Every year that I am not press, I vow not to cover the rehearsals...
And every year, I am back again!
We have just had the first rehearsals for SF1 - no access by any press, pictures from the excellent photographers for the EBU (Chloe Hashemi, Corinne Cumming and Sarah Louise Bennett), a live blog running and just Tik Tok coverage for 'moving pictures'.
Everything is really against anyone outside of eurovision.tv from giving any coverage of this year's Eurovision and that is why I am not press in Liverpool - the ability to see the press rehearsals before each show, when I am going to the Evening preview shows later that day, was not incentive enough!
However I have enough experience of looking at what output there is from Eurovision to talk a little bit about it and so, yes, I will do it again.
Not each day this time but each SF rehearsal section, so here goes for SF1 across Sunday 30th April and Monday 1st May. Picture wise I have started with the crew from Moldova, Pasha and his full gang back together for the first time since Etapa națională 2023, he and his flute player attending the promo parties. It is a great backstage picture and often those show off those who are calmest in this situation. Onto the 15 who will entertain us on Monday and Tuesday of next week - remember, everything focussed on will be positives, as reviews should be...
Alessandra - "Queen Of Kings"
If you loved Alessandra's MGP performance of "Queen Of Kings", how she sounded, how she looked, and how the staging was back in Norway then you will love her Eurovision performance. The outfit looks smarter and more expensive, her hair is all totally slicked into a neat place now and she has a more ornate crown!
Limited though the footage is, I am pretty that we are going to get much the same as in MGP where she wowed the international juries and the public.
Back stage, she is the same mixture of excitement, nervous energy and youthful confidence that she has always been - Liverpool is not going to phase her and it won't be her fault if Norway do not win this year, there will just be someone who connects with the juries and public in the Final more. Qualifier? Of course! Fate of draw and placing may decide whether Alessandra has a trophy to take back home...
The Busker - "Dance (Our Own Party)"
There is more glitz and glam here in Liverpool than in Malta but we still have the same exuberance that these guys had when they won there.
I loved the cut off car they sit in and the change of jumpers (and sax) to a more expensive model throughout this first run-through - this is fun and all of this makes it memorable, a necessity when put between the 'Northern Queen' and 'Dandy Game Player' (that will make more sense in the next section). There are lots of fans who have already written this off - in a 100% televote SF, stripy jumpers and silver saxophones might just get them through to the Final....
Luke Black - "Samo Mi Se Spava"
This still looks epic and incredibly weird and artistically amazing - this has to get to the Final, as art deserves a wider audience.
Even the backdrop of the Transformer and the game level indicator seems to be there too - surely others will love this enough to vote for it? Luke comes across as such a lovely guy too - please vote for him in SF1!
Sudden Lights - "Aijā"
They are still amazing musicians and have such a beautiful song - all I can imagine is that they have nice suits in their suitcases to wear?
The look of this is like Supernova, just more spread out, and the crowd will appreciate this song - this so needs juries in the Final though and I am so sad that Latvia are likely to miss out on the Final yet again because of that. They are a great group of guys and perhaps they will sneak in this year.
Mimicat - "Ai Coração"
Mimicat is having so much fun on stage with her dancers that I am sure that lots of those watching would love to be on the stage with her.
She sells this entry so well that perhaps yet another non-English entry that has an incredible performer surprisingly makes it to the Final. She is definitely giving it her all, that's for sure...
Wild Youth - "We Are One"
LET 3 - "Mama ŠČ!"
Remo Forrer - "Watergun"
Noa Kirel - "Unicorn"
This is the reason why Noa has not attended any promos or shown this off to the world before now - perfect timing to give an incredible show when it is needed.
See her chances of a win, however much of an outsider she might be, increase dramatically after SF1. I am looking forward to the second rehearsal for more snippets of what we will see in full...
Pasha Parfeni - "Soarele și Luna"
When I saw the first picture with the female backing singer's antlers from the National Final replaced with a giant horn, I was disappointed - when I saw the picture above, I was elated and astounded!
Whoever came up with that image is a genius, as is the person who signed off on the costume budget, as everything is upgraded, smart and looks pristine. The flute player now looks like a mythical being and the lighting on him gives an almost 'Bulletproof' multi-beam effect. The movements look as they were, which were incredible in Moldova, and even Pasha seems to have his vocals 100%. Moldova are going to be televote kings and queens yet again - this will be viewed by many as 'what Eurovision is all about' and for once I won't disagree with them. Absolutely superb...
Loreen - "Tattoo"
Yes, the panels are smaller but the whole is going to be visually immense on a tv screen - the fact that she can now push the upper panel up herself without the need for tech to help even adds to this performance.
Hopefully that ties in with something in the song that makes sense, as that might be the one additional factor that makes a viewer vote for this. You might not like this song but the whole is greater that its parts, and it would not surprise me now if Sweden get that seventh win...
TuralTuranX - "Tell Me More"
So stylish and that matches their song this year which has a subtle Brit-pop vibe about it.
Their staging is very 'stand and sing to the camera' which could work if they weren't after Loreen and arguably if they had a bit of star quality. Unfortunately they come across as very nice guys who appear to be stood on two sides of a heart (perhaps that has a break in it - something to watch fo in rehearsal 2) and I feel that this won't be enough to get them to the Final. Shame - luck of the draw, SF2 would have been a breeze...
VESNA - "My Sister's Crown"
The only oddity apart from the co-ordinated pale suits is the huge long braid that each of the six members of Vesna have attached to their head (think Slavko, but in grey).
It looks like we will get some movement from those, judging by the pictures, so maybe there will be some choreography that will raise this up visually. Having said that, any chance that Czechia had potentially of bettering Mikolas Josef's 6th in Lisbon has gone in my opinion. Still love the song and their energy, but there is visual disappointment thrown in...
Mia Nicholai and Dion Cooper - "Burning Daylight"
Käärijä - "Cha Cha Cha"
Everything is bigger with the pallets and having the dancers emerge from below Käärijä is a masterstroke - it looks like all the great aspects of UMK (professional dancers, the fake teeth, the aggression, the human centipede) are still there.
He appears calm and happy off stage too - this is truly the one to compete with Loreen or at least be the best of the rest and get only Finland's second podium position. I am dying to see the whole three minutes and I hope that the magnificence of UMK is being just topped up!![]()
Even Käärijä's nails gets the attention of the photographers and he is one of the stars of SF1 first rehearsals. The attention swapped to SF2 halfway through day 2 - more to watch and get some clues about what chances anyone has against some of the heavyweights in SF1. What will this pair provide?
The first rehearsals will give us an idea of whether the staging for Teya & Salena can make them potential winners of Eurovision 2023...