ESCXTRAย are live fromย Lisbon for day 1ย of rehearsals ahead of the Eurovision Song Contest 2018!ย The countries rehearsing today, in chronological order, are Azerbaijan, Iceland, Albania, Belgium, Czech Republic, Lithuania, Israel, Belarus, Estonia and Bulgaria.
We’re streaming live from the press centre
Furthermore,ย read our handy guideย for a more detailed look at this contestโs rehearsal schedule.
In addition, for our immediate reactions to every single rehearsal, you can follow our live stream from the press centre at the Altice Arena byย visiting our YouTube channel.
The latest artistย to rehearse is Nettaย from Israel. We have just watched theirย first run through of TOYย live on screen and here is our initial reaction.
Staging
There’s a LOT of maneki-nekos for some reason…you know those waving gold cats in Chinese takeaways? Those. Netta’s stood behind her looper, but now it’s all lit up, and the gold and white combination looks incredible. She’s using the looper a lot throughout the performance and it looks so creative. Near the end of the song, she’s helped onto the catwalk by her “stupid boy” and dances with the dancers. It. Looks. Amazing.
Vocals
Netta is starting with the “Oooh!” “Ouch!” introduction rather than straight into the song which we LOVE. Netta’s vocals are spot on, especially that big note at the end which she absolutely nails. The only issue is with the backing vocals during the rooster cuckaroo noises, at times they sound very strained and way off…so, sort out the backing vocals and this is absolutely perfect.
Costumes
Netta’s wearing a Japanese inspired outfit, think of a short, pink, glittery kimono with a corset. Her backing dancers are wearing black body suits with pink and white stripes. Overall, this all works marvellously as a package!
Watch the rehearsal!
Stay tuned for our reaction to ALEKSEEVย as they rehearseย Foreverย next forย Belarus. If you want to know what to expect for the rest of the day, check out our rehearsal schedule here.ย Meanwhile, remember to tune in to ourย live stream from the press centreย for instant reactionsย to each rehearsal.
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