The acts performing in tonight’s first semi are reportedly Band of Voices, Bosom Buddies, Youth Creation, Philip Green, Arisxandra Libantino, J-Unity, Aaron Crow, Martin Healy, and Richard and Adam. See our semi-finals preview post for a discussion of the significance that the first semi has had in previous seasons (although Tim B is among the commenters to wonder if the change of rhythm this year, with a week’s gap between the last semi and the final, could change that pattern).
With comments on the last post getting full, do use this thread to keep the discussion going and share news and insights as semi-final week unfolds.
Last year my incredible insight ran to “the dog will win it”, I’m still three shows behind at the moment, those shadow artists look red hot, but these shows are way more dangerous to bet on, as you have no momentum, so longer priced acts are much better value in my view.
Instead I will make this point, which will aid our thinking in years to come.
45 acts….
FORTY FIVE.
How many are from Scotland?
Why could that possibly be! Doesnt tell us anything for this series, but shows us they are clearly scared of mediocre Scottish acts. I wonder why….?!
Amazing, isn’t it? Two from Hungary, one from the Netherlands, and one from Belgium. Wales, Northern Ireland and Ireland all represented. Not a Scot in sight!
http://talent.itv.com/2013/news/auditions/read_total-talent-its-the-semi-finalists-in-full_item_100168.htm
If the line up tonight goes in the order that has been published then R&A have the pimp slot as Martin Healey is the bloke who dances with a Nun (he would be on 8th). I think R&A main competitor tonight would be Band Of Voices, who, are still second favourites
R&A 8th in the 1st semi final.
I think that’s a positive and if they perform tonight as well as they performed in their first audition I suspect they will win the semi.
The price will shorten to around 3/1 or 11/4 2nd favourite.
The big question then is where do attraction get placed in the semi’s.
Do they get a low key on Thursday night or a pimp slot on Saturday which will shoot them to the final and as Tim pointed out, They will be on everybody’s minds for a week.
Do we know for sure they are 8th and what’s the source?
Guys, is there a correlation between the audition clip length on the official BGT YT channel and amount of pimping an act get in the semi? None of the ‘singing favorites’ has the whole back story (7-8 min), longest is Philip with 6:43.
If they perform in the order of the line up then R&A are on last
Tish, Andy, Boki – just to clarify, the order I’ve listed them above (with R&A last) happens to be from the unreality.tv article –
http://www.unrealitytv.co.uk/britains-got-talent/britains-got-talent-band-of-voices-bosom-buddies-arisxandra-richard-adam-j-unity-philip-green-for-1st-live-show/
I’m not assuming that’s the running order, though – unreality.tv’s tweet of that article put R&A before Philip Green, and other sources, such as tellymix and digitalspy, introduce them in a different order.
Or is there another source I’m missing?
I have to say, that does look like a very feasible running order.
I looked on Wikipedia.
They got R&A 8th in the running order and Youth Creation 9th.
I guess we will have to wait till tonight.
Andy, wiki order is alphabetical.
Either way 8th or 9th and my money will be down for them to win the semi.
They are the only British act to make me say WOW.
Now I feel daft Boki.
🙁
I got it from tellymix. I think R&A and Band Of Voices will get through tonight and we will loose most of the other singers in the other semi’s
MD Productions are on Tuesday
Martin and Marielle are also on Tomorrow
Alice Fredenham is on Tuesday, with MD Productions and Martin and Marielle.
AJ & Chloe are on Friday with Francine
Gabz is on Tuesday too.
Semi 1 prices up on Hill’s and Bet365.
Rosie O’Sullivan is on Thursday
£18 is all W H offered on R&A winning semi at 11/8.
Andy, Bet365 allowed me £100 on R&A winning the semi FYI.
bet 365 have allowed me a fair bit more than a hundred pound
Many thanks to you and stoney for flagging up Richard and Adam. Looking very, very good.
Just listening to a re-cap of Aris’s song and indeed she sounds off-key and overstretched.
Thank Tim,
My stakes are in place.
Could Youth Creation hold a small advantage considering there are around 30 in the act ?
Hey Andy, just had another watch of Youth Creation’s audition and it seems like they’ve only been included to be non-singing uptempo show openers, praised by the judges, who aren’t to pose any threat for qualifying for the final or making the top 3. That’s how I would treat them if I were producing the show.
I’m sure there have been acts before of around 30 people who have sunk like a trace in the voting despite their size.
Not sure what you mean by that, but it got me thinking…
I tend to think these large youth street dance groups are at a disadvantage. It’s a matter of distinction, of identity. A large group of people is difficult to hold in mind – there’s a tendency for the brain to to categorise under ‘crowd’.
Distinct, stand-out characters in the group help matters, but those stand-outs would be better served without the crowd around them – how are the unmemorable performers cluttering the stage of help to the star turns? Unless they are essential to the performance concept, or more precisely, spectacle, then they are distracting, are in the way.
