Last night we found out the 10 qualifiers from Semi Final 1. What a show it was! Tonight, another 10 Eurovision acts take the stage to perform their dress rehearsal shows to a live audience in the arena for the first time . Welcome to the second dress rehearsals for Semi Final 2 !

It’s also the most important rehearsal because although the Semi Final voting is public vote only , should anything technical go wrong with the televoting in any one country , a back up jury vote is then cast . So the juries will be casting an eye on proceedings tonight .

Join me, Bogdan, as I bring you our #live blog of the Second Dress rehearsal show , all the way from Malmö arena in Sweden, bringing you my thoughts on the acts as they perform . Those of you who are our regular followers will know the drill by now. To follow the action as it happens, just REFRESH THE PAGE ! Please note that the Dress rehearsal shows ARE NOT televised anywhere, so please don’t try and tune in , you’ll be dissappointed :) Also we are unable to bring you clips of the goings-on tonight as it’s forbidden for the press to do so.

Just to add too that for the first time in the contest , the countries already qualified to the Final ( Big 5 plus host country ) will perform during the two Semi Finals. Tonight we will see the France , Spain and Italy performing, as these countries were drawn to vote in Semi Final 2 .

The acts performing tonight are ( in running order )

1. Malta: Sarah Bonnici – Loop
2. Albania : BESA – TITAN
3. Greece: Marina Satti – ZARI
4. Switzerland: Nemo – The Code
5. Czechia: Aiko – Pedestal
6. France: Slimane – Mon amour
7. Austria: Kaleen – We Will Rave
8. Denmark: SABA – SAND
9. Armenia: LADANIVA – Jako
10. Latvia: Dons – Hollow
11. Spain: Nebulossa – ZORRA
12. San Marino: MEGARA – 11:11
13. Georgia: Nutsa Buzaladze – Firefighter
14. Belgium: Mustii – Before The Party’s Over
15. Estonia: 5MIINUST x Puuluup – (nendest) narkootikumidest ei tea me (küll) midagi
16. Italy: Angelina Mango – La Noia
17. Israel: Eden Golan – Hurricane
18. Norway: Gåte – Ulveham
19. Netherlands: Joost Klein – Europapa

LIVE BLOG STARTS HERE

22:14 Let us know what you think about the 2024 Eurovision Song Contest – either in the comments below or on our FACEBOOK, TWITTER, YOUTUBE, INSTAGRAM and TIKTOK pages.

22:13 Thank you to you dear reader for joining us tonigh. Stay tunned for more Eurovision 2024 coverage.

22:10 Yeeess! Kaarija is now on the stage with his energetic Cha Cha Cha! What a joy to see him performing again.

22:06 Charlotte joins Petra on the stage.

22:05 Petra sings a song. One of the lyrics says, ‘Did those bastards win again?’

22:03 A look back at the Turquoise Carpet

21:59 We see now past National Finalists who never reached the Eurovision stage across the years.

21:58 In theory it’s a stop Voting now moment.

21:55 We see now a second recap of the songs.

21:46 Time now for the first Interval Act – a giant sing-along, with Helena, Charlotte & Sertab. Who would have ever thought of this collaboration?

21: 42 Of course, it’s time to see a recap of all the songs from tonight’s semi final.

21:41 We are told how to vote but of course no one will be voting tonight.

21: 38 I am sorry to say but this time it seems a bit false in places. Hopefully it will sound better tomorrow.

21: 36 Due to technical issues, Belgium is pefroming again. Audicence is clapping along.

21: 35 Joost gets a very welcomed reaction from the public. It’s a cheerful performance and all audience is singing along. Lots of food dishes from auround Europe are flashed on the backround. Joost has studied his camera angles and is not missing any. He and the dancers are almost doing a dance part from ‘Uno’. Even though a song with a happy vibe, Joost sobs by the time the song ends.

21: 31 Edsilia 1998 & Duncan 2019 grace the Dutch postcard.

21:30 Gåte are dressed in black under a strong mix of pale blues and green lighting. The lighting emulates the northern lights and big waves crushing. The performance of Ulveham has an air of mystery and intrigue about it. This could potentially be the first entry to transition a story from the video to the stage. Gåte definitely has given all she got.

21: 28 Ketil 1986 & Alexander 2009 grace the Norwegian postcard

21: 27 Eden Golan is alone on stage and like Dons, is stood in a ring type structure. She is soon joined by five backing dancers – some interract with the singer, some dance on their own. You can tell Eden is a seasoned performer. She shows a strong vocal range and connects with both the camera and audience.

21:24 Duo Datz 1991 & Dana International 1998 grace the Israeli postcard.

21: 23 Angelina knows how to connect both with the camera and the audience. She is joined on the stage by five dancers and you can feel the good party energy that gets you up and tapping your feet. I really enjoyed this performance that visually had some elements from her official video.

21:20 Nice to see again Maneskin 2021 on the Italian postcard.

21:18 5miinust & Puuluup are on the stage to bring that good vibe energy. Dressed in black vests or blazers with bare chests, the guys are performing to the max . A lot is going on the stage but you cannot fault the entertainment value. Love it or hate it, this cannot be complely ignored.

21:16 Tanal and Dave 2001 & Urban Symphony grace the Estonian postcard.

21:14 Mustii begins the performance as a silourhette. He is then revealed all dressed in white. Surrounded by microphone stands, it gives the impression he is imprisoned. Leaving the podium, Mustii rocks out this power ballad. Of course we have a sparkly chest. This gives us a James Bond vibe and the public reaction is good.

21:11 Sandra 1986 & Loic 2015 grace the Belgian postcard.

