Belarus

Eyes That Never Lie Petr Elfimov

"All my life I waited, thinking I would never fly..."

However good a song is, however good a performance is, try as we might we sometimes simply cannot get past what someone looks like at Eurovision. With only three minutes to make an impact on the audience, the performers often shoot themselves squarely in both feet - occasionally unintentionally - with the visuals: from picking an outfit Barbara Dex would baulk at (think Andorra 2006) to something seemingly as harmless as not pushing the hair out of their face (and as brilliant as 2003's Monts Et Merveilles was, I still can't watch it without being absorbed by Louisa's indifference to the tresses plastered all over her countenance). A case in point in 2009 is Belarusian entrant Petr Elfimov and his aptly titled Eyes That Never Lie.

A vision in white and blond, the elfen Mr Elfimov obscures all before him, not least of which his undeniable talent for singing. Your average viewer is only human, and it can be a struggle dragging yourself from thoughts of how wrong someone looks to take in anything else that might deserve your attention. Here it certainly doesn't help that Petr's peculiar appearance is offset by a song that sounds (and needless to say looks) just as unfashionable. While benefiting from a makeover we can only hope its performer will also receive - and they worked wonders on Ruslan Alehno last year - Eyes That Never Lie still comes across as if it was unearthed from a time capsule buried in Minsk some time prior to the collapse of the Iron Curtain. As a composition in its own right it's surprisingly listenable, and even has decent lyrics. So it's a pity most people will never be inclined to appreciate them.

To be honest, there's not much wrong with Eyes That Never Lie at all, if you like that kind of thing. On the face of it much of Eastern Europe still does, so if Belarus makes it to the final they may improve on whatever result they achieve in the semi. However, there's no overlooking the fact that they are one of the worst-placed countries in either of this year's semis, all but reliant on televoter support but cut off from virtually every country likely to give them any. Being performed in Russia will doubtless see the song more warmly received than it would be anywhere else, but whether that's enough to convince the viewers at home remains to be seen.

As, indeed, does Mr Elfimov. Eyes That Never Lie is far from the car-crash television that previous Belarusian entries like Love Me Tonight and Mama provided, so if hair and wardrobe work their magic on him* he may yet make it onto the screen in a form which doesn't leave most people ogling him in a mix of fascination and repulsion. And in that case all we'll have to contend with is the music...

* Boom-tish.