ESCXTRA are live from Lisbon for day 5 of rehearsals ahead of the Eurovision Song Contest 2018! The countries rehearsing today, in chronological order, are Azerbaijan, Iceland, Albania, Belgium, Czech Republic, Lithuania, Israel, Belarus, Estonia, Bulgaria, F.Y.R. Macedonia, Croatia, Austria, Greece and Finland.
We’re streaming live from the press centre
Furthermore, read our handy guide for a more detailed look at this contest’s 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 by visiting our YouTube channel.
The latest artist to rehearse for the second time is Sennek for Belgium. We have just watched their latest run through of A Matter Of Time live on screen and here is our initial reaction.
Staging
There are significant changes in this second rehearsal for Sennek. The Belgian singer now begins her performance on the outer ring of the stage, and she remains there for the entire performance. The first camera shot is just a small panel of light which focuses on Sennek’s hands which move to reveal her eyes. The camera then pulls back to unveil more of Sennek.
For the second verse, Sennek starts walking around the ring interacting well with the camera. However, later in the verse she misses a few camera shots which is understandable considering the large number of changes for today.
The final chorus sees Sennek put her microphone on a stand in the centre of the outer ring, and the camera switches between close shots and faster swirling shots from above.
Camera shots in this performance: 36
Vocals
Sennek’s vocals are really good on this run through, almost identical to the studio version.
Costume
She is wearing a black dress, which has a transparent net type quality to it both on the upper body and where the skirt part becomes fuller. There are also black dots throughout her dress.
To qualify or not to qualify?
We have taken a flash poll from around the ESCXTRA table here in the press centre and 5 out of 7 of us say…
YES!
Watch the rehearsal!
Stay tuned for our reaction to Mikolas Josef as they rehearse Lie To Me next for Czech Republic. If you want to know what to expect for the rest of the day, check out our rehearsal schedule here. Meanwhile, remember to tune in to our live stream from the press centre for instant reactions to each rehearsal.