Another day of first rehearsals took place at the M and S Bank arena in Liverpool today. As stated in this morning’s article , the first week of rehearsals is closed to Press , including fan media . Clips of rehearsals have been available on Tik Tok and we have reviewed them this evening along with photos .

First up this morning was Israel.

Israel-Noa Kirel-“Unicorn”

Choreography wise, everything but the kitchen sink seems to have been thrown into Noa’s performance , much in the same way as Spain’s Slomo last year. Noa also seems to have found Surie’s hologram prop from 2018.

Azerbaijan Tural TuranX “Tell me more”

The boys have gone for simple staging, foot deep in smoke effects , stood on a podium and bright coloured suits seem to be the order of the day. They are in identical shirts , although the suits themselves are different colours. Could go down well with those fans who prefer simplicity over gimmicks

Czechia- Vesna “My sister’s Crown “

The girls have chosen to wear all pink trouser suits on stage and they have also have the lyrics to their song in the backdrop. Although we only got a snippet of the rehearsal, this looks as if it could be visually stunning.

Netherlands Mia Nicolai and Dion -Burning Daylights

The Dutch duo , dressed in all black ,have gone for simple, dark staging, with smoke effects, stood on a revolving podium at the end of the catwalk on stage. This seems intended to create the moody atmosphere of the song and in the brief snippet we have seen it looks quite effective. I don’t feel as concerned for the Netherland’s chances of qualifying as I was if the whole performance is like this.

Finland-Kaarija -“Cha, cha cha”

This is probably the one that everyone wants to see , as this is one of the big favourites to win. The rehearsal snippet shows Kaarija in his usual green hulk- like sleeves , joined by his backing dancers , who are all dressed in upgraded pink suits , with the addition of black caps resembling hair ! Kaarija starts the performance on a large box, with LED graphics mirroring his movements! The backing dancers then emerge from inside the box.From what I have seen, if you thought Finland couldn’t have upgraded their performance anymore, it looks like they certainly have ! I am looking forward to seeing the whole performance at the preview shows next week .

Denmark -Reilly “Breaking my Heart “

Reilly,bless him, seems to be following Ireland’s costume design with the spangly top ,although trousers are a slightly different colour. He has , however , said that this will not be what he actually wears during the live performances. There is a large revolving prop on stage, with steps which Reilly sits on for part of the song . The prop changes colour as we go through the song, which gives the impression of moving into different rooms. Not sure whether being first in the running order will do Reilly any favours , though I will wait until seeing the whole performance to make up my mind whether Denmark will qualify or not.

Armenia -Brunette “Future Lover”

Brunette is laid down on a large prop,with swirling LED effects, in colours which bear some resemblance to Cyprus 2022’s staging . It looks promising but need to see the whole performance to judge further.

Romania -Theodor Andrei “D.G.T ( off and on)“

Theodor is in all yellow, jacket and shorts and yellow Pikachu socks ! Starts off on stage sat down with his guitar with swirling blue LED backdrop, which then becomes a backdrop of volcano larvae. with two oversize figures in white frocks either side. He has a female backing dancer cavorting around him .While it looks like an improvement from the national final performance, I will wait to see the whole performance before making any judgment about Theodor’s qualification chances .

Cyprus -Andrew Lambrou “Break a broken heart”

Andrew has gone for the all black look , costume wise, although will this be his actual costume for the live shows? We have a backdrop of fire and also real fire on the stage too.This is then completely contrasted by changing to a waterfall effect.It looks as if it’s only Andrew on stage. This will be interesting to see when we get the full performance, as I think there’s more going on there on stage than we actually get to see.

Belgium-Gustaph ” Because of you”

Gustaph has gone for a more trendy look with a white jacket and pink trousers, he has his backing singers and dancers with him.It remains to be seen as to whether this is his outfit for the live shows.The staging has a raised platform on it with steps, which Gustaph starts the performance on .LED background of silhouette figures and the lyrics of the song, as in the national final. As the song proceeds , Gustaph comes down the steps onto the stage to join his backing singers and dancer and interact with them. I am looking forward to seeing the whole performance of this and once again, I will reserve judgement on qualification chances until I see the whole performance.

And that , folks , marks the end of Day 2 of Rehearsals . You can see snippets of the performances on Tik Tok . Tomorrow we have Day 3 , where the remainder of the Semi Final 2 acts will take to the stage for the very first time .

Let us know what you think of our thoughts on the day’s rehearsal clips and of Eurovision 2023 by leaving us a comment. You can also find us on TWITTER and FACEBOOK .

Author: Sarah Rudman

Source: Eurovision.TV, Tik Tok

Image Sources: EBU ,Sarah Louise Bennett,Corinne Cummings.