Acts from Australia, Belgium and Austria are among those to take the last places in Saturday's Eurovision Song Contest final
Sixteen acts have performed in tonight's semi-final and ten have gone through after a public vote
As well as the contestants, Ukrainian singer Mariya Yaremchuk and drag queens Queen Machine have taken to the stage
Tuesday's semi-final saw other countries including Finland, Sweden and Israel make it through
And the big five (France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the UK) and last year's winners Ukraine are also already in the Grand Final
Liverpool is hosting this year, as the war in Ukraine means last year's winners are not able to
Our group of Eurovision super fans have been busy discussing the last few performances. Here's what they had to say:
Oksana said Georgia's Iru had a "strong voice" and the show was "spectacular".
Nicholaas said Georgia was his "winner for a long time" and Slovenia is in his top 10.
"Georgia is so fierce," Maria said.
Mark said he liked Slovenia’s energy.
Helen Bushby
Watching at the venue
Don’t expect to fully understand what’s going on here - this is peak Eurovision at its best.
Austria's Teya and Salena, dressed in black and white trouser suits, sing Who the Hell is Edgar, surrounded by identical, robotic women in red and black.
They’re actually singing about how the music industry treats women, using the analogy of two writers possessed by the spirit of gothic American poet Edgar Allen Poe.
Just go with it, it’s great fun.
Mark Savage
Watching at the venue
Image source, Chloe Hashem/EBUHere we go! Teya & Salena have become huge favourites in the run-up to Eurovision with their sly and witty pop anthem Who The Hell Is Edgar?
The song’s conceit is that Teya & Salena have been possessed by the spirit of American poet Edgar Allen Poe - and although it sounds daft, the lyrics are actually a commentary on the shockingly low royalty rates songwriters get paid, and the exploitation of female artists.
To wrap all of that up into a spirited, funny, irresistibly catchy Eurovision song? That’s the work of a true genius.
Emma Saunders
Watching at the venue
Piqued Jacques are not actually from San Marino but hail from nearby Italy and formed in Tuscany back in 2006.
One of the band members is wearing the biggest pair of flares we’ve seen so far in Liverpool (and we’ve already spotted quite a few Abba costumes). The lead singer is wearing a very spangly jacket over his bare chest. The guitarist climbs on to the drum kit at one point and jumps off. We might need a little lie-down.
Mark Savage
Watching at the venue
Image source, ReutersTaking their cue from 2021 winners Maneskin, Piqued Jacks are a red-blooded rock band, who describe their sound as: “Being able to speak without impediment; having sex in the most intense way possible; expressing ourselves 100%”.
If that sounds like a lot, wait 'til you see their performance, where frontman Andrea Lazzeretti sings about “tasting you like an animal” against a backdrop of a wide open mouth.
Not for the fainthearted.
Helen Bushby
Watching at the venue
Here’s a film of Beauty and the Beast actor and singer Luke Evans giving an impassioned speech about 70 years of Eurovision, where “all are welcome”.
“Come shimmy in our rich biography of everyone,” he says, calling the UK the “bittersweet caretakers” for Ukraine.
“There are no borders in this contest - just postcards across continents,” the Welshman says.
Gem O'Reilly
Reporting from the Eurovision Village
Ella and Jude are two friends from Manchester
There's a short pause in the performances. Here's what's going on in the fan zone.
Ella and Jude aren’t too far from their home in Manchester. They say they’re so glad Eurovision has come to a northern city.
They’re dressed in the Austrian flag. I ask them why they’re supporting Austria this year. Ella said: “We just love the song, it’s so upbeat and catchy. It’s got two amazing female artists and great dance moves”.
The two friends start singing it as I talk to them, chanting “Poe, Poe, Poe, Poe”.
The pair explained they enjoyed the rehearsals for today’s semi-finals in the afternoon. I asked them about the UK’s chances and Jude said “I think Mae will do okay, I think she could get the top ten”.
More now from our group of superfans, who have been sharing their thoughts with us on tonight's acts.
Maria said Cyprus' entry Andrew Lambrou has the "perfect formula for Eurovision but somehow it’s not touching me".
But Iceland's performance received a positive reception from the group.
"Such a beautiful show and moves from Iceland," Oksana said.
Maria said Iceland's song "would be an ear worm this summer".
She adds: "I like it a lot!"
Philippe said he loved Poland's performance.
Helen Bushby
Watching at the venue
Singer Iru qualified for Eurovision after winning Georgia’s version of The Voice, by singing Euphoria, which of course won for Sweden’s Loreen in 2012.
Iru also won Junior Eurovision in 2011 as part of the girl group Candy.
This song, Echo, is about the importance love and faith. Iru looks like a bejewelled bride in her long, white dress. Happily she manages to dodge the sinister-looking hands reaching through the fog towards her.
