Today the first behind-closed-doors dress rehearsal of semi-final 1 is being shown in full behind closed-doors but with media access.
We will be updating this article with live updates of the show:
Cyprus: Silia Kapsis - Liar
Silia (our gorgeous Aussie girl) is flanked by her four dancers and wearing her white costume with a mostly turquoise LED background that strobes in time with the song. She perfected the choreography managing to sing and dance with high energy including a killer ending as Silia nails the dance break and the boys rip off their shirts.
Serbia: TEYA DORA - RAMONDA
Serbia had very atmospheric staging keeping her in the dark for quite a lot of the performance. Good vocals and the song really explodes in the final chorus ending the performance with a beautiful ramonda flower bursting out of her and the rock.
Lithuania: Silvester Belt - Luktelk
Much like the national final performance, the colours were mostly blue and red. Silvester, the staging and camera were on point hitting every beat. The dancers disappeared in and out of the darkness which created a great visual effect. This performance is going to go off when there is a crowd in the arena.
Ireland: Bambie Thug - Doomsday Blue
This performance was simply INCREDIBLE. The staging for the first part is mostly dark with Bambie surrounded by candles and a very goth outfit. The stage then lights up for the "lighter" parts of the song and the out of nowhere there is a shock costume reveal. The media centre all erupted when the song was over.
United Kingdom: Olly Alexander - Dizzy
Following on from Ireland is another incredibly staged song. Camera trickery makes you think Olly and the dancers are upside down in a box that looks like a shower room, constantly throughout the performance. There is a lot going on here but then they leave the box and finish outside at the front of the stage. Really impressive.
Ukraine: alyona alyona & Jerry Heil - Teresa & Maria
Ukraine are well known for how well they stage their entries and this song is no exception. Jerry is mostly on a prop which looks like a giant wedge and once she is up the top there is a falling star effect which is stunning. Once alyona alyona comes on stage in silver the whole colour of the staging changes and then they come together. There is a very emotional moment at the end where the the LEDs on the floor are full of people including the two singers. Absolutely stunning.
Poland: LUNA - The Tower
Luna is just so darned likeable! She starts on stage in a red cloak with pointed shoulders which quickly is taken off to reveal a white outfit which is then towards the end of the song, taken off again to reveal her in white hotpants. There is a fair bit going on here and Luna's vocals felt like she was holding back a little. At the end she is up on a platform with a dancer (on another platform) and the moon in the background. The staging is mostly white and red like the Polish flag.
Croatia: Baby Lasagna - Rim Tim Tagi Dim
Pleased to report the vocals are vastly improved with staging mostly like the national final. What is nice is the explosions of different blocks of colours throughout. Lots going on here but very enjoyable. Baby Lasagna really looks like he is in the zone in his performance.
Iceland: Hera Björk - Scared of Heights
Queen Hera of Iceland really knows what she is doing and she just sings this so effortlessly. Her hair looks great pulled back and she is rocking that gold outift like the Queen she is. She is on a raised platform with lots of triangles of orange, yellow and gold in the background. On stage with her are five singers, two on one side and three on the other. Towards the end are two large dancers projected on the background.
Germany: ISAAK - Always On The Run
Not expecting the staging for this to be so good. Isaak is surrounded by lots of flames and orange hues. His vocals are absolutely nothing short of perfection, really leaning into the raspy-ness. The song is a little different to the original track. At the end he is joined on stage with backing singers. Lots of pyro budget for this song!
Slovenia: Raiven - Veronika
Raiven has backup dancers in flesh coloured outfits. She nails the vocals and it is a tasteful and striking performance with a lot of water imagery. While there were a lot of people on stage, the stage did often feel empty and the performance could have done with more close-up shots of Raiven's lovely face.
Finland: Windows95man - No Rules!
Windows95man pretty much sticks to their UMK formula with minimal changes. There is a lot (A LOT) of denim and we see a bit of pretend nudity at the beginning before he puts on the shorts with the fireworks coming out. Did we mention denim?
Moldova: Natalia Barbu - In The Middle
Natalia's vocals are absolutely flawless! The staging is rather simple relying a lot of LED, and towards the end are a lot of flowers on the floor which is very pretty and also a tree in the background which is beautiful. Natalia's outfit slays! This woman is a true professional.
Sweden: Marcus & Martinus - Unforgettable
As usual, Sweden oh so very slick and well rehearsed. Very similar to the Melodifestivalen staging with very clever use of LED lights with lots of red, green and blue. At times the staging is rather dark but also rather striking. The "walls" are opened up a lot earlier in the song from what we saw at Melodifestivalen.
Azerbaijan: FAHREE feat. Ilkin Dovlatov - Özünlə Apar
The staging is quite striking with a lot of purple and silver glittery hands projected onto the screen. The theme of the hands is throughout the performance and then in the end a pair of large glittery hands does appear from the stage. The performance is quite captivating and the vocals are on point!
Australia: Electric Fields - One Milkali (One Blood)
Zaachariaha's vocals are really great throughout the song but the vocals were being held back to preserve his voice. The camera work has been cleaned up significantly. The colours are gorgeous and they transition beautifully. The singers coming out on stage is a highlight and they stick close to Zaachariaha throughout the rest of the song. The Yidaki (Didgeridoo) comes out towards the end rounding the song out beautifully.
Portugal: iolanda - Grito
The real talking point for this performance is the visuals, Iolanda and her dancers gave a stellar show framed beautifully by the floating boxes and stark white graphics. Not to forget the square aspect ratio it is shot in, very tasteful.
Luxembourg: TALI - Fighter
The staging is actually quite dark and at times it is rather hard to make out Tali's outfit. There also does not seem to be many close-up shots of her face. The background has a lot of purple, pink and red hues. Her vocals were really good.
Watch the Aussievision crew in Malmö's review of each country
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