Martijn

Liverpool live: a headroll, tropical graphics and little hearts

Today is the 3rd day of rehearsals. After today we have heard and seen all the songs, except the Big Five and Ukraine. photo credits: EBU/Sarah Louise Bennett/Corinne Cummings Estonia Estonian Alika is wearing an all blue combination when she sings her song. As in the national final, the song starts with a piano that plays itself. In the beginning Alika sits on the music stool, later she stands behind the microphone. The LED screens on the background are greenish blue, varied with gold. Iceland Diljá is wearing a silver suit. She shows a lot of energy with kicks and gymnastic moves. She even makes a head roll! Diljá is surrounded by drums. The background colours change all the time, from green to blue to black with a daffodil (?) and to a sunflower. A lot happens during this show! Greece Victor Vernicos weirs beige while on stage, and yes, like in the video he has shorts. Victor dances but every now and then he is sitting on the floor, also just like in the video. On the LED screens in the background we see huge pictures of Victor himself. Later we see Greek letters in white on the screens. Victor is surrounded by smoke. Poland Blanka has a dress that is half in purple and half in orange. She is on stage with four dancers. At the background during the song you see tropical pictures on the LED screen. Halfway, Blanka changes her dress in a short, red one. The last chorus of the song is accompanied by a rain of fireworks. Slovenia The band Joker Out is wearing pink and purple pants with blouses in all kind of colours. A lot of red stroboscopic light is surrounding the band. In the end, you see the words Joker Out in white on a black screen, and the band members make hearts with their hands. Eurovision.tv mentions the enthousiasm of the band. in collaboration with Eurovision Artists

Liverpool Live: rehearsal schedule

Already for the third day, we have rehearsals. Eurovision Universe will keep you updated about everything that happens during the rehearsals. This is what you can expect today: 11.30 – 12.00 Estonia12.10 – 12.40 Iceland12.50 – 13.20 Greece13.30 – 14.00 Poland15.10 – 15.40 Slovenia15.50 – 16.20 Georgia16.30 – 17.00 San Marino17.10 – 17.40 Austria17.50 – 18.20 Albania18.30 – 19.00 Lithuania19.10 – 19.40 Australia

Liverpool Live: a favourite in green

photo credits: EBU/Sarah Louise Bennett/Corinne Cummings Finland After the lunch break, it is time for a lot of energy: Finland. As expected, Käärijä wears the green bolero jacket we know so well. He is accompanied by four dancers wearing pink. The show starts with Käärijä in a huge wooden box, climbs on top of a couple of pallets and sings there before he goes to the floor to continue his performance. We can at least say Käärijä’s performance spots a lot of energy. With Käärijä’s rehearsal, we saw all the participants in the first semifinal rehearse. It is time to continue with the second semifinal. Denmark Reiley’s performance is cleverly designed with a revolving structure that showcases three different colored rooms as he passes through doorways, utilizing the LED floor and projected graphics to special effects. The visuals range from swirling clouds to hearts and emojis, creating an atmosphere that gives the performance a dreamy feel. It’s very much in line with Gen Z sensibilities according to Eurovision.tv. Reiley himself is wearing pink, a colour we saw before today. Armenia Brunette is wearing a white dress with black sewings. She starts her performance on a sloped structure that is put upright. The structure has blue and pink swirls projected on it. The graphics and lightning change halfway as the song is changing it’s tempo. Brunette leaves the sloped structure, the stage is quite white with white squares in the background. Eurovision.tv speaks of strong vocals. Romania Yellow is the colour when we talk about Romania. Yellow suits, a yellow jacket and even yellow Pikachu socks! Theodor Andrei starts off with only a guitar on an empty stage. In the second half of the song, that all changes with much more energy. There is a dancer on stage as well. The end of the presentation seems to be quite dramatic, although eurovision.tv does not give more details about it. Belgium Belgium surprises with a completely different outfit than he had in the national final. Gustaph wears a white suit and a white hat, and a pink blouse. Gustaph has his own flight of stairs, which he intensively uses. He is supported by three backing vocals who play a main role in the entire show. He has a LED backdrop of vogueing, drag queens. A dancer also has a role in the act. Cyprus Eurovision.tv mentioned being impressed by Andrew’s vocal capacities. Andrew is wearing a black sleeveless vest. There’s an exciting energy in the way this song gradually intensifies from its opening note to an even more explosive conclusion. The LED background alternates between serene waterfalls and fiery flames. The floor has smoke and four banks of flames. in collaboration with Eurovision Artists

