It’s the final night of A Dal 2018 in Hungary. A couple of rock groups are serious contenders for the victory tonight in Budapest. Ultimate question is, who will please the jury and televoters to grab the Hungarian ticket to Lisbon?
You can follow the performances and scores here in this in-depth liveblog by our Australian reporter Joshua:
Note: the show has finished. You can now read back the reviews of each performance…
22:30 – AWS wins!
They have won the televote, and even with a low jury score of 8 points, they will represent Hungary at Eurovision 2018.
22:15 – Now we wait…
It’s now the public’s time to vote, with the lines being opened. Who was your favourite? Who do you think will win?
21:56 – Jury results are in
Each jury member has 10, 8, 6 and 4 points to give to their favourite acts.
The qualifiers to the ‘Super Final’ (in bold) are…
Gergely Dánielfy – Azt mondtad – 36 points
Viktor Király – Budapest Girl – 30 points
yesyes – I Let You Run Away – 28 points
AWS – Viszlát nyár – 8 points
Leander Kills – Nem szól harang – 6 points
Gábor Heincz Biga – Good vibez – 4 points
Tamás Horváth – Meggyfa – 0 points
Zsolt Süle – Zöld a május – 0 points
21:49 – Viktor Király – Budapest Girl
On his third attempt to represent Hungary at Eurovision through A Dal, Viktor Király’s pop song isn’t particularly inspiring. The first verse is promising, but the chorus is rather basic and linear. His vocals are good and it’s delivered well. There is no denying that there is a market for the song, but it just doesn’t offer enough to make it a serious contender. Overall, the package is very one dimensional.
21:41 – AWS – Viszlát nyár
This is metal, but this is metal done well. AWS have made this genre very accessible, with a chorus that’s an instant ear worm. The energy is off the charts, and the vocals were everything they needed to be (although a little shaky). The ‘screaming’ at the end may be polarising for some, but ultimately, this has a very high chance of the winning the A Dal Grand Final. It is most definitely memorable and a hit amongst the fans and the judges. The energy was immense!
21:26 – Gergely Dánielfy – Azt mondtad
After winning Semi Final 1, this very gentle ballad is another favourite for tonight. Each aspect of the song is showcased, whether it is his voice, the melody or each individual instrument. Each element of the performance is given its deserved attention. A little difficult to remember the tune of the song upon its conclusion, but a very beautiful performance will keep it in the minds of voters. It is charming, with delicate vocals to match.
21:14 – Gábor Heincz Biga – Good vibez
Radio-friendly and performed with natural charisma, Good vibez is, overall, a pleasure to listen to. The song progresses smoothly, and the atmosphere created is reflective of the title of the song. It doesn’t stand out as a groundbreaking piece of music, but its groovy nature make it appealing to most. Unlikely to attain a lot of televotes, but regardless, it was a nice performance and would do well on the Eurovision stage.
21:07 – Tamás Horváth – Meggyfa
The ethnic influence in this song is it’s strongest asset. Tamás Horváth sings very well and commands the stage. It is immediately catchy and simple enough for anyone to grasp. Although popular with the televoters, his main issue will be pleasing the jury, who have been awarding him little points over each stage of the competition. They seem pleased tonight, but it will be interesting to see where they rank him after all the acts have been performed…
20:58 – Zsolt Süle – Zöld a május
This ballad is a nice display of the Hungarian language, and it is sung gently and passionately. Staging is simple and restrained. There is nothing inherently wrong with the performance or the song, although, it may not have that x-factor to get it over the line. The judges have responded to it well in the past few weeks, but the question is whether the televoters will feel the same way tonight… It’s pleasant, and it’s nice, but personally, not particularly memorable.
20:51 – yesyes – I let you run away
One of the favourites delivers a slightly better performance than previous weeks. Ádám Szabó’s vocals are strong and composed. The addition of the accordion is a good differentiator for a song that isn’t incredibly unique. However, the chorus is slightly disconnected from the verses. Other than that, it’s clear to see why this act is a favourite to represent Hungary this year.
20:45 – Leander Kills – Nem szól harang
A positive start to the show, Leander Kills have the right kind of energy for this rock song. It is performed with conviction and there were no major issues. The crowd seemed to like it, but cheers for the other rock band, AWS, have been louder in past weeks. Their biggest challenge for qualification really will be overcoming their closest competition in AWS. Another issue may be the fact that it lacks ‘punch’. The chorus is not as defined as it could be.
20:42 – The jury is introduced
The four jury members remain the same from the quarter and semi finals. This could make it difficult for acts like Meggyfa to qualify, who failed to win their votes in earlier weeks.
20:30 – We’re underway…
Thank you for joining us tonight during a busy Eurovision national final schedule! A reminder that you can watch the live show here.