11.21 That's it from us this evening. Ira Losco and the rest of the qualifiers are off to a press conference, which you can follow live here soon.

We'll be back on Saturday for another live-blog - from the final this time - and we'll also be keeping you updated throughout the week with all the news from Ira Losco and the rest of the to-do here in Stockholm.

Thanks for watching!

11.05 So maybe we're a bit more into the Eurovision than we'd like to think? That was tense. But we're through. The lynch mobs can go back home for now. Our national pride is safe until Saturday. Well done everyone. 

11.02 MALTA THROUGH AS THE VERY LAST ENTRY. I ACTUALLY SCREAMED.

11.01 Only 3 to go, and STILL no Malta. Things getting seriously tense round the Maltese press table.

11.00 Netherlands and Hungary next through. Press room erupts for each. Still no Malta, with 6 to go.

10.58 FINALISTS BEING ANNOUNCED.

Azerbaijan and Russia are the first through. No surprises there. 8 slots left for Malta to grab.

10.52 And then it's back to Eurovision madness, as Sweden, France and Spain (who are all already qualified for the final) strut their stuff on stage. 

10.51 We're back. There was a great abstract number right there commemorating the plight of refugees. It ended with a moving moment of audience members holding hands in solidarity. I know it's the Eurovision, but this silly competition really does bring us together, briefly, as a continent, and that's pretty cool. Maybe extend that togetherness outwards a little? 

10.41 Televoting still ongoing, so here's some of what the Twittersphere is saying about Malta.

 

10.36 Petra tells us: "If you don't vote for anyone, you're not allowed to complain about the winners tomorrow." #democracy

10.30 Televoting open - call all your auntses and uncleses in the UK and Europe everyone.

Meanwhile, DISASTER IN STRASBOURG (by a very limited definition of the word, admittedly)

10.27 On Twitter, many are saying she looks like Mariah Carey's twin sister, which is fair enough. That sounded pretty good to me, but what do I know? Pretty subdued reaction around the press centre. Well, good luck Ira! Malta kollha warajk etc. etc.

10.26 She kicks us off with a montage of Malteseness. She dances at Ghajn Tuffieha, she makes a ftira, she drinks te fit-tazza, and then morphs into a pigeon. MALTA!

10.25 IRA LOSCO. THIS IS WHY WE'RE HERE EVERYONE. KEEP CALM.

10.23 So right now we have Bosnia with not one but TWO women dressed like Xena the Warrior Princess, one in red and one in gold, one angry man yelling into a microphone, and one inexplicable rapper. Thank god for those three minutes, it was all feeling a tad un-Eurovision so I'm glad it's gone bonkers again.

10.19 Iceland with a lot of black leather and visuals of crows. It's very Of Monsters and Men, which means I like it. We've discussed my playlist already. I don't need your approval. 

10.14 Depeche Modenegro, the guy next to me says. I feel it is difficult to top that, so pass it onto you unfiltered.

10.11 Azerbaijan are on next, so all the journalists have to leave the room so a couple of senior government officials can listen to the song alone. "Gonna take a miracle to save my soul," she sings, as if she knows the joke I'm making.

10.05 This Estonia kid is like the guy who won't leave you alone at a party. "We've got all night/to find out what is right". Thanks, sorry, got to be up early for work.

As he is about to take to the stage, the TVM presenter says “ahna diga acitati hux”

10.00 ZOË, the Austria singer whose name does actually appear to be written like that, is the most Zoë Zoë to ever Zoë. She's cute, she's wearing a cute dress, she's singing a cute song. It's a bit of an overload, honestly. Still, it's another of the favourites, so pay attention.

9.57 It's Cyprus, with the hard rock band Minus One. They've got people pumped, but given Eurovision's typical preferences, I fear their band name will be only a few below their final tally. 

9.54 Are United seriously losing at West Ham? Sorry, I know that's not Eurovision, but if they lose and Ira somehow doesn't get through - I don't even want to think like that. Oh and yeah, Czech Republic were on. There were flowers.