For an example of the importance of distinct characters, think of Fuller’s branding and marketing of The Spice Girls.
There’s also the example to be gleaned from series 3 of BGT. I remember there being two urban dance acts in the final. There was Diversity, of course; but without Googling, who can remember the name or the faces of the other act?
Arguably they were technically superior. But there was a lack of, well, diversity about them?
There must have been.
I’d analyse Youth Creation’s performance for mutually distinct, star performers.
Flawless, only remember cause i had money!!!
Should read had money on and then they got a very early slot in the final, game over.
i actually preferred flawless over diversity, but looking back, bearing in mind diversity toppled the hugely favourite subo, they also had to overcome the possible vote split with flawless, it was an impressive victory, but they did have the little cute fluffy haired kid as there main focus point!
My money is on R&A winning overall each way and Band of Voices the same. Hope the magic of the first semi continues to hold true.
R&A for me too. Did an EW bet for them Wednesday and another again today. Odds for them keep getting shorter and won’t get anyt better!
Thanks to Tim B for flagging up R & A last week and to Boki for mentioning today that Semi 1/Heat 1 prices had appeared. Andrew’s mention-in-passing above that there is just one Welsh act sounds significant.
Corals were 6/5 for R & A to win heat 1, so I took the 11/8 at Hills. The wager has the feel of a two horse race between R & A and Band of Voices – and Band of Voices look a little too polished for my liking. Even though R & A have a bit more experience than the “sandwich makers” legend and their body language from the first audition would suggest, they have more popular appeal than the Band.
Have also been picking up on the Jack Carroll love. Have to admit to missing his audition. What a little star. Also watched a Pride of Britain clip of him on YouTube. His reaction to Alan Carr is ****ing priceless! I think I read a commentator suggest that he could gain a massive sympathy vote. Very true. More than this though – he could pick up votes from viewers who respect the fact that there is a little lad on a reality show who could easily play the sympathy card for all its worth – but who in fact is a proud, dignified, determined soldier. I think Aliki is a terrific lass but her story is in the past, a memory (not an everyday circumstance affecting your every movement). In comparison with Jack’s, her story seems a touch showy. Plus her singing is very good, but nothing more than that. I don’t think any of The Voice’s judges would “spin” for her.
Alice Fredenham: well, she’s a busted flush, isn’t she? I wonder which reality show she’ll turn up on next? Splash?! I’m Not a Celebrity, Get Me in There?! Lol.
Wonderful, talented and sexy woman but “V.I.P.” and “newbie” Francine Lewis also makes me laugh.
Best result for me:
1 – Attraction.
2 – Richard and Adam.
3 – Jack Carroll.
(Thought I’d better visibly pin my sails to the mast; should help fend off being misrepresented.)
I’m still very attracted to Attraction, but decided to cast further betting nets after watching Landau defeat the Silhouettes.
Am not worried about Attraction lacking a repertoire of different performance shows. They’re an established company and they’ve had a while since their initial splash of an audition to hone different routines.
In consideration of both of these precedents, I’m wondering if any oddsmakers will be offering a forecast (1-2) market?
Guildo, Robbie Kennedy and Pre Skool are also from Wales. Apologies that my phrasing above contained the potential for confusion.
Oi! I’m not Welsh! I don’t need a flem bypass operation! Lol.
Excellent, I manage to introduce more ambiguous punctuation into a comment apologising for my earlier ambiguous punctuation! I’m on fire today 🙂
looks like bet365 just went to evens on R&A to win tonights semi the back of the bet i just placed 🙂
Not sure 2 singing acts will progress tonight.
5 singers in semi 1 and if one of the singing acts win outright, The judges may not choose another singing act to move forward.
In the name of variety I am taking a little of the 4/1 available for Phillip Green to get the judges nod.
Alex Keirl.
I mention him for no other reason than no-one else has mentioned him.
Whenever I’ve looked at the head of the market for potential winners, my gaze doesn’t pause on his name, my brain doesn’t seem to register his name.
What is it about this performer (who I recall being installed as second favourite a few weeks ago) that is so hmmm, meh, and blah?
I can’t even remember what he looks like.
Arisxandra Libantino – is it possible she could be a surprise pimpee tonight?
Two reasons for wondering. She was introduced in the first audition show, often a good sign. And she was widely hyped in the press two years ago after an audition that never got shown; might the fact that they’ve wheeled her out again imply they have plans for her?
On the other hand, her audition wasn’t all that and they didn’t furnish her with any backstory.
It’s very possible, Andrew. The show is partial to child singers and she has to be a strong candidate for top 3 tonight, unless she’s thrown under the bus or something.
Usually I have one ‘Yes’ and two ‘Maybes’ but this time I have three of the latter in Arixsandra, Band of Voices and Philip. Waiting to see their treatment before deciding who to oppose.
