my main course, my dessert arrived shortly afterwards. Altogether a delicious and filling two-course meal, definitely worth the wait (which thankfully wasn't as long as I thought it would be). Having left, I returned to my hotel room, and relaxed there the rest of the evening.

More about Thursday available here

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Friday 6 April 2018

Daytime
For me Friday began with a delicious breakfast: cereal, a glass of orange juice, a full English breakfast, toast and coffee. I spent the day at Sandcastle Water Park, and was in the pool / slides area from approximately 11:10 until closing time of 18:00. A separate report about my day there is available here. After leaving I returned to my hotel room to have a cup of coffee and get changed for the evening.

Early Evening
Around 19:00 I went to Pablo's Fish and Chips for a Pablo's Special, i.e. fish, chips, mushy peas, bread and butter, plus fizzy drink (I chose Sprite). Having finished my Pablo's Special I went straight to the Paradise Room.

Friday Fun
The Blackpool Bash officially began when the Paradise Room doors opened around 19:30. I entered the Paradise Room via the spiral stairs around 19:45, found myself a seat and bought myself half a Heineken. The fun began when Andy Hine appeared around 20:10 and said his annual catchphrase "Everybody say Blackpool". He invited Graham Shaw on stage as his assistant for a mobile phone trick.

The first official act was magician Darren Mac. He did tricks with a standard pack of cards, and a trick with pieces of rope. His final trick featured special cards numbered from 1 to a high number. Amazingly he managed to select a combination where all the columns and rows added up to the same number.

Next Ashley Webber, who performed at last year's Blackpool Bash, sang songs including "The Wonder of You" (Elvis Presley), "My Way" (Frank Sinatra) and "Always Look on the Bright Side of Life" (Monty Python). The audience joined in singing and/or swaying for parts of some songs. Once Ashley had finished, the interval began, during which I bought myself half a Fosters.

After the interval Phil Lowen performed the final act. He too sang songs, including "Sweet Caroline" (Neil Diamond), the Titanic theme (along with a mock-up of a ship) and two Tom Jones songs ("Delilah" and "What's New Pussycat"). Between songs he told some jokes. Finally, he dressed as Luciano Pavarotti for his closing song "Nessun Dorma". When Phil finished around 22:40, there was still time to finish our drinks, but we had to be out by 23:00. I spoke to, and had my picture taken with some other members before heading back to my hotel for the night.

On the whole, an excellent selection of entertainment to start the RCCGB Blackpool Bash 2018. Many members liked my self-designed black "RCCGB Fun Night" T-shirt (with fluorescent pink lettering), my fluorescent pink sports shorts and my fluorescent pink football socks.

More about Friday available here

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Saturday 7 April 2018 (daytime)

First Thing
I awoke at 06:40, put on my self-designed "I'm a Kidult!" T-shirt and my Team Bath hoody, and had an early breakfast at 08:00 so I could be at the Paradise Room well before 09:00. After breakfast I took everything I needed for the evening to the Paradise Room, and placed it back stage. Shortly afterwards I queued to be issued with my ride wristband, Park Pass and drinks voucher. Someone from the Pleasure Beach gave a short speech, including an apology for the rain, and that it was also the 30th anniversary of the opening of Avalanche. I briefly spoke to a few other members, including Linda Lowery. When the signal was given the Club entered the Pleasure Beach through the gate. It was raining at the time.

Morning ERS
The day began with a one-hour ERS on the Big One, Red Arrows Skyforce and Blue Flyer. I began the day by queuing for the Big One. Unfortunately a hold-up occurred for some mysterious reason. Nonetheless I continued waiting in the queue. When the problem was eventually sorted, the attendant said the Club would get an extra 15 minutes of exclusive ride time due to that delay. I ended up having two goes. A fun ride to start the day, the only drawback was feeling the rain hammering against my face whilst travelling against the wind. During what remained of the ERS I just had time for one go on Red Arrows Skyforce; riding it wasn't as scary as I thought but I couldn't get my plane to flip over.

Summary of my rides during the Saturday morning ERS: Big One 2, Red Arrows Skyforce 1. Did anyone beat me on that?

