Some of those attending told

Tuesday's semi-final opened with Icelandic group VÆB, two brothers with the unregulated energy of former Irish entrants Jedward.They were followed by Polish star Justyna Steczkowska, who hung precariously above the stage on two ropes, as she sang her witchy hymn to mother earth, Gaja.

The acrobatics continued with Slovenian musician Klemen, who was suspended upside down during his ballad How Much Time Do We Have Left?The song was a tribute to his wife, who has recently recovered from cancer, but the emotional performance wasn't enough to clinch him a position in the final.Taking a lighter note was Estonia's Tommy Cash, whose quirky anthem Espresso Macchiato was interrupted by a "stage invader" - actually a dancer who replicated his noodle-limbed dance moves.

The arena was awash with Ukranian flags for Ziferblat, whose prog-pop anthem Bird Of Pray is a message of hope and resilience to families separated by the country's ongoing war with Russia.Italy's Lucio Corsi brought 70s glam rock vibes with his track Volevo Esse Un Duro, which even featured a visual call-back to

Croatia's singer Marko Bošnjak was all black eyeliner and sinister energy for his kill-your-enemies anthem Poison Cake, while Dutch singer Claude took the opposite approach, brimming with positivity throughout his upbeat performance of C'est La Vie.

And Swiss singer Zoë Më was bathed in a sea of mobile phone lights as she performed Voyage , an understated and rather beautiful plea for kindness and understanding."These people are in the same position as me so I know I can be myself around them," she says.

She also feels able to now give advice to others struggling to get along with mainstream school, namely: "It's not the end, there is something out there you can do."looked as if they were going to drop to sixth before Marc Cucurella's 71st-minute header earned a 1-0 win over Manchester United.

who would have had their fate in their hands had Cucurella not scored, beat Tottenham 2-0.Unai Emery's side are up to fifth, but sixth-placed Manchester City, one point below them, play Bournemouth on Tuesday (20:00 BST) in their game in hand.