Iceland

This Is My Life Euroband

Given it's a contest designed to find a song that an adequate number of people identify with closely enough to bother to pick up their phones and vote it to victory, it's odd that anthems are so few and far between in Eurovision. All the more so when its biggest winner prior to the 2004 expansion was Love Shine A Light, a textbook example if ever there was one. Looking at the 2008 field, most are agreed that the nearest we come to such sentiment is Georgia's Peace Will Come, and yet after a basically anthem-free Tuesday night out, the second semi-final seems relatively bursting at the seams with them. It largely depends on what your definition of an anthem is: if it extends beyond the well-intentioned and means you can swap your lighter for a glowstick, you won't find a more uplifting paean in Belgrade than the Icelandic entry This Is My Life.

After the opening of the first semi-final with arguably one of the least exciting songs competing in it, the Thursday contest kicks off in the best traditions of '90s covers of '70s disco and will probably cement for many people what Eurovision is about. Very much in the gay-guy-and-fat-girl mould of anthem that tells an empowering story of triumphing over issues and seeing the fabulousness in life, it is as unapologetic as the contest itself in its intent and expression. Delivered with a sense of conviction that belies any insecurities and shortcomings, but also with a sense of fun that shows it's not taking itself too seriously, it steamrolls its way into your affections and leaves you feeling churlish if you point out how hackneyed it all is.

Iceland's biggest problem is that while its entries are almost invariably likeable, this rarely translates into votes. The total number of points they have received from countries south-east of the Baltic in recent years has barely made it into double figures, and considering it was the lack of support from this corner of the continent that scuppered Selma's chances of taking the title in 1999 with All Out Of Luck - a song broadly similar to This Is My Life - the likelihood of them earning it this time around is not high. True, they will have numbers on their side in Serbia, but not enough to make qualification any more of a certainty. They will have to hope that the occasional point sent their way by the likes of Belarus and Croatia translates into something more grateful for them having gotten the show off to a cracking start.

That's assuming your average televoter will have the wherewithal to distinguish between the glitz overload that is three quarters of the first four songs and still find in favour of Iceland. Its status sets it apart from the affectation of anthemhood and more straightforward pop of the Swedish and Ukrainian entries that follow, but the fact that it only truly speaks to a minority of the audience may nullify the impact of its message and see the country miss out yet again on a place in the final. Should life in the fabulous world of Eurovision prove not quite as fabulous as promised, let's hope for consistency's sake that Regína and Friðrik are sanguine in defeat.