ESCXTRA are live from Lisbon for day 7 of rehearsals ahead of the Eurovision Song Contest 2018! The countries rehearsing today, in chronological order, are Russia, Moldova, The Netherlands, Australia, Georgia, Poland, Malta, Hungary, Latvia, Sweden, Montenegro, Slovenia and Ukraine.
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 Christabelle for Malta. We have just watched their latest run through of Taboo live on screen and here is our initial reaction.
Staging
The performance begins with the camera spinning around the four LED screens placed in a box formation that Malta has brought with them. Christabelle appears in between them, in which she interacts with the graphical overlay. During the first verse, a heart appears on the screen and during the first chorus, a globe image appears.
In the chorus, we see white strobe lighting joining the red and black stage lighting theme that flickers in time with the electronic dance beat. For the second verse, Christabelle steps out the LED screen box, connecting excellently with the cameras. She has the inspirational words from her national final performance on the LED screens during the second chorus.
For the middle 8, her dancer appears for the first time – much later in the performance than in the first run through – and Christabelle interacts with her. Finally, for the climax, Christabelle faces the audience and we expect her pyros to return in later run-throughs.
Camera shots in this performance: 73
Vocals
Once again, Christabelle is vocally great. The backing vocal levels are quiet, yet Christabelle feels adequately supported.
Costume
Christabelle is wearing the same outfit as on Wednesday. It consists of a black turtleneck and a black leather skirt. She is also wearing “half a glove” on one of her hands.
To qualify or not to qualify?
We have taken a flash poll from around the ESCXTRA table here in the press centre and 8 out of 12 of us say…
YES!
Watch the rehearsal!
Stay tuned for our reaction to AWS as they rehearse Viszlát Nyár next for Hungary. 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.