Mark Savage
Watching at the venue
Image source, ReutersAs Eurovision matures, it has largely dispensed with nonsense lyrics like Bang Bang Boomerang and Diggi-Lou, Diggi-Ley.
Luckily, however, Georgia’s Iru is here to keep the tradition alive, trilling the phrase “Chagadaradamda chamgaradamda chamgara” throughout her song.
They’re not just empty syllables, though.
The 22-year-old says the exclamation represents the tingle that runs through your body when you fall in love.
If you’re watching at home, you won’t see that the singer needs a team of assistants to get her on stage, as the train of her dress is so long it’s likely to cause an accident.
... and six more acts to go.
They are: Georgia, San Marino, Austria, Albania, Lithuania and Australia.
Daniel Rosney
Eurovision reporter, inside the arena
Image source, ReutersSlovenia are doing what Ireland didn’t - when they failed to qualify from their semi-final on Tuesday.
As soon as they arrived on stage, while the stage managers bring on their drum kit, they get the crowd going.
The crowd love them – the cheers are getting louder.
It’ll feel like the arena is fully behind them on TV – but will that cut through?
A lot of bands didn’t make it on Tuesday, and the Slovenian’s won't want to be the Joker Out.
Emma Saunders
Watching at the venue
We have it on good authority that our very own Eurovision correspondent Daniel Rosney is on a mission to become the sixth member of Slovenia's Joker Out. So if you spot him on stage lurking with a tambourine, don’t be surprised.
Ooh, we’ve got a drum set and guitars on stage - it’s a five-piece band, folks! There’s so much energy around these guys, they ooze confidence and the silk trousers are giving off proper rock star vibes as well. Lead singer Bojan ruffles one of his bandmates’ hair at one point. Cute.
Mark Savage
Watching at the venue
Image source, EBUThe first semi-final was brutal for rock bands: Everyone who came to the stage brandishing a guitar was sent packing by the public.
But if self-proclaimed “shagadelic rock group” Joker Out are nervous, they haven’t let it show during rehearsals, where they’ve been bounding up and down the stage like puppies chasing sticks.
Fittingly, their song, Carpe Diem, is all about how much they love playing live - so it’s a shame that everything but their vocals is on a backing track, an unfortunate necessity of Eurovision’s mammoth production.
Helen Bushby
Watching at the venue
We get a definite holiday vibe here, with sunsets, palm trees and parrots in the backdrop - mine’s a pina colada.
Poland's Blanka is singing Solo - about being empowered and going it alone.
She and her colourful dancers are rocking bright colours and metallics and some teeny, tiny shorts, all ready for the beach - they’re having a great time.
Mark Savage
Watching at the venue
Image source, ReutersThe UK often moans about its Eurovision track record, but poor old Poland has been part of the contest since 1994 and never won.
Hoping to change that this year is model-turned-singer Blanka, whose Mediterranean bop Solo has one of the night’s breeziest, catchiest melodies.
She performs it against a backdrop of palm trees and blue skies, before a breathtaking, Shakira-style dance breakdown in the middle. Nice hand choreography in the chorus, too.
Host Scott Mills reminds viewers there are 16 acts competing for 10 places tonight.
Don't forget - if you're in the UK, you can hear Scott's commentary by clicking the Play button at the top of this page to watch the show live.
Emma Saunders
Watching at the venue
Victor Vernicos from Greece started songwriting at the ripe old age of 11. And he’s just about to begin his GCSE exams! We hope he’s still managing to squeeze in some revision.
Victor starts his song lounging on the stage before jumping up to showcase his safari-style outfit teamed with white socks and black walking boots.
He’s so energetic, jumping around the stage with the exuberance of, well, a teenager. Luckily, his stage antics don’t compromise his strong vocal. As the tempo changes, the disco smoke is back - he’s really enjoying himself and encourages the crowd to join in and clap.
Mark Savage
Watching at the venue
Image source, PA MediaTalk about precocious: Victor Vernicos wrote Greece’s entry, What They Say, when he was just 14 years old.
Two years later, he’s juggling Eurovision with his GCSE exams, which start on Monday. His song is all about rising from the ashes of a broken relationship.
The staging is supposed to reflect the story: Victor starts in his teenage bedroom, where he escapes from the pages of his diary and, according to the Greek delegation, “creates a new, universal vocabulary” that forms “a pathway to the ever-starry sky”.
To me, it just looks like he’s flailing around the stage in a scout’s uniform, but what do I know.
Daniel Rosney
Eurovision reporter, inside the arena
From where I am at the top of the arena, I have a bird's eye view of all the bits you don’t get to see on TV.
The stage designer Julio Himede is keeping a watchful eye in the lighting control area.
He only does big shows like the US Grammys and Eurovision.
He’s a man in demand in the TV production industry and came up with the idea that the stage would aim to look as if it was giving a big hug to Ukraine.