A week in Eurovision land goes quick and today we have had Day 7 of rehearsals in Malmö and the acts performing in the second half of the Second Semi Final taking to the stage for a second time. As has been the case all week, both first and second rehearsals were closed to Press .

Today the proceedings started with San Marino concluded by The Netherlands . So here’s my thoughts on the second rehearsals today.

San Marino

The lead singer , Kenzy wears a pink and black furry coat and a black collar and the other band members are also in pink and black with zebra stripes . The staging is as rehearsal 1 with black and pink LED background and the LED cubes are in pink and surround the band. The LED background has various artwork on it , ranging from dragons to trees.There’s also smoke effects and flames . There are also two female dancers wearing fur boots , fur coats and a body suit representing skeletons . Kenzy strips off her coat to reveal pink PVC armour with a dinosaur spine . Kenzy also lies on the floor at one point with the floor creating swirls which move around her. It will be interesting to see how the Malmo audience react to this .

Georgia

Nutsa is accompanied by 4 dancers who are wearing black with sleeveless tops . Nutsa herself is wearing a short gold dress with separate sleeves and black heeled shoes . There’s a lot of high energy dancing , flames and an LED backdrop with flames and a fireball . As I said yesterday, Elenei Foureira, Chanel and even Noa Kirel last year have a lot to answer for! I really would like to see Georgia qualify this year after a bad run of non qualification the last few years.

Belgium

Mustii is in the same outfit as rehearsal 1 , except this time his hands are painted silver . He’s alone on stage . on a podium which has a circle of microphones on it , which moves around during the song .There’s smoke effects and white and orange lighting. This should be in with a strong chance of qualifying, based on the snippets we have seen today.

Estonia

This is going to be another “in your face performance “.The LED cubes are used to a maximum as stage props , with the cubes being lit in different colours. The LED walls also reflect the cubes that are on stage .The band members are dressed in black , some of them with a look that could almost be a tribute to the Blues Brothers!There’s traditional instruments , with the LED wall showing a video of the band members dancing . This is in the later half of the running order,and this might work in their favour , however at this point I do not see this as a qualifier.

Israel

Eden is in a long , elegant white dress , accompanied by 3 male and two female backing dancers. There is a circular platform on stage with a built in wind machine , presumably there to represent the hurricane. The dancers climb up and down ladders , which are at either side of the prop.There are neon lights , contemporary dancing and smoke effects .

Norway

When I was covering live blogs of the Norwegian Melodi Grand Prix this year, I could see from early on that Gåte would win . They have more or less stuck to their national final performance and I have to say it does seem to suit the bigger stage better than the one in Trondheim. Lead singer Gunnhild’s vocals are really powerful , she’s dressed in green off one shoulder outfit with a frill to one side that is in the shape of leaves.The staging is dark which gives an air of mystery the LED backdrops contain swirly graphics , there’s laser beams and a green spotlight and fog . This is the full package and I can see Norway qualifying with ease and being up there competing for the win in the Grand Final .

Netherlands

Performance as in rehearsal 1 , apparently the Dutch delegation have said that there is a lot more that will be happening which we won’t see until the live performances , so I am curious to see what this is !Joost still in his blue suit and accompanied on stage by a keyboard player dressed as a blue and yellow chicken in the colours of the EU logo . The LED wall contains lyrics from the song translated to english . There is also a cartoon character of Joost and dishes and sights from throughout Europe which replicates the preview video . There’s also two dancers in white tracksuits,Like it or loathe it , this is as catchy as hell and will be a big public vote getter . Should easily qualify in semi with public voting only, however, should Joost get to the final ,I can’t see the juries being as favourable towards him but then again , I may be wrong!

You can see the clips from todays rehearsal via the official Eurovision channel on You Tube BELOW :

So that concludes the Day 7 Round -up. What do you think so far? Do you think there is a winner amongst the acts we have seen rehearse today? Let us know what you think by dropping us a line in the comments box below and you can also find us on our Facebook and X feeds.

Author : Sarah Rudman

Source : Eurovision Ireland

Visual sources : EBU Eurovision .TV . Official Eurovision Channel ( You tube )