Gem O'Reilly
Reporting from the Eurovision Village

It wasn't just Eve sporting Ukrainian colours. I found lots of representation in the fan village.

One woman is holding yellow and blue balloons and is dressed in Ukrainian attire. I stopped to talk to her and her friends.

Svitlana and Yevheniia are refugees from Ukraine now living in the UK. Sean, who's with them tonight, is hosting Svitlana in his home.

I asked them about what it’s like to see Ukraine represented in Liverpool. Yevheniia said: “It’s absolutely fantastic to see my home represented here.”

Sean reflected on this year’s slogan United by Music, saying: “You can see everyone is enjoying it and the Ukrainians especially. People are united here."

Gem O'Reilly
Reporting from the Eurovision Village

Eve from Liverpool was one of those looking forward to seeing Mariya Yaremchuk on stage.

Eve looks incredible, she has attracted people around her as she is entirely dressed in blue and yellow. She has a blue and yellow wig and a velvet dark blue dress.

I asked her why she’s donned in Ukrainian colours. She said: “We wouldn’t be celebrating this in Liverpool if it wasn’t for Ukraine. The underlying thing is there is a war and I don’t want anyone to forget that. That’s what this outfit represents for me."

Mark Savage
Music correspondent, BBC News

While the votes come in, we’re treated to a beautiful performance from Ukraine - this year’s displaced hosts.

A sombre celebration of the country’s musical heritage, it opens with Mariya Yaremchuk (a Eurovision contestant in 2014) singing a medley of beloved Ukrainian songs.

As she drifts through a wheat field, she’s joined by rapper OTOY and 14-year-old Ukrainian Junior Eurovision representative Zlata Dziunka, illustrating how music transcends generations and overcomes darkness.

The highlight is a performance of Carol Of The Bells, which is based on the Ukrainian song Shchedryk, written by the Ukrainian composer Mykola Leontovych in 1914.

Like Rebecca Ferguson’s duet with Alyosha on Monday, it’s a visually stunning and musically rich way to express solidarity, that tugs at your heartstrings.

Image source, .

A reminder of who's performed tonight.

Up until this year the semi-finals had the same voting system as the grand final, in that the vote was split: 50% public vote and 50% jury vote (with the jury made up of music experts from each country).

However, this year the 20 songs which qualify from the two semi-finals will be entirely decided by a public vote.

The final will still include a jury vote.

You can only vote in the semi-final your country takes part in. You can vote up to 20 times, but you cannot vote for the country you are voting from.

The UK doesn’t take part in the semis because it automatically qualifies for Saturday’s Grand Final as one of the so-called big five (the other countries are France, Germany, Italy and Spain).

Helen Bushby
Watching at the venue

We’ve just seen Peppa Pig doing the conga.

We’ve no idea why she’s here - it must be past her bedtime - but we suspect Mummy Pig, Daddy Pig and George are cheering her on at home.

Helen Bushby
Watching at the venue

You can start voting NOW. Full details here, external - remember you can't vote for your own country.

Måns Zelmerlöw
Eurovisioncast Host

Image source, EBU

Guys, I've been thinking about how absolutely wonderful Hannah Waddingham is.

She just has it, I feel. She lifts the whole broadcast and I think we should make her a Dame. Is that possible?

How do you do that? Do we tell the King? Where do I go?

Listen to Eurovisioncast on BBC Sounds

Image source, .

That's all for the performances, and voting is about to open - including for people in the UK.

Shortly we'll learn which are the lucky 10 acts to make it into Saturday's Grand Final.

Emma Saunders
Watching at the venue

It’s the Perth band’s third crack at representing Australia at Eurovision and they are the first band from their country to take part.

No expense spared here, everybody - there’s a white sports car on stage in front of a cityscape backdrop bathed in red lights. Frontman Danny Estrin emerges from the driving seat, golden locks flowing (no, it’s not Sam Ryder, calm down).

He’s wearing… take a wild guess. Yep, it’s another sequinned suit but with shoulderpads that would make Five Star jealous. The rest of the band are also suitably attired. I wish he’d get his foot off the car bonnet though. There’s no way they’ll be able to claim that back on the insurance.

Mark Savage
Watching at the venue

Image source, Reuters

This could be Australia’s last shot at Eurovision - their deal with the EBU, which stages the competition, is up for renewal this year - so they’re not pulling any punches.

