Martijn

Liverpool live: red screens, a poet and an orange dress

The last part of the rehearsals for today is finished. We have now seen all the entries of both semifinals twice. photo credits: EBU/Sarah Louise Bennett/Chloe Hashemi San Marino Not much has been changed for San Marino since the previous rehearsal, at least that is what eurovision.tv tells us. So there is still the band playing in a reddish surrounding, with the graphics on the LED-screens having a main role. Still, no expectations at all for San Marino, as they have a 34th place at the betting odds. Austria The webteam of eurovision.tv was surprised about the impact of the graphics during the Austrian performance. We were not. We already saw that it was impressive during the first rehearsals and what we saw of it. No changes are made since the first rehearsal. Of course there is a main role for Teya, Salena and Edgar Allan Poe. In the betting odds, Austria is 9th. A higher placing however should also be possible. Albania What is remarkable of the Albanian performance is the use of the LED-screen and the LED-lightning on the floor. Maybe it helps, because Albania will face a hard time qualifying. A 35th place at the bookmakers is not very helpfull. Hopefully for Albina and her family the bookies are wrong this time. Lithuania Other clothes for Monika Linkytė: still orange, but she is now wearing a strapless minidress. That is the main change in the act of Monika, at least that is what the eurovision.tv webteam notices. The bookmakers have a 27th place now for Lithuania, but in the semifinal ranking they are 5th. So a place in the final for Lithuania is likely. Australia There are no changes noticed in the previews. Australia has a performance that at least the reporters of eurovision.tv like, for what it’s worth. When the performance start, Voyager frontman Daniel Erin is actually sitting in the car. The rest of the performance is around the car. Australia is currently number 13 in the overall betting odds ranking. in collaboration with Eurovision Artists

Liverpool live: bare feet, earrings and a train

Day number 6 of the rehearsals is going on. This is what happened in the first half of the rehearsalday. photo credits: EBU/Chloe Hashemi/Sarah Louise Bennett Cyprus No shoes for Andrew Lambrou this time. Furthermore, not much has changed compared to the first rehearsal; many red and blue, fire on the LED-screens and smoke on the floor. Cyprus is currently 22nd at the bookmakers, and is very likely to qualify for the final. Iceland The people of Eurovision.tv noticed that Diljá has earrings. Whether there have been changes in the performance or improvement in singing… we don’t know. On the other hand, singing does not seem to be Diljá’s problem. Still, a number 29 in the betting odds and a number 14 in the semifinal ranking does not necessary bring the final closer for Iceland. Greece The Greek performance seems to be pretty much the same as the previous one, Victor Vernicos varying from sitting on the floor to walking, dancing and jumping. And of course he still has shorts on. Greece is currently 31st at the bookmakers and 11th in the semifinal ranking. But Greece and Denmark (no. 10) seem to get closer to eachother. Will Greece make it to the final after all? Poland No bare feet, earrings or a haircut (as the eurovision.tv liveblog mentions with Greece) is noticed when they talk about Poland. We guess it is because there are no changes. We are especially anxious on how Blanka’s singing is. In the national final this was definitely not good, we wanna know if that improves. We keep you updated! Poland is currently 24th at the bookmakers and could seriously reach the final. Keep in mind that this is all based on the staging. Slovenia The cheerful Slovenian entry was performed once again too. The act is still swinging and colourful. We mentioned the words Joker Out on the LED-screens but we also saw the title of the song, “Carpe diem”. The bookmakers predict a place in the final for Slovenia, as they are 21st in the ranking right now. Georgia Again, a change in clothes. The dress Iru is wearing is still the same, but the train it has is much bigger now. The windmachine still works at this stormy performance. Georgia is likely to qualify with a 23rd place at the bookmakers and a high ranking at the semifinal odds. in collaboration with Eurovision Artists

Liverpool live: rehearsal schedule

Today the rehearsals for the 2nd semifinal will be finished. The 11 countries that didn’t rehearse for a second time yet will do so today. We will closely follow it again. 11.30 – 11.50 Cyprus11.55 – 12.15 Iceland12.20 – 12.40 Greece12.45 – 13.05 Poland13.10 – 13.30 Slovenia13.35 – 13.55 Georgia 15.00 – 15.20 San Marino15.25 – 15.45 Austria15.50 – 16.10 Albania16.15 – 16.35 Lithuania16.40 – 17.00 Australia

Liverpool live: Fireworks, LED-screens and a moon

This is the day when we first see the Big 5 and Ukraine to rehearse. Of course Ukraine is added, not as the organizer but as last year’s winner. photo credits: EBU/Corinne Cumming/Sarah Louise Bennett Germany Lord of the Lost is wearing red costumes, like in the national final. Singer Chris ‘Lord’ Harms wears a collar of flames. The band is elevated on a triangular metal structure, adorned with red and black LEDs, and an unrelenting flashing light display that persists throughout the entire three-minute performance. And of course we spot a lot of fireworks in the performance. France La Zarra is standing on a tall, moving column covered in sparkly black fabric that goes all the way to the ground. The column has a mirror-tiled top, and La Zarra is wearing a fitted gown made entirely of black and red sequins. She is singing her heart out on top of the column, and there’s a French flag displayed on the LED wall behind her at the end of her performance. Italy Marco Mengoni sings his ballad while standing alone on stage. Marco is wearing leather trousers and a silver sparkly vest, while a backdrop of swirling clouds on an LED wall. An oversized moon provide a dramatic visual setting. Ukraine TVORCHI-member Jeffrey wears a black suit covered with gold images. Andrii wears black clothes with a silver jacket over it. During their performance, TVORCHI effectively utilize lighting and an LED wall, with four boxes on stage providing a backdrop for their two dancers dressed in black. Their are big flames during the performance. Spain The staging for Blanca Paloma’s performance resembles the setup seen during Benidorm Fest in January. It features two fringed red semi-circular structures at the center of the stage, forming a circle where Blanca and her five dancers perform. The background is set aglow with black, red, and white lighting. There has been some low smoke during the performance. United Kingdom Mae Muller wears a corset jacket and black trousers, and commences her performance on a raised plinth before the LED wall. The wall features pop art-style graphics. At the beginning, there’s a section where Mae’s face splits horizontally, giving the impression that she’s inside her own head, which enhances the pop video quality of the performance. four dancers dressed in black and red accompany Mae, particularly during the second half of the performance, when they join Mae at the front of the stage for a synchronized dance routine. in collaboration with Eurovision Artists

Liverpool live: a pink day and a dancer!

Already for the 5th day, we are rehearsing. The first countries of the 2nd semifinal will rehearse today. Later today we will see the Big 5 for the very first time. photo credits: EBU/Sarah Louise Bennett/Chloe Hashemi Denmark Reiley has another outfit than he had last Tuesday. In stead of beige and white he was wearing pink today. The rotating house serves as a useful navigational aid for Reiley, preventing him from becoming disoriented on the expansive stage. Currently Denmark has the 30th place at the bookies, but in the 2nd semifinal ranking Reiley is 10th. There is hope for Denmark. Armenia No changes seem to have appeared in the Armenian performance. So we still have Brunette sitting on the sloped structure, singing from it and later leaving it. Currently Brunette has a 12th place at the bookmakers. But remember Rosa Linn last year. She was 20th but had a worldwide hit. Romania A major change for Romania: where he had a yellow suit on Tuesday, it is pink today. Again he is wearing shorts, also his socks and boots are in pink. The Pikachu socks have changed for SpongeBob. The song is still not liked very much. We haven’t heard him singing yet, but with a 37th and last place in the betting odds the final seems very far away for Romania. Estonia Estonia didn’t have much changes in comparision to the previous presentation. Wouter Hardy, who previously wrote “Arcade” for Duncan Laurence and “Tout l’univers” for Gjon’s Tears, is also responsible for this song. But it doesn’t seem to gonna be thát successful: 24th at the betting odds, but in the semifinal ranking Estonia has a 12th place. Belgium It seems the Belgian act also remains the same. The stairs play a main role in the act, but the dancer, PussCee West has a remarkable role as well. The odds give Belgium a 29th place, but if we look at the specific semifinal ranking, it is an 8th place. Can we safely say Belgium will make it to the final? in collaboration with Eurovision Artists

Liverpool live: rehearsal schedule

We already head to day 5: some rehearsals of the 2nd semifinal, and….. the big 5. 11.30 – 11.50 Denmark11.55 – 12.15 Armenia12.20 – 12.40 Romania12.45 – 13.05 Estonia13.10 – 13.30 Belgium 14.40 – 15.10 Germany15.20 – 15.50 France16.00 – 16.30 Italy16.40 – 17.10 Ukraine17.20 – 17.50 Spain18.00 – 18.30 United Kingdom