Imo, I thought her audition was off the charts. Impossible voice for her age. She’s probably the best singer in the competition.
My issue is with parents. I presume they chose that song for her. Or at least raised no objections to it. I found it a bit of an uncomfortable watch. In the same way those documentaries about American child pageants are disturbing.
The “pushy parent” element looms larger when you read this:
http://www.mirror.co.uk/tv/tv-news/bgt-child-singer-arisxandra-libantino-1912450
If the production team can sideline her parents and have the child sing a song WITHOUT a theme of one night of sex (erm,..which voting demographic was that likely to appeal to…), then she deserves to do very well.
Hi Guildo,
I’d be surprised if it wasn’t the production team who chose the song – it generated some tabloid controversy, which the show thrives on. The parents sound more desperate than pushy – cheers for the article link (and I think Aristotle Libantino may just have overtaken Aquinas Devlin, Janet’s dad, as my favourite name of a reality contestant’s family member).
Hi Andrew,
I missed how funny that Aristotle Libantino name is; Aquinas Devlin’s a corker too. Lol. My favourite public name used to be that of the Spanish golfer, Mr. Domingo Hospital. Hehe!
So it was probably the production team who chose the song? God: any operation to do with Cowell is either a) staffed with manipulative buggers; or b) involves botox.
One of the bits I didn’t like from the article:
‘We had to borrow money from friends and now we have lots of debt. If she wins the show we’ll use the money to pay off the loans’
Sounds as though if she does win the show her first purchase should be a high-powered solicitor!
Hi Andrew, I will never put money on another child as long as I live, Got burned badly on a couple of child acts in the past and learned a lesson, I have done really well over the last few years taking on acts like Ronan Peake, Rachel crow and more recently Carly Rose Sonenclar who was 4/1 on.
Keep away from kids is my motto.
Having said that I taken each way on Jack Carroll
looks like R & A are being pimped tonight, easy money
Band Of Voices audition was a MILLION times better. What a sh*t song choice!!
They sound awful!!!
lol they have been thrown under the bus tonight!
R & A all the way now for me, Band Of Voices was their biggest competition and they’ll be long gone tonight
the young girl is now the biggest threat, ive just topped up my bet at ladbrokes evens, there odds on with everyone else now
The decent price on R&A long gone.
4/6 best price now for semi win.
Hope everyone got stakes on earlier today.
ladbrokes went 4/7 as i was typing that message, looks like i got in just in time 🙂
i cant believe they were still evens after the show running order was revealed, i snapped up some more of that to add to my heft 11/10 bet earlier
Wow! what a self-indulgent sounding performance that was. Amused to listen to them harmonising on ‘killing me’.
The Milky Bar Kid should get his own gig…
I rekon Youth Creation may have a shot tonight alongside R&A
Am hating the staging for J-Unity.
Cheeky, intimate, likeable, close-knit VT…followed by this cheapo Vegas setting.
They got no chance, I personally thought they were terrible
j unity better thant youth creation for me, they reminded me of the rizzle kicks, weve seen a hundred youth creations
Simultaneously brilliant and embarrassing! And at times incomprehensible! What a hyperactive mix.
He spoke too quickly and i couldnt understand him most of the time, didn’t get some of the imperssions either
Yep, his nerves got the better of him, didn’t they? And the more nervous he got the faster he went.
I rekon
Demure, white angelic dress and more suitable song choice. Does the song sound a little big for her, though? She sounds as though she’s straining her voice on the big notes.
I agree. I’m really looking forward to Richard and Adam now.
Yeah, collective fingers crossed for the Sofabet community for match-winning put from the R & A…
I really feel for anyone who bet heavily on Band Of Voices. You should check the odds now mind 66/1!
Keep the mum in the VTs but defo lose the dad.
OTT pimping with the comments.
Oh, Aristotle! 🙂
Dec’s face after watching the VT – Haha!
Simons saving his best comments till last
Wow! ‘I shall be the proudest nan in this land’. Beautiful line reading. Lol.
Oh! West Side Story – Yes!!
Wow they Smashed it!!
Amanda just said. They make her proud to be british. They will be pushed for the outright win
Richard and Adam and Nan. Their new name. Official.
stoney – absolutely bang on the money.
Should be a very good start to the semis
and i didnt have to get sucked into any odds on backing, which is always nice
Is that really Richard & Adam or is it Joe McElderry and Jason Manford?
No! It’s Joe McElderry and Jason Manford and Nan. AKA RAN, as in they ran away with it.
thankyou and goodnight 🙂
Good result semi-final 1 Sofabet on the money.. why the gap of a week to the final this year?
That could have an effect on the winner and running order in the final and pimping will be more valuable that before. Let’s get through this week first! Good start anyway.