Liverpool live: a somersault, pink clothes and intimate performances

photo credits: EBU/Sarah Louise Bennett/Corinne Cummings Israel Today’s rehearsals start with Israel. When the performance begins, Noa is in a huge lightbox. There is also a lot of strobe lightning on stage. The vife dancers around her all wear black and white with a pink touch. So does Noa. During the show there is a lot of movement and dancing. Helped by the dancers Noa even makes a somersault! The show ends with a lot of fireworks. Azerbaijan Azerbaijan, in other years the country of the extravert staging, decided to keep it more intimate. It’s just the twins with matching suits, one in green and one in purple. They are standing on a heart on stage. They have their guitars with them. That’s how the two perform their songs. Czechia After this Chzechia follows. The girls are all wearing the same pink pantsuits. They will perform a dance routine. The background is also pink, but changes into black with the text “We’re not your dolls”, hands and faces. The girls all have very long braids. The Netherlands And than we see the Netherlands. Mia Nicolai and Dion Cooper have matching clothes, black with white pinstripes: Dion has a sleeveless vest and Mia wears a top with silver and a jacket over it. The performance is very intimate: on a small stage they are moving around eachother. They are surrounded by smoke. “It’s a complex camera set-up that makes the whole performance feel really intimate”, eurovision.tv adds. In collaboration with Eurovision Artists

Liverpool live: rehearsal schedule day 2

Today is already the 2nd day of the rehearsals. What to expect today? After Sweden, we have another favourite in the contest today: Finland. But there is more: 11.30-12.00 Israel12.10-12.40 Azerbaijan12.50-13.20 Czechia13.30-14.00 The Netherlands15.10-15.40 Finland15.50-16.20 Denmark16.30-17.00 Armenia17.10-17.40 Romania17.50-18.20 Belgium18.30-19.00 Cyprus

Liverpool live: about sparks, costumes and a lightbox

We’ve had the second half of today’s rehearsals. Here is what we saw and heard today. photo credits: EBU/Sarah Louise Bennett/Corinne Cummings Ireland Spotlights are on Conor, the singer of Wild Youth. He has a rock gold catsuit with flares. There are stairs on stage. And there will be pyro technics. A lot of sparkles are visible by the end of the performance. Eurovision.tv is enthousiastic about the singalong capacities of the song. “Even on the first rehearsal, it’s easy to imagine the crowd in the Liverpool Arena singing along to this euphoric chorus.” Croatia As expected, the members of Let3 wear the costumes they also had in the national final. At eurovision.tv they speak about ‘high fashion hat/dress combo’s’. However, we do not reccomend you wearing this to a party. At the end of the song, they strip down to their underwear and they wave with huge missiles. On the LED-screen you see the faces of the band members. The missiles emit a shower of sparks over the Let3 members! Switzerland As in 2021 and 2022 it is Sacha Jean-Baptiste who is responsible for the Swiss staging. Where you would expect Remo Forrer alone on stage with a spotlight on it, nothing less is true. There are dancers with Remo on stage and he also dances himself. There’s also pyro technics: a short interlude of smoke and red fireworks raining down from the roof. Moldova For the second time, Pasha Parfeni enters the Eurovision stage. We saw him for the first time in 2012. He is surrounded by huge drums, a flutist and two backing singers with horned headdresses. A lot to see and a completely different act from what we saw 11 years ago. Sweden Loreen currently tops the bookmakers. She has the same act as in Melodifestivalen, herself sitting under the huge lightbox. The one from Melodifestivalen however was too heavy, so a lighter version can be seen in Liverpool. It is also lifted a little bit off the ground. The catsuit, the long nails and everything else is the same as in Melodifestivalen, including Loreen’s strong vocals.

Liverpool Live: about sweaters, luggage and more!