Liverpool Live: something is happening at the betting odds

The day with the most rehearsals continue. Eight more countries rehearsed today, only 20 minutes each. That means we can inform you if there were major changes in the act. photo credits: EBU/Chloe Hashemi/Sarah Louise Bennett Switzerland Remo Forrer performs in his black jacket and black plastic pants again. It seems there are not many changes since the last performance: Remo with his four dancers, who at a moment wrap him in long ribbons. It is something that reminds us of Sertab (2003) and the late Toše Proeski (2004). Switzerland is currently number 13 in the betting odds, so the final doesn’t seem far away for Remo. Israel The Israeli act is one where a lot happens. She and her dancers are standing in front of a bunch of squares. The dancers bring their hands to their heads, to depict the horn of a unicorn. And of course there is a lot of fireworks in this performance. Israel is currently number 7 at the betting odds. Definitely an entry to look up to, Noa can do very well. Moldova There seem to be no changes in the Moldovan entry: Pasha Parfeni is, in his second Eurovision performance, still surrounded by two backing vocals with a horn, made out of their hair. Two guys accompany them playing the drums. Moldova is currently number 20 at the betting odds. But with a 6th place in the odds for the first semifinal it feels pretty safe for Pasha. Sweden And than there is the other returning participant from 2012, Loreen. Of course there are no changes in the performance, as everything was already there way before the rehearsals… as always in Sweden. All the eyes are at Sweden at this moment, as she leads at the bookmakers. But note that there is something going on: she has now 42% chance of winning, while the runner up has 23%. They are coming closer to eachother. Azerbaijan What we didn’t hear from the first rehearsals but what we know now: the performance of Azerbaijan on screen starts in black and white. Later it fades to colour. It seems to fit to the combination of sixties-like music and rap. However, Azerbaijan is at this moment number 32 at the betting odds. So far that doesn’t give the twins much hope for a place in the final. Czechia Finally a country were there have been some changes: Czechia. The Vesna ladies have altered their hairstyle. During the opening verse, there is some intricate hair choreography, and their braids have become notably longer and weightier than they were on Monday. At this moment Czechia is number 11 at the bookies. The Netherlands We don’t know if there are any changes in the performance of The Netherlands. The people of eurovision.tv say they got goosebumps of the intimate performance Mia and Dion gave. When they are singing the camera turns around them. That seems to work. The bookmakers seem to be more positive about The Netherlands than they were, with currently an 18th place. However, they are 11th at the specified list for the 1st semifinal. Finland The last one is Finland with the same energetic performance we saw Monday. Today a video went viral where Käärijä dances on the music of “Tattoo”, Loreen’s song. At the betting odds something is happening. Finland is coming closer and closer to the first place. Yesterday they had 18% winning chance, now it is already 24%. That might make Finland a serious contender for the victory. in collaboration with Eurovision Artists

Liverpool live: Sweaty sweaters, video games and red feathers

Every participant has it’s second rehearsal today. That means we already know a lot and we can just say whether there are (major) changes or not. Different from other years, no independent journalists or fan media can join the rehearsals. What you read is what Eurovision.tv wants us to know. photo credits: EBU/Sarah Louise Bennett/Corinne Cummings/Chloe Hashemi Norway The Norwegian act is the same as in the first rehearsal. According to the reporters of eurovision.tv she hit the high notes. Alessandra is currently 6th at the bookmakers, which means she might do well for Norway this year. Malta The Maltese act is one were a lot happens. And singer Dav jr. even wears two sweaters. He takes one off during the show. According to him that is quite…. sweaty. Dav already took part in the national final in 2020. However, he says it is now the right time to go to Eurovision. The day after he was eliminated from the X-Factor 2020, his father passed away, so that was not a good moment for Eurovision.Unfortunately the bookmakers are not happy about Malta yet. Hopefully they are wrong this time! Serbia Sometimes it is difficult to know what will happen on tv when you are in the hall. That is why only now a lot of on-screen video game references came up in the reports. It fits in the act: somebody who just wants to sleep as there are so many bad things going on in the world. The song is written during the COVID19 lockdowns. Currently, Serbia is no. 17 in the betting odds. Latvia At least they have their outfits now, so it seems the luggage problem is solved. The band members are all wearing jackets and blouses with long, thin ties over it. Lead singer Andrejs Reinis Zitmanis wears a beige jacket, the others have darker cloths. Currently Latvia does not do well in the betting odds with a 35th place. However, we can not exclude a place in the final. Portugal Enthusiasm for the uptempo song Portugal brings on stage. There have not been many changes at all in the Portuguese entry. Mimicat still wears the feather dress that impressed in the first rehearsal. Portugal is currently 26th in the betting odds, which makes it likely that Mimicat will go through to the final. Ireland About Ireland, the same information is given by eurovision.tv as they did Monday: the members of Wild Youth are having fun on stage. Ireland is currently 24th at the betting odds. However, if you look at the qualifiers of semifinal one, they are 14th. A strange contradiction, and it makes the line on the official website quite cynical: “…and they look like they’re having the best time ever – the Irish delegation should be really happy”. Croatia Croatia’s Let 3 is having their second rehearsal, and their performance looks just as impressive on the big screen as it did in the hall, says eurovision.tv. However, the visual spectacle appears even more impressive and vibrant than before. The colors are now more intense and psychedelic, and the removal of clothing is now even more detailed and noticeable due to the high definition visuals. Judge for yourself if you should be happy with that. The betting ods give Croatia a 15th place. in collaboration with Eurovision Artists

Liverpool live: rehearsal schedule

The rehearsals continue with the 2nd rehearsal of 15 countries. The countries now have only 20 minutes to rehearse. 11.30 – 11.50 Norway11.55 – 12.15 Malta12.20 – 12.40 Serbia12.45 – 13.05 Latvia13.10 – 13.30 Portugal13.35 – 13.55 Ireland15.00 – 15.20 Croatia15.25 – 15.45 Switzerland15.50 – 16.10 Israel16.15 – 16.35 Moldova16.40 – 17.00 Sweden17.05 – 17.25 Azerbaijan17.30 – 17.50 Czechia17.55 – 18.15 The Netherlands18.20 – 18.40 Finland

Liverpool live: eyes, a typewriter and a car

The third day of rehearsals is already halfway. We are looking at the last six entries we haven’t heard and seen yet (except the Big Five and Ukraine). photo credits: EBU/Sarah Luise Bennett/Corinne Cumming Georgia Iru wears a white dress, and what is very remarkable on her looks is the huge bracelet she is wearing on her right arm. Iru is standing on a raised platform in the middle of the stage. She stands there during the entire performance. The LED screeen shows smoke that twirls and turbulent weather. And if you see that, there is only one thing you need: indeed, a wind machine! And it’s there! And of course Iru is surrounded by smoke. San Marino Singer E-King wears a glitter jacket while the rest of the band Piqued Jacks wear black. On stage we have the huge LED wall that spots a lot of red: we see eyes, we see lips, all in a cartoon way. Piqued Jacks use the whole stage, E-King appears as the clear frontman. At several moments, he even lies down on the floor while singing. Austria Teya and Salena are wearing opposite colours: Teya wears black and Salena white, both with red blouses. The LED-screens play the main role in the Austrian act. It looks like Teya and Salena start their performance in front of a huge oldfashioned typewriter. In the typewriter a piece of paper with a picture of Edgar Allan Poe. Later we see the two ladies in red and with sunglasses on the screen, and Edgar in red. Albania Albina and the Kelmendi family all wear black. The colours at the LED screen are also black…. and red, the colours of the Albanian flag. Many flames during the Albanian performance. This song has quite an emotional performans. Albina sits on the floor for a moment, family members surround her with raised hands. Sacha Jean Baptiste did the staging for this entry. Lithuania Monika Linkytė wears an orange suit. She is surrounded by the four backings who all wear black. First she stands on a red background. Later we see half a circle, black, with indian like signs projected on it. She and the backing vocals are standing still at some moments, but walk around later, especially when the “Čiūto Tūto” part is sung. Australia Australia is the last country to perform. Voyager singer Daniel Estrin wears a blue suit with a chequered pattern. The band has a car on stage, a Toyota MR2, a car from the eighties and nineties. On the LED-screens we see a road, mountains and a setting sun. Red fireworks are visible at the end of the song. in collaboration with Eurovision Artists