21:10 Nutsa is dressed in a copper-type colour outfit, with the heavy red lighting reflecting off it. The stage is surrounded by pyrotechnics during the chorus. Of course the Eurovision fans will say this reminds of Eleni from 2018. However, the background with the burning eclipsed sun is on another level. For me, this is the one to watch. I must say a massive well done Georgia and welcome back to the Finals. There’s no way she will miss it. (Unless something goes horriby wrong tomorrow).

21: 08 Sopho 2007 graces the Georgian postcard.

21:06 Megara is in a hot pick and black combination – both in dress and hair. We finally see a heavy rock performance on the stage tonight and I must say Megara is executing it well. Not quite the OTT staging we’ve grown to love from San Marino over the last few years, but the elements to keep you entertained are there. This surely is a joy for the fans of the genre.

21: 03 Valentina 2014 & Serhat 2019 grace the San Marinese postcard.

21:01 Nebulossa brings a 1980’s disco vibe to Malmo. The public is clapping wildly. There are some issues with the timings of the singing but this gets fixed. The public joins in to sing the ‘ soy mas torra toda dia’ like in the national final. Such a good vibe and everyone seems to enjoy this number.

20:57 Massiel 1969 & Chanel 2022 grace the Spanish postcard.

20:55 Dons is stood in a giant ring performing Hollow. We have some dark blue lighting, to match Dons outfit (a blue latex-like top and blue trousers). He gradually moves forward out of the ring and to the front of the stage. There’s a pulsating electric tree on the background. I think I was expecting a bit more.

20:53 Marie N 2002 graces the Latvian postcard.

20:50 The hosts now speak in Spanish, Italian and German. Malin confesses she was married to an Italian :)

20:49 Eight more acts to go. Malin & Petra highlight the fact that the UK have purchased the most tickets for tonight’s show.

20: 48 Ladaniva have brought the ethnic sounds from the Official Video to the Contest stage here in Malmo. Ethnic patterns are used on the floor projecdtion too. We have instrumentists joining her on the stage. The background shows red lights like stars. Great vocals and the public is encouraged to clap on the beat.

20:45 Inga and Anush 2009 & Rosa 2022 grace the Armenian postcard.

20:44 Saba starts the performance sprinkling some sand in a mysterious shadow. Dressed in white, Saba is complemented by some golden/orange lighting. Sava is serving some strong performance while standing on that cube like in the national selection. The back projection adds the element of sand granules been sprinkled from above and dry ice adds an air of mystery. Towards the end of the performance the stage gets dark and a pale orange light illuminates Saba’s heart. Not bad Denmark.

20:41 Hot Eyes 1988 & The Olsen Brothers grace the Danish postcard.

20:38 The public gives a warm welcome to Kaleen. Dressed in a silver body suit and wearing initially a white long puffer jacket, Kaleen’s voice starts a bit shaky. However, this is fixed througout the perfomance. High energy and intensity. Love it. Kaleen shouts, ” We will what?” waiting for the public to shout back. We have purple and blue lights and laser effects. The public loves it.

20: 36 Conchita 2014 & Cesar 2018 grace the Austrian postcard.

20:35 Slimance starts his performance laying down on the stage, however soon gets up. Again, we have another performer who knows how well to express his emotions through both his vocals and his body. The lighting is icy blue and Slimane is dressed in white, so I feel left cold a bit.

20:34 Marie 1977 & Barbara 2021 grace the French postcard.

20:28 Petra just made a blubber. That was funny. It happens.

20:26 Aiko performs with her backing dancers with the stage set lowered to just above their heads. This looks quite claustrophobic for them, before they are raised. Aiko and her dancers are dresed fully in black. In some ways, the dancers remind me of Sia’s dancers. The performance seems busy until Aiko gets caged and the dancers are making light in the dark with their torches. Vocally, it was a good performance.

20:24 Mikolas 2018 & We Are Domi 2022 grace the Czech postcard.

20:21 Nemo is wearing a furry pink anr red jacket, a pink skirt and pink furry shoes. Nemo uses the large cubes from the stage set to help navigate the stage, before reaching a seesaw disc. They are able to show emotion well through their movements, while carrying the vocal range well. The disc is moving but Nemo is great at holding their equilibrium. Can’t help but to think of Harry Style when I see this performance. Is it a winner? We shall see. Certainly another high octane number.

20:20 Celine 1988 & Gjon’s Tears 2021 grace the Swiss postcard.

20:17 Marina starts the song in a crouched position while singing in high voice. On the screen we see lots of hearts effects. The staging is full of bright blue, pink and green lighting. Marina’s performance element mirrors that of the Official Video from Greece. She is joined by four dancers in black. We have as well a handkercief moment. Just like the video, the overall performance is rather busy in places but the public seems to enjoy it.

20:16 Marinella 1974 & Helena 2005 appear on the Greek postcard.

20:14 Besa is draped in a sparkly, pale green dress. She is joined from the start by one contemporary dancer on the stage all in silver. Another two dancers join during the performance. Dancers are also projected on the floor. The beat picks up in the final chorus.

20:11 Kejsi 2009 & Ronu 2012 grace the Albanian postcard.

20:10 Sarah takes to the stage singing her song, Loop. Dressed in a sparkly silver dress, leaving not much to the imagination. She looks confident and has four dancers to complee the performance. Vocally, Sarah can belt out those notes.

20:07 First up is Malta (Destiny appears in the postcard too)

20:06 Malin Åkerman and Petra Mede are the hosts, so we get introduced to them now. They’re in yellow and red respectively and tell us how we can vote (obviously not tonight)

20:03 We ecperience some technical issues. The feed is at the moment bufering. Hopefully it will be sorted out soon.

20:00 The Te Deum. Oh what a beautiful sound to my ears!

19:57 The show is about to start! Are you ready?