Today, the rehearsals started. Ten countries will have their first rehearsal. No press is allowed to watch them, but EBU keeps us updated. photo credits: EBU/Sarah Louise Bennett/Corinne Cummings Norway The rehearsals started with Norway. Alessandra has an act that is quite similar to what one could see at the national final, wearing black and gold with a metallic bustier, huge shoulders and a black cape. Alessandra is accompanied by four dancers having giant glo-sticks. Eurovision.tv is quite enthousiastic about the high note at the end. Malta It is clear that The Busker, representing Malta, feel better in their sweater. It is what they wear. Singer Dav jr. even changes his sweater during the performance! A lot of things happen on stage: first they are on and around a bench in a park, later you can see them in a discotheque were the word ‘DANCE’ is visible. Later they are in a red car and in a small room with a sofa. Note that there are also cardboard cutouts of former Maltese participants like Destiny, Glen Vella and Chiara. Serbia Also the Serbian act looks the same as in the national final: Luke Black starts singing from a huge shell/bed. The four dancers are connected to she shell with long hoses. There’s smoke coming out of the hoses at the end. Eurovision.tv is positive about the act: “With the pulsing bass and video game graphics, the whole thing is dark and surreal and hypnotic – definitely a performance viewers won’t forget.” Latvia Panic in the Latvian delegation: the members of Sudden Lights are here, but their luggage isn’t. The guys expect their luggage to still be in Germany. The airlines company told the band the problem will be solved soon. However, the planned costumes could not be worn on stage today. The staging almost looks the same as during the national final. They perform as a band, with the drums on stage. They are surrounded by big lamps. The colours are quite dark, although we don’t know what the band members are going to wear. Portugal Portugal has chosen not to do a similar act as in the national final. Mimicat is performing with four dancers. The colour red remains however. The dress Mimicat herself is wearing is entirely made of feathers. The backing dancers are wearing red too. Eurovision.tv reporters are very much impressed by Mimicat’s strong voice. “This is a classy cabaret crowd-pleaser and the final note is HUGE.”, they say. in collaboration with Eurovision Artists

Liverpool Live: rehearsal schedule

Today, the rehearsals start. Wanna know if your country rehearses today? Eurovision Universe keeps you updated! 11.30 – 12.00 Norway12.10 – 12.40 Malta12.50 – 13.20 Serbia13.30 – 14.00 Latvia15.10 – 15.40 Portugal15.50 – 16.20 Ireland16.30 – 17.00 Croatia17.10 – 17.40 Switzerland17.50 – 18.20 Moldova18.30 – 19.00 Sweden

Sudden Lights: Eurovision fans are so loving

“Eurovision fans are so loving and passionate”, Sudden Lights say. That is a nice compliment! They also talk about what the best restaurant is, which musical stile inspired them and how they got the name Sudden Lights. Oh and they show our reporter Kal what they do before going on stage. Again, the video is worth it!

Road to Liverpool: Australia

We can not wait for the Eurovision Song Contest in Liverpool. Therefore, we have a closer look at one of the contestants every day. Today: Australia. Voyager Australia internally chose Voyager as their representants. The band composed the song “Promise” themselves, while band member Daniel Estrin wrote the lyrics. Voyager is an Australian progressive metal band hailing from Perth, Western Australia. The band was formed in 1999 by guitarist Simone Dow and bassist Mark De Vattimo. Voyager quickly gained a following in the local metal scene with their unique blend of melodic, symphonic, and progressive elements. In 2003, Voyager released their debut album, “Element V,” which was well-received by critics and fans alike. The album showcased the band’s technical proficiency and songwriting abilities, and helped establish them as one of the premier progressive metal acts in Australia. Over the years, Voyager has continued to release critically acclaimed albums, including “uniVers” (2007), “The Meaning of I” (2011), “V” (2014), “Ghost Mile” (2017), and “Colours in the Sun” (2019). The band’s sound has evolved over time, incorporating electronic and pop influences into their metal framework. In 2022 Voyager took part in Eurovision – Australia decides, the national final for the Eurovision Song Contest. They were pretty close to winning with their song “Dreamer“: they were the winners of the televote. They became the overall runner up. Voyager has also gained international recognition, touring extensively throughout Europe, the UK, Asia, and North America. They have shared the stage with renowned acts such as Devin Townsend, Opeth, Nightwish, and Children of Bodom. Australians participating for other countries The first Australian participant Guy Sebastian was not the first ever Australian artist participating. That honour went to Olivia Newton-John, who participated for the United Kingdom in 1974, getting a 4th place. In 1996 she was followed by Gina G, also for the United Kingdom, getting an 8th place. Furthermore, we saw the German band Texas Lightning competing in 2006. Singer Jane Comerford was also from Australia. And let’s not forget: although he is Irish, mr. Eurovision himself Johnny Logan was born in Australia! Australia in the Eurovision Song Contest Australian singer Jessica Mauboy was a special guest in the 2014 Eurovision Song Contest. She performed in the 2nd semifinal, because Australia watched the contest already since 1983. A year later, when the 60th contest was held, Australia could take part for one time. Guy Sebastian sang “Tonight again”. But in the end, it wasn’t a one-time experience: Australia never went away from Eurovision anymore. The best score was for Dami Im in 2016. Her “Sound of silence” became 2nd. Also remarkable: Kate Miller-Heidtke won her semifinal with the song “Zero gravity” in 2019. However, in the final she became 9th. Bookmakers Australia currently has a 14th place in the betting odds. That means at least the country will make it to the final; a tradition, they only failed to do so on one occasion so far. The song And of course, this is the song: