Today kicked off the second set of second rehearsals for Eurovision 2022.
Press were invited to watch the full performances - giving us our first real good look at the entries. Most participants ran through their entries three times.
Aussievision has the delight of being present in both the online and in-person press centres this year. As part of the press centre we view the full performances as seen 'down the lens' as they will be seen on television.
For Eurofans - you have access to the EBU official photo gallery, performance 'snippets' on the official Eurovision YouTube channel and tasters on TikTok.
Performers on second rehearsals today:
Iceland
Norway
Armenia
Finland
Israel
Serbia
Azerbaijan
Georgia
Malta
San Marino
The Big Five will also have their first rehearsals this evening at the commencement of the second rehearsals.
Our comments:
Iceland: Systur - 'Með hækkandi sól'
Systur produce their trademark beautiful harmonies. They grace the stage in a line, playing their instruments and are joined by a drummer. The lighting has a lovely warm feel and their LED use on the stage has a almost fluid effect. Their staging has certainly elevated from the national final and have done themselves a favour. Nice use of split screens to demonstrate the connection between artists. Lots of warm golds/oranges.
Norway: Subwoolfer - 'Give That Wolf a Banana'
Absolutely out of this world energy and choreography from the team. Took a few runs to iron out some stray camera angels and mixing issues but by the third run it was nearly perfect. Words are one again projected on screen similar to Melodi Grand Prix. Big finish with pyrotechnic blasts. Very professional, well rehearsed and wonderful to watch.
Armenia: Rosa Linn - 'Snap'
Certainly and interesting staging concept - Rosa Linn makes her way around a room, ripping down bits of fabric revealing certain messages underneath. The whole room is draped in these bits of white fabric. The vocal was solid and there is a fun little "moment" at the end of the performance for the crowd. Some camera timing and moments down the camera were ironed out by the third run through and smoke added. Overall the staging elevates the song.
Finland: The Rasmus - 'Jezebel'
The staging is exclusively yellow and black. There are LOTS of pieces on stage from the bands instruments to giant balloons - it feels a bit cluttered. It can be difficult at times with the frenetic staging to work out who I'm meant to be looking at. Generally frontman Lauri Ylönen's voice sounded strained at times.
Israel: Michael Ben David - 'I.M'
Michael sings the opening lines acapella and moves into the rest of the tune with four male backing dancers. They're all wearing similar white outfits with a white, black and red colour scheme on stage. The floor LEDs depict almost a runway-esque feel will Michael giving it his all, strutting around the stage complete with a dance break. The vocals, energy and charisma were totally on point - especially in the last run. This has significantly elevated Israel's chances of qualifying for the grand final.
Our review of the first five rehearsals
Serbia: Konstrakta - 'In corpore sano'
For those familiar with the National Final performance it is very similar in vibe and feel. Konstrakta is seated in the middle of the stage with her washbowl surrounded by her backing singers and their towels. The lighting does change throughout the performance as it builds to a crescendo... AND we have some subtitles! Overall a good transfer of her original performance to the Eurovision stage and the English wording on screen should help people who may be confused about what's going on!
Azerbaijan: Nadir Rustamli - 'Fade to Black'
We have a very dark vibe overall. He appears on some stairs/bleachers with a dancer mimicking his movements. The lighting is effectively in changing the vibe throughout the song and he produces a vocal MOMENT! The darkness of the performance is enhanced with lightning in the side LEDs. I will say, that it is almost a little difficult to connect with him in the darkness. Thoughtfully shot performance. His face is never fully lit, so connection may be an issue for viewers. Juries will appreciate it, however and overall a very classy package.
Georgia: Circus Mircus - 'Lock Me In'
Okaaay! Where to start? The band are dressed in very kooky outfits and it can be hard to focus at times. There is great use of the LEDs, especially the on the floor. They sound pretty good too, the vocals are good. They haven’t played it safe, their entry and staging is very distinct. It will have its fans, but some just won’t go for it. Let’s see how it pans out. We applaud them for being bold however.
Malta: Emma Muscat - 'I am What I am'
Emma has a good solid vocal throughout. The gold & orange colour palette adds a nice richness to the overall feel. We go from sat at piano opening to dance routine with four dancers on the satellite stage close, so there is visual progression here. But my overall impression is this is solid but a little too safe. Emma does nothing wrong and there are some nice little touches here and there. However, I am left with the feeling I’ve seen all this before.
San Marino: Achille Lauro - 'Stripper'
His outfit is quite ‘Italian Frankenfurter’, but he pulls it off. Smoke, pyros and a guitar shooting sparks. Is it over the top? Hell yeah! Did it all completely work? Possibly not. But who cares! It’s getting closer to an Achille Lauro performance. Brilliant stuff!
Watch our review of the final five rehearsals below:
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