Morning Free Time
After the morning ERS ended, members spread themselves around the Pleasure Beach and took over the rides. I began with Steeplechase. Only the green and yellow tracks were open; the red lane was closed. The best thing about this coaster is its racing element, hoping to be first home. I rode the green track twice and the yellow track once. On the way around the tracks I noticed part of the track for the new coaster Icon which opens in a few weeks' time. Just before my first go, I noticed Steeplechase was due to close at 18:00. The operator said closing time for the whole Pleasure Beach had been brought forward from 19:00 to 18:00 due to the rain; but it could be brought forward further still to 17:00 if the rain continues. Next I went into Nickelodeon Land, where I enjoyed riding Blue Flyer twice followed by Diego's Rainforest Rescue and Avatar Airbender once each. After that I headed for Revolution. Although its queue was very short (back to the landing at the top of the steps), I had to wait a few runs to get on, because only four rows were in use at a time, due to the wet track. After my one go on Revolution, I headed for the Pleasure Beach exit.

Lunch at Paradise Room
Around 12:30 I entered the Paradise Room for lunch. Once there I exchanged my drinks voucher for a Pepsi at the bar. Next I went to get my meal. Members could choose two of the following: beefburger, hot dog sausage, chicken burger; I chose beefburger and chicken burger, and they were served with chips. Buns were available to put the chosen items in and side salad was also available. During lunch there were speeches from Nev and Andy Hygate (Deputy Director of Operations). Club merchandise was available, including the red, purple and black RCCGB T-shirts which first appeared at the Blackpool Bash 2016, but I didn't buy any merchandise this time. I was surprised there were no special RCCGB 30th anniversary T-shirts on sale. For the first time ever, Nev asked children who wanted to take part in the evening Gopher Game to put their names on a list.

Afternoon Free Time
At 14:00 I returned to the Pleasure Beach eager to enjoy some more rides. Thankfully the rain had just about stopped. Furthermore the rides were still due to close at 18:00. I began by having one go on Flying Machines, followed by one go on Ice Blast. Although the RCCGB wasn't going to have an afternoon ERS on Grand National for the fourth year running, I was determined to ride it anyway Saturday afternoon. I had two goes on Grand National, left lift hill followed by right lift hill. Grand National felt quite rough this time. After that I had one go on Derby Racer. Having left Derby Racer, the time was 15:20, and I felt like a cup of coffee, so I went to T Café to enjoy a cup of coffee.

Once I had finished my coffee, I approached Avalanche next. I had to wait over half an hour to get on this, but it was well worth the wait. Next I enjoyed two goes on the inverted coaster Infusion, second row followed by second-from-back row. After that I enjoyed riding Big Dipper, Wallace & Gromit's Thrill-O-Matic, Grand Prix and River Caves once each. Finally I just had time for one go on Ghost Train before the Pleasure Beach closed at 18:00.

Summary of my day in order of activity

Morning ERS: Big One 2, Red Arrows Skyforce 1

Steeplechase green track 2
Steeplechase yellow track 1
Blue Flyer 2
Diego's Rainforest Rescue 1
Avatar Airbender 1
Revolution 1

Lunch at Paradise Room

Flying Machines 1
Ice Blast 1
Grand National left lift hill 1
Grand National right lift hill 1
Derby Racer 1

Coffee at T Café

Avalanche 1
Infusion 2
Big Dipper 1
Wallace & Gromit's Thrill-O-Matic 1
Grand Prix 1
River Caves 1
Ghost Train 1

Cumulative Summary of My Rides (ERS and Free Time Combined)

Ride
Total
Avalanche
1
Avatar Airbender
1
Big Dipper
1
Big One
2
Blue Flyer
2
Derby Racer
1
Diego's Rainforest Rescue
1
Flying Machines
1
Ghost Train
1
Grand National left lift hill
1
Grand National right lift hill
1
Grand Prix
1
Ice Blast
1
Infusion
2
Red Arrows Skyforce
1
Revolution
1
River Caves
1
Steeplechase green track
2
Steeplechase yellow track
1
Wallace & Gromit's Thrill-O-Matic
1
TOTAL
24

Altogether a fun day of riding. The morning ERS went well, it's a pity I missed Blue Flyer in that time, but at least I rode it twice later in the morning. During the rest of the morning and after lunch I enjoyed plenty more rides including Revolution, Ice Blast, Grand National (both lift hills), Infusion and Big Dipper. The only let-down was the weather; it rained all morning. Although the rain had just about stopped when I re-entered the Pleasure Beach around 14:00, there was another outbreak of drizzle later in the afternoon.

More about Saturday daytime available here

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Saturday 7 April 2018 (evening)
Without further ado I walked straight to the nearest Casino Tower entrance, showed my Back Stage Pass, and was escorted up to the Paradise Room. I chose my seat, set up my camcorder, put on my evening outfit and rehearsed my Gong Show act. Around 19:30 the doors opened to members not taking part. This year's theme was 80s Icons, and many wore something 1980s related, e.g. "Choose Life" T-shirts, Dusty Bin, Maplins Yellowcoats, Pac-Man machine, Rubik's Cube. I wore a reproduction 1982 England shirt and pair of sports shorts to be Kevin Keegan; I also had my red football with me. Food was on sale, so I bought myself macaroni cheese (served with peas), and also half a Heineken to drink.

Coaster Crazy Show

The First Half
The Coaster Crazy Show began around 20:15 with Wendy Adams Evans, Herman, Heather Hall, June Ross, Gareth Preece, Lorraine Downing and the James girls Charlotte and Alicia performing snippets of selected 1980s songs. These included "99 Red Balloons" (Nena), "Don't You Want Me" (The Human League), "The Model" (Kraftwerk) and "Prince Charming" (Adam and The Ants). Some of the songs were sung by Wendy to a backing track, whereas others were just dances. At the end of the final song, Wendy introduced Nev, who entered the stage to give his opening speech. He announced some trivia in the history of the Club, and awarded John Musk (who has had continuous RCCGB membership since its start) honorary Club membership for the rest of his coaster riding days. Afterwards Gary Williams sang "Never Gonna Give You Up" (Rick Astley).

It was now time for the Kids' Gopher game, in which ten children under 10 took part. When called, they ran into the audience to fetch the item specified by Nev, e.g. hotel key, head band, only to find one less chair on their return, thereby forcing the child unable to find a seat out each time. The winner was Toby. The final act before the Gong Show was June Ross, performing alone under the name Onekulele. She sang a ukulele parody of Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah" whilst playing the ukulele.

The Gong Show
It was now time for the famous Gong Show, which featured a record-breaking 10 acts this year. The first act was a group of nine members performing under the stage name Blackpool Donkeys. Their routine, performed to "On The Floor ft. Pitbull" (Jennifer Lopez), included jumping through a hoop, dancing around the stage and ribbon waving. A mixed bag of a routine to say the least; eventually the horn went. Next Ryan Hackett, and his assistant Dan Ould, performed a scene from the film Reservoir Dogs; the horn went after Ryan had pretended to cut off both of Dan's ears. The third act featured Jan Bryan & Lorraine Downing performing "Day-O" (The Banana Boat Song) - Harry Belafonte, but the booing drowned out the song. After about one minute, the horn went. Next, Death told a series of jokes, until he ran out of material, and consequently the horn went. Fifth in the line-up was first-timer Linda Reynolds. She entered the stage in an outfit which was intended to be Carmen Miranda, and started telling a story, but ended up making changes to her outfit more than speaking, and the horn soon went. Next, Dan Ould appeared wearing yellow gloves with eyes on. He moved his thumb on one hand at a time to give the illusion that the gloves were singing "Endless Love" (Diana Ross & Lionel Richie), whilst remaining silent himself. He reached the end of the song without the horn going. Act 7 featured first-timer Catherine Bland, performing as Dr Cat. She sang "Chandelier" by Sia (with some altered lyrics), whilst holding a bottle of drink. The horn went before the end of the first chorus. Next, another first-timer under the stage name DJ Bubbles, appeared with a flower mask on his face, and holding an inflatable electric guitar, to resemble a 1980s style Rock'n Flower. A problem occurred when the sound technicians tried playing the required music, so Nev asked the audience to sing the tune "Popcorn" whilst DJ Bubbles stepped on sheets of giant bubble wrap. Unsurprisingly the horn soon went. The penultimate act involved two girls, under the stage name Thunder, performing a very well-choreographed dancing and gymnastics routine to the song "Thunder" (Imagine Dragons). They reached the end without the horn going; in future years they could become a competitor to CJ. Finally it was my turn to perform the English version of "Diggi-Loo Diggi-Ley" (Herreys). The Swedish version of this song was Sweden's entry in, and winner of, the Eurovision Song Contest 1984. Surprisingly there was much cheering and applause when the horn went during the line "I know my dream was a fantasy illusion".

Top three: Dan Ould, Thunder, Nemesis Nick
After re-vote: top two: Dan Ould, Thunder; Winner: Dan Ould
Bottom two: Jan & Lorraine, Linda Reynolds; Ultimate worst: Linda Reynolds

So somehow I made it into the top three this year, but not the top two. More importantly I wasn't in the bottom two either.

Rest of Coaster Crazy Show
Back to the billed acts next. Ella & Mollie, under the stage name CJ, performed a well-choreographed dance routine accompanied by the Billy Joel song "Uptown Girl". The final game of the evening was Wood v Steel - The Race, involving four adult contestants. Two contestants at a time turned a pole to wind the string connected to the relevant imitation coaster car at the front of the stage, and this pulled it forward. The contestant whose coaster car crossed the line below their chair first won a round. After two heats and the final, the winner was Miles. The finale featured Ryan Hackett, Matt Walker, Rachel Walker, Gareth Arkell, Carol Hedges & Heather Hall performing the Eurovision Song Contest entry "Dancing Lasha Tumbai" (Verka Serduchka - Ukraine 2007). All were dressed in their replica Verka Serduchka outfits they had made for their original performance in 2008. Members were encouraged to join in with the actions. When the song finished, Nev gave his closing message and thanked all who had performed and the staff.

After Show Party
During Nev's closing speech the stage started going down to form the dance floor for the after-show disco. Unfortunately it got stuck part way down, so it had to be re-raised. After a quick fix by the staff, it was successfully lowered to floor level and the one-hour disco began. Many including me danced along. The mix of song snippets had changed a bit compared to recent years; as well as the usual "YMCA" (Village People), "The Locomotion" (Kylie Minogue), "Can-Can" (Bad Manners) and "Nellie The Elephant" (Toy Dolls), there were several songs I don't recall featuring in previous years. Towards the end the following four songs were played in full:

"Dancing Lasha Tumbai" - Verka Serduchka (Ryan and co did the actions just in front of the stage curtains)
"(Is This The Way To) Amarillo" - Tony Christie
"Always Look on the Bright Side of Life" - Monty Python
"Theme from New York, New York" - Frank Sinatra

The Warner Brothers cartoon closing theme "That's all folks" marked the end of the disco. Finally those who had dressed up assembled for a group photo. Afterwards members were asked to pack up and leave as quickly as possible. Around 23:25 I finally left the Paradise Room via the spiral stairs and was back at my hotel a few minutes later.

Summary of Evening

Show Opener: Wendy & Co.- 80's Song & Dance Medley
Introduction: Andy Hine
Act 1: Gary Williams - "Never Gonna Give You Up"
Game 1: Kids' Gopher
Act 2: June Ross - Onekulele

The Gong Show
1: Blackpool Donkeys HORN WENT
2: Ryan Hackett - Reservoir Dogs scene HORN WENT
3: Jan Bryan & Lorraine Downing - "Day-O" HORN WENT
4: Death - Stand-up comedy HORN WENT
5: Linda Reynolds - Story HORN WENT
6: Dan Ould - "Endless Love"
7: Dr Cat - "Chandelier" HORN WENT
8: DJ Bubbles HORN WENT
9: Thunder - Dancing
10: Nemesis Nick - "Diggi-Loo Diggi-Ley" HORN WENT

Top three: Dan Ould, Thunder, Nemesis Nick
After re-vote: top two: Dan Ould, Thunder; Winner: Dan Ould
Bottom two: Jan & Lorraine, Linda Reynolds; Ultimate worst: Linda Reynolds

Act 3: CJ (Ella & Mollie) - Dancing
Game 2: Wood v Steel - The Race
Finale: Ryan and Co - "Dancing Lasha Tumbai"
Andy Hine: Thank Yous

After Show Party (Disco)

Group photo

Altogether an excellent evening of entertainment. For me it was great to perform the English version of "Diggi-Loo Diggi-Ley" in the Gong Show. The after show disco provided a lively end to the evening. It's a pity the problem with lowering the stage to form the dance floor delayed the start of the disco by a few minutes, but thankfully the staff managed to do a quick bodge to successfully lower the stage, and the disco still went ahead with the full hour of music as planned.

More about Saturday evening available here

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Sunday 8 April 2018

First Thing
I awoke at 06:50, put on my red RCCGB T-shirt and, for the first time ever, my grey Nutella sweatshirt which I bought late January. After having an early breakfast at 08:20, I walked to the Pleasure Beach. The sky was overcast, but unlike Saturday morning, it was dry. Everyone was waiting on the ground floor of the Casino Tower. At the main desk I exchanged my Sunday Wristband Voucher for my wristband. Whilst in the tower, I spoke to Linda Lowery.

WOW ERS
When Nev was given the signal by the staff, the Club entered the Pleasure Beach through the gates for the WOW ERS on Big Dipper, Ghost Train and Grand National. I began by riding Grand National four times in the following sequence: left lift hill, right lift hill, left lift hill, right lift hill. Grand National didn't seem as rough as when I rode it Saturday afternoon. During what remained of the ERS, I just had time for one go on Big Dipper. Having exited Big Dipper, I saw Linda Lowery standing near Champagne Coffee Lounge, so we spoke to each other briefly.

Summary of my rides during the Sunday morning ERS: Grand National 4 (left lift hill 2, right lift hill 2), Big Dipper 1. Did anyone beat me on that?

After ERS
The ERS finished around 10:45. No further Club activities were scheduled for Sunday. Members with Sunday wristbands stayed and continued riding. Those without Sunday wristbands left and went straight home or visited other Blackpool attractions. Since I had a Sunday wristband, and was staying in Blackpool Sunday night, I continued riding until closing time of 18:00.

Before going on any further rides, I went into Champagne Coffee Lounge for a much-needed tall Americano. Having left Champagne Coffee Lounge, I headed towards Nickelodeon Land. As I entered Nickelodeon Land I saw Adey (who was about to leave), and spoke to him briefly. Further into Nickelodeon Land, I rode Nickelodeon Streak twice followed by Blue Flyer twice. Thus I had now ridden all four wooden coasters at Blackpool Pleasure Beach. Funnily enough, I didn't ride any of the wooden coasters again later in the day. Next I had one go on Dora's World Voyage.

At this point I left Nickelodeon Land to ride some of the coasters at the southern end of the Pleasure Beach. By now the sun was out, and the Pleasure Beach was busier than Saturday. Unsurprisingly the queue for Revolution was considerably longer than when I approached it late morning on Saturday, but because the track had dried out, the whole train was in use Sunday. Due to the long queue I only had one go on Revolution. Next I approached Steeplechase. All three lanes were running; I rode the red track (which I wasn't able to ride Saturday morning) once. Due to the queues I resisted the temptation to ride the other two tracks as I wanted to go on other rides. I approached Big One next, but it appeared to have a problem so I headed for Avalanche instead. When I reached the entry platform for Avalanche, I saw Julie from the RCCGB, so we rode together in the back car of the train. My one go on Avalanche now was my only go on it all day. Furthermore, this was my only time of riding with another RCCGB Blackpool Bash 2018 attendee during free time all weekend.

At this point I felt like a light snack, so I went to T Café for a cheese and ham toastie meal deal, which included a hot drink (I chose white coffee), and a packet of crisps. Having completed my mid-afternoon snack, I rode Wallace & Gromit's Thrill-O-Matic, River Caves, Ice Blast and Flying Machines once each. Whilst I was riding Flying Machines, I spotted two other RCCGB members standing nearby, so I spoke to them immediately after I left that ride. Shortly afterwards, Peter O'Brien appeared, and I spoke to him briefly. Next, I rode Derby Racer, Alice Ride and Avatar Airbender once each. After that, I was determined to ride Big One, despite its long queue, so I waited. I spotted two other RCCGB Blackpool Bash 2018 attendees further back in the queue; this was my last sighting of other RCCGB members on the trip Sunday afternoon. As expected, I felt the wind at the high points of Big One, but thankfully I didn't have rain hammering against my face, unlike Saturday morning. Due to the long queue I had just one go. Finally I just had time to enjoy Red Arrows Skyforce once followed by Infusion twice before all the rides closed at 18:00.

I finally left the Pleasure Beach at 18:15, but I don't recall seeing any RCCGB members on my way out. A member of Pleasure Beach staff who I spoke to immediately after passing through the exit building reckoned I was the last RCCGB member on the trip to leave. Was I really the only RCCGB Blackpool Bash 2018 attendee to have stayed in the Pleasure Beach until closing time of 18:00?

