Vienna (AFP) - The nerve-shredding vote-counting was about to begin at the 70th Eurovision Song Contest in Vienna, after 25 countries did battle Saturday at the world’s biggest live televised music show.

Thousands of glammed-up fans filled the Wiener Stadthalle arena in the Austrian capital to watch the showpiece, which kicked off with a burst of Mozart.

A fiery Finnish duo, acclaimed Australian star Delta Goodrem and a floor-filler from Bulgaria are among the favourites to win this year’s Eurovision, where, as always, the razzmatazz didn’t escape the geopolitics in the background.

Spain, the Netherlands, Ireland, Iceland and Slovenia are staging the biggest political boycott in Eurovision history over Israel’s participation, citing the war in Gaza.

Last year’s Eurovision winner Johannes Pietsch, known as JJ, opened the musical extravaganza with a nod to Austria’s grand musical history, singing the “Queen of the Night” aria from composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s 1791 opera “The Magic Flute”.

The 25 competing artists paraded down the catwalk carrying their national flags and waving to the more than 10,000 revved-up fans inside Austria’s biggest arena.

- Finnish fiddling, Bulgarian ‘Bangaranga’ -

The bookmakers’ overwhelming favourites are the Finnish double-act of violinist Linda Lampenius and pop singer Pete Parkkonen, with their song “Liekinheitin”, or “Flamethrower”.

As the song built to a climax, 56-year-old Lampenius was shredding her bow as she worked her way to the very top of the fingerboard.

Australia’s Delta Goodrem, who has sold nine million albums, may run them close after wowing the crowds with her song “Eclipse”, which was filled with strong moments, ending with her soaring high on a riser coming up out of a glittering piano.

But Bulgarian pop singer Dara has been gaining traction with her high-energy and highly-choreographed dancing on the catchy floor-filler “Bangaranga”.

Greece has been bringing the smiles with “Ferto”, featuring singer Akylas in tigerprint coat, shorts and hat against a retro video game backdrop in a performance that also showcased knitting, a glitterball and a classical statue that came to life.

- Growls and choking -

Israel’s Noam Bettan is also an outside bet with “Michelle”. His semi-final performance was disrupted by chanting but there was seemingly no repeat this time.

Denmark’s Soren Torpegaard Lund was first up on the bill with “For Vi Gar Hjem” (“Before We Go Home”), plunging the crowd into the world of nightclubs.

Serbian metallers Lavina had the deepest throat-shredding growl of the night, the Czech Republic’s Daniel Zizka navigated a hall of mirrors, while Lithuania’s silver-painted Lion Ceccah brought an air of brooding mystery.

Ukrainian fans held their breath as Leleka slowly built up to the exceptionally high note in her song “Ridnym”, then erupted when she nailed it.

Croatian group Lelek’s dark choral song “Andromeda” evoked the persecution of Christian women in the Ottoman Empire.

British experimental electronic music artist got the crowd chanting along to “Eins, Zwei, Drei”, with lyrics mentioning drudgery and custard.

Meanwhile 22-year-old Romanian singer Alexandra Capitanescu’s switched up the vibe with her heavy metal song “Choke Me”.

The set changes between each three-minute song required a small army of crew to manoeuvre sets into place with the coordination of a Formula One pit-stop.

- Party time and protests -

Some 166 million viewers watched the contest on television last year when it was hosted in Basel.

“I’m here to see my favourite singer, my idol, my queen: Delta,” said Jeremy, 45, a teacher from Britain, who was among those who queued outside beforehand in the pouring rain.

“The excitement inside of me is so beyond words that I’m here in the live grand final.”

But outside earlier, hundreds of pro-Palestinian demonstrators marched past chanting “boycott Eurovision” and carrying banners reading “Don’t celebrate genocide”.

Spanish public broadcaster RTVE – traditionally one of Eurovision’s major backers – not only boycotted but refused to screen the show.

As it began, it showed the message: “The Eurovision Song Contest is a competition, but human rights are not. There is no room for indifference. Peace and justice for Palestine.”