Voyager come out in a blaze of synth-sational pyrotechnics and wibbly guitar solos, with a song that sounds like Duran Duran swallowed Panic! At The Disco.

It’s exactly the burst of energy we need at the end of the show, and seems certain to qualify for Saturday’s final.

It won’t be long before we find out…

Yazmina Garcia
BBC News, in the arena

Earlier I spoke to fans from all over the world who've come to the arena, many in flashy outfits and waving flags.

Melinda, Guy, Jon and Mark arrived in Liverpool on Sunday. They've come all the way from Australia, wielding their inflatable keytars, ready to enjoy the show - and most of all, Voyager’s performance.

“I think they’re going to make it to the final” says Guy, of his country's act.

They are not new to the Eurovision extravaganza: “This is our seventh year," says Jon.

“We expect energy, charisma and a great show,” adds Guy.

It's the turn of Australia, the last of this year's Eurovision semi-finalists to perform.

Helen Bushby
Watching at the venue

Monika Linkytė from Lithuania sings Stay - her song about healing from emotional pain.

She's wearing a fabulously cut tangerine dress, and has four backing singers. One of them is Nicola Lambrianos, a Waitrose supermarket worker from Essex. They met through a mutual friend, who is a vocal coach, and Monika and Nicola decided they had to perform together.

Nicola told the BBC she is “about 1% Lithuanian”, and her grandmother confirmed that a relative many generations back was from Lithuania.

Mark Savage
Watching at the venue

Image source, Reuters

There’s a British connection for Lithuania’s Monika Linkyte, who studied music at Brighton’s BIMM Institute at the same time as sustaining a successful music career back home.

She’s a Eurovision veteran, too, competing in Junior Eurovision back in 2007, and the main contest in 2015 - when she came 18th.

She’s hoping to make it third time lucky with Stay, a big, ballsy power ballad about how people in crisis can feel like they’re a burden on their loved ones.

The staging is simple: Monika appears with four backing singers, who project the melody right to the back of the arena; while the video screens emphasise the folkloric elements of the song.

Gem O'Reilly
Reporting from the Eurovision Village

Just a couple more acts to go in the arena - and the next one has found some unlikely supporters from hundreds of miles away.

Carla, Pablo, José, Saul and Alex are visiting Liverpool from Granada, Spain. They’re dressed in the Spanish flag and dancing around to the music.

I interview them in Spanish and as they stop to chat in the sunshine, we joke about how it’s “muy frio (very cold)” next to the docks.

Carla and Saul say Spain has a really good shot this year and in their words: “España son los ganadores” (Spain are the winners).

They want next year's contest to be hosted in Valencia. I ask them what they think about the semi-final and who could do well.

Saul says: “I think Lithuania have a really good shot, their song is great."

Emma Saunders
Watching at the venue

Lead singer Kelmendi is from a musical family (we’re getting Von Trapp vibes) and the clan are a big part of the performance. Let’s hope it’s not So Long/Farewell/Auf Wiedersehen/Goodbye come the end of the show for Albania.

The wind machine is getting an outing early doors here, which is always a good sign in my book. This is one of the best costumes so far, I reckon. It’s another warrior queen look with stunning beading and the fiercest shoulderpads, not to mention huge floaty black sleeves, which are put to good use. I’m slightly concerned those sleeves may get too near to the fireworks. Fingers crossed.

Mark Savage
Watching at the venue

Image source, Reuters

Theatrical and dramatic, Albania’s entry carries a strong message about the importance of family, so it’s appropriate that singer Albina Kelmendi is accompanied on stage by five of her relatives - siblings Albin, Sidorela and Vesa and her parents Albana and Bujar.

Their exquisite harmonies exhibit their closeness; and there’s an element of national pride in the staging, which makes prominent use of the reds and blacks of Albania’s flag

It almost feels like the song is calling the Albanian diaspora back home.

Powerful stuff.

Daniel Rosney
Eurovision reporter, inside the arena

POE! POE! POE! POE! POE!

That’s all I can hear in the arena

By far the biggest reaction for any act so far.

... although not until all the acts have finished.

In a change to the rules this year, the decision as to who gets into Saturday's Grand Final rests entirely with the public. Votes from the national juries only come into play for Saturday's final.