Summary of my day in order of activity

WOW ERS
Grand National left lift hill, right lift hill, left lift hill, right lift hill
Big Dipper 1

Tall Americano at Champagne Coffee Lounge

Nickelodeon Streak 2
Blue Flyer 2
Dora's World Voyage 1
Revolution 1
Steeplechase red track 1
Avalanche 1

Mid-afternoon snack at T Café

Wallace & Gromit's Thrill-O-Matic 1
River Caves 1
Ice Blast 1
Flying Machines 1
Derby Racer 1
Alice Ride 1
Avatar Airbender 1
Big One 1
Red Arrows Skyforce 1
Infusion 2

Cumulative Summary of My Rides (ERS and Free Time Combined)

Ride
Total
Alice Ride
1
Avalanche
1
Avatar Airbender
1
Big Dipper
1
Big One
1
Blue Flyer
2
Derby Racer
1
Dora's World Voyage
1
Flying Machines
1
Grand National left lift hill
2
Grand National right lift hill
2
Ice Blast
1
Infusion
2
Nickelodeon Streak
2
Red Arrows Skyforce
1
Revolution
1
River Caves
1
Steeplechase red track
1
Wallace & Gromit's Thrill-O-Matic
1
TOTAL
24

Altogether a coaster crazy final day of the RCCGB Blackpool Bash 2018, during which I enjoyed 5 rides during the ERS, and 19 more rides the rest of the day. It has to be said, from my experience of the last few years, Sunday always feels a bit odd after the ERS ends, knowing there are no further organised group activities (e.g. lunch in a central location), and many members leave after the ERS ends. After midday I often felt I was the only member left in the Pleasure Beach, until I spotted the odd one or two other Blackpool Bash attendees from time to time. At least Sunday was dry all day, and sunny from around noon; a vast improvement on Saturday which was wet much of the day. I'm pleased that Linda Lowery, various other RCCGB members and some Pleasure Beach staff liked my grey Nutella sweatshirt, which I bought late January and wore with pride for the first time Sunday.

Sunday Evening
For the second year running, I stayed Sunday night in Blackpool. Having left Blackpool Pleasure Beach, I returned to my hotel room and relaxed for just over an hour. Around 19:30 I went to The Velvet Coaster (Wetherspoon) for my evening meal. I took a while looking at the menu, but eventually I chose BBQ chicken melt served with chips, half a tomato, peas and a large mushroom for main course. A drink was included; I had one pint of John Smith's. As if that wasn't enough I had a dessert as well: warm cookie dough sandwich with ice cream. Altogether a delicious meal on my last night in Blackpool. Best of all my food arrived much faster than when I went there Thursday evening. Having left The Velvet Coaster at 20:56, I returned to my hotel room and relaxed the rest of the evening.

More about Sunday available here

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Monday 9 April 2018

Monday First Thing
For the second year running, I woke up in Blackpool on the Monday morning after the Blackpool Bash. Naturally I was determined to make the most of my extra day in Blackpool. Having put on my self-designed 46th birthday T-shirt, I began packing and had breakfast just after 09:00. My breakfast was the same as the previous three mornings. After breakfast I finished packing and vacated my room around 10:00.

Madame Tussauds
To fill up my final day, I visited Madame Tussauds Blackpool. After leaving the hotel I caught a tram from South Pier to Central Pier and entered Madame Tussauds around 10:30. Once admitted I saw plenty of waxwork representations of TV celebrities, sports stars, pop stars and comedians over three floors. Two new exhibitions on the second floor deserve a mention. Sporting Hero Academy focuses on the six sporting hero key indicators: agility, speed, poise, dedication, focus, stealth. There are games in this area to test those. Further on, the Marvel exhibition includes The Incredible Hulk and Spiderman. About mid-way around I got to the recreation of the Rovers Return Inn on the second floor. As well as seeing figures of Coronation Street characters, I bought myself a pint of Boddingtons from the bar there. I photographed many of the sculptures and had my picture taken beside several of them. Altogether this was another worthwhile visit. My only regret was taking so long over the early exhibitions; I ought to have seen them more quickly and thus had more time for Sporting Hero Academy (including all the games and climbing wall) and Marvel.

Crazy Coaster on South Pier
Having left Madame Tussauds, I caught the 14:55 tram from Central Pier to South Pier. When I arrived at South Pier tram stop six minutes later, I went on South Pier. Crazy Coaster (which is new to South Pier for 2018) was running, so I decided to ride it. The ride experience felt largely the same as any other steel mouse coaster I've ridden. The only subtle difference was, because the coaster is at the far end of the pier, from the top I could see the pier surface a long way down, and the sea even further down which made the ride slightly scarier than if the coaster had been sited on the promenade. I only had time for one go, but that was enough for me to add it to my coaster count.

Monday Late Afternoon
Without further ado I returned to the hotel where I had stayed to collect my luggage. Having done so, I caught the 15:27 tram from South Pier to North Pier. When I got to North Pier, I went to The Frying Squad in Market Street. There I had regular fish, chips, mushy peas and a can of drink (I chose 7-Up) as a meal deal at one of their indoor tables. It felt odd to be eating a cooked meal at that time in the afternoon, but it was the only time that suited my travel plans.

Journey Home
Having left Frying Squad I walked straight to Blackpool North station. From there I caught the 16:45 rail replacement bus to Preston, whereupon I had time to enjoy an Americano at Upper Crust before I caught the 18:17 train to Birmingham New Street. Whilst at Birmingham New Street I had a slice of millionaire's shortbread and an Americano from Costa Coffee before I continued my journey on the 20:42 train to Bristol Temple Meads. Due to a long delay near Cheltenham, the train reached Bristol Temple Meads 55 minutes later than scheduled. Anyway, I completed my journey on the 23:20 rail replacement bus to Bath Spa, which finally reached Bath Spa at 00:01. About 15 minutes later I was home at long last, later than expected or wanted.

More about Monday available here

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Outro

Highlights
Wearing my self-designed RCCGB Fun Night T-shirt, fluorescent pink sports shorts and fluorescent pink football socks to the Friday Fun Night.
Saturday morning ERS on Big One, Red Arrows Skyforce and Blue Flyer.
Sunday morning WOW ERS on Big Dipper, Ghost Train and Grand National.
Good overall ride count both Saturday and Sunday (during morning ERS and normal time).
Riding all the coasters and many other rides again.
Riding all four wooden coasters (including both lift hills of Grand National) in succession Sunday morning.
Two nights of entertainment, plus dancing in the disco Saturday evening.
Performing "Diggi-Loo Diggi-Ley" (Herreys) in the Gong Show Saturday evening
Dry (and sunny from midday) weather Sunday.

Lowlights
Rain Saturday morning and drizzle parts of Saturday afternoon.
Problem with the Big One early on in the Saturday morning ERS (but at least it was soon rectified, and the Club got 15 minutes' extra exclusive ride time as a result).

Summing Up
Another mega excellent weekend away at Blackpool Pleasure Beach in Granadaland, my eleventh Blackpool Bash to-date. It was great riding the Big One, Grand National, Big Dipper and other rides again. At the Blackpool Bash, the ERSs and other riding are only part of the fun. The other major chunk of the fun includes the Friday evening entertainment, Saturday lunch and Saturday evening Coaster Crazy Show and disco. It was great to be in the Gong Show for the ninth time to-date. Although I wasn't in the top two this time, at least I wasn't in the bottom two either. No wonder Nev says in the Blackpool Bash invite "If you can only make one Club trip this year, make it this one". Many thanks to Andy Hine for all the effort involved in organising a trip of this nature, including Friday evening entertainment, all of Saturday's events in the Paradise Room, and the ERSs Saturday and Sunday morning. Thanks also to the three professional entertainers Darren Mac, Ashley Webber and Phil Lowen Friday evening, to the ride staff required for operating the applicable rides during the Saturday and Sunday morning ERSs, to the caterers for providing food Friday evening, Saturday lunchtime and Saturday evening, to the sound technicians Friday and Saturday evening, and to all members who performed billed or Gong Show acts Saturday evening. The only let-down was the wet weather on Saturday. At least Sunday was dry all day, and sunny from midday onwards.

RCCGB Blackpool Bash 2018 can be likened to a three-course meal as follows:
Starter: Friday Fun (Friday evening entertainment)
Main course: Saturday daytime and evening activities
Dessert: Sunday morning ERS and free time thereafter

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