9.50 That was Sergey Lazarev's Russia, and almost certainly your Eurovision winner this year (expect that statement to make me look foolish eventually). It's quite an effort, with spectacular visuals and literally everything a Eurovision-winning song should have. I'd write something about Russia's LGBT situation to balance out the gushing, but I saw a Russian woman outside with a rainbow flag and the words "SerGay Lazarev" and it sort of made it all better.

9.48 Manchester United are losing against West Ham, by the way. I know that's not Eurovision, but it's a really important football game if you're into that sort of thing.

9.44 Here's some actual information for you. San Marino, who have just taken the stage, were the rank outsiders with Leicester City-esque odds going into the competition. The singer, Serhat, is a 51-year old Turkish former dentist and game show host. The lyrics make no sense at all. It's a crazy hotchpotch of an entry, and everyone here absolutely loves it. 

Also, he's wearing what looks like a Panama hat, which - if you're me and you're trying to pump out a joke a minute - is a godsend in the light of recent events.

9.39 Iveta Mukuchyan Armenia takes the stage alone, but then there's some holographic witchcraft and there's seven of her. There's a huge cheer in the press room when she's done, but I'm surrounded by a lot of men and - well, you know. Eurovision, the gift that keeps on giving. 

9.35 It's Holland, with the wonderfully named Douwe Bob. I really like this one, but my Spotify playlist is literally just Mumford & Sons and the Lumineers, so you can't really trust me. He's also almost - ALMOST - as wholesome-looking as Gianluca Bezzina. Put them in a room together. There can be only one.

9.33 Now comes a genuinely, unironically hilarious clip where the celebrity hosts pretend to be taxi drivers and pick up fans before revealing themselves. The fans are basically Eurovision nobility from Wiwibloggs - and there's that novelty act from the Ukraine. Douze points.

9.30 That's Croatia on stage and she's just casually wearing a forest. People around me are muttering about Elsa from "Frozen", then she whips off her forest and she's got wings, like a proper Thea Garrett. They've been gone for a few years, so maybe they don't remember. I try to forget too, to be fair.

9.25 Freddie, who is representing Hungary and who we chatted with earlier is up next and he's got half of the press centre rocking along with him. Drums, good looks - I think I actually want this song to go through. 

9.20 We're onto Moldova, wearing a dress made out of broken mirror pieces and dancing with a spaceman, because this evening hasn't been remotely silly enough yet. The song is about "falling stars", which is coincidentally also what this competition has often been about. 

9.18 Greece is up next, and they're all in a much better mood than the last time they were at an event with the rest of Europe. 

9.16 First up is Finland with the song "Sing It Away" by Sandhja. It's a nice little number that sounds only a little like our own Destiny Chukunyere's "Not My Soul". 

9.15pm If you need any information on tonight's show - and, really, it's all very straightforward - I wrote an explainer earlier with everything you need to know. Check that out between acts. 

9.10pm Hosts Petra Mede (a Swedish comedian who is apparently a really big deal here) and Måns Zelmerlöw (he of the last update, but with a dinner jacket now) take to the stage. There's some banter, and an inexplicable interlude by a metal band and some pyrotechnics. Welcome to Eurovision. 

Then Petra invites everyone to "Grab your towels, because it's time to Come Together". I share that without comment. 

9pm We've kicked off with last year's winner Måns Zelmerlöw, whose anthem "Heroes" is exactly as catchy now as last year, but which has replaced the digital army of dancing children with an actual army of dancing children, looking like oompa-loompas or something out of your worst nightmares. 

8.55pm Good Evening Malta and welcome to our live-blog of the Eurovision semi-final, live from Stockholm. Ira Losco will face off against 17 other entries for the chance to compete in the Grand Final on Saturday. 

Ira is odds on to qualify and a decent shout to actually win the competition, which means that Malta's expectations are at fever pitch. If she wins, we'll have to amend the Constitution and make her President-for-Life (with some sort of supporting role for her future child). If she loses, we'll have no choice but to riot and possibly leave the EU or something. 

We'll be providing live updates throughout the night, so stay tuned.