Sawt Falasteen - Favourites Finland, Israel through at Eurovision semis

With blasts of dry ice and jets of flame, the Eurovision party got started inside the Wiener Stadthalle in Vienna, where 11,200 revved-up fans saw 15 acts do battle for 10 places in Saturday's grand final.

Belgium upset the odds to make it through, with Croatia, Greece, Lithuania, Moldova, Poland, Serbia and Sweden also progressing.

However, it was the end of the road for Estonia, Georgia, Montenegro and Portugal's dreams of Eurovision glory.

Tiny San Marino also bowed out, despite featuring guest vocals from 1980s Culture Club star Boy George.

Viewers were treated to a range of styles from around the continent.

The performances ranged from upbeat Estonian guitar pop to soaring Polish high notes and the brooding mystery of Lithuania's silver-painted Lion Ceccah.

Moldova opened the show with rapper Satoshi pumping up the energy.

Greece has been gaining traction with "Ferto", featuring performer Akylas in tigerprint coat, shorts and hat against a retro video game backdrop that also showcased knitting, a glitterball and classical statue that came to life.

Croatia's ethno-pop group Lelek delved into mythical fantasy visuals on "Andromeda", opening with the lines "When you light a candle, ask your grandmother / Why she gave birth to daughters in fear".

Portugal's all-male quintet Bandidos do Cante flipped the script with their stripped-down choral song "Rosa", the singers dressed down to the max.

Serbian progressive metal band Lavina closed the concert with throat-shredding growl.

- Biggest-ever boycott -

This year marks the 70th edition of Eurovision, which despite the razzmatazz rarely escapes the politics in the background.

Israel's war in the Gaza Strip prompted five countries to withdraw from the glitzy annual extravaganza -- the biggest-ever political boycott.

Spain, Ireland, Slovenia, the Netherlands and Iceland pulled out, with the first three refusing to broadcast this week's contest at all.

The withdrawals meant 35 countries are taking part this week -- the fewest since entry was expanded in 2004.

With fans waving Israeli flags, Noam Bettan performed "Michelle", a song in Hebrew, French and English.

Earlier, a few dozen pro-Palestinian activists placed coffins in central Vienna in protest.

"Israel has become an aggressor," demonstrator Karin Spindlberger, 67, told AFP.

"Music should be universal, and it is. Music should bring people together -- but not in this way."

Eurovision director Martin Green told a press conference the protests showed that Vienna allowed everyone to express themselves.

"It is a profoundly good sign of a democracy where you can have this show happening on one side of the city and a protest happening on the other side and they can both co-exist. Maybe the world can learn from that," he said.

- Finnish flamethrowers -

Thanks to operatic singer JJ's victory in Basel with "Wasted Love", Austria is hosting for the third time, having staged the 1967 and 2015 contests.

This year, the semi-finals are being decided both by public vote and, for the first time since Turin 2022, by professional juries, in a bid to restore fans' faith in the voting.

Finnish duo Linda Lampenius and Pete Parkkonen are the overall Eurovision favourites with "Liekinheitin", or "Flamethrower".

"We are so much into the music and what we are doing in the numbers, so that's what we are actually always going for: the feeling. It has to come from here: from the heart," violinist Lampenius told AFP.

At Eurovision, normally only the lead vocal is live, with the music on a backing track.

However, Lampenius was given special dispensation to play her instrument live -- a rare event since orchestras were phased out after Birmingham 1998.

Fifteen more acts will compete in Thursday's second semi, with 10 going through.

Alongside Eurovision's major financial backers Britain, France, Germany and Italy, hosts Austria have a guaranteed spot in Saturday's 25-country showpiece final.

J.Saleh--SF-PST