First Day of Rehearsals - a roundup

 Hiya and happy most wonderful time of the year!

As you probably know, there is a change to the procedure, and - wisely some might say - we humble Eurovision fans will only get access to rehearsals from May 8th. Coincidentally, this is the day I arrive back in my hometown to lead ESC Nation's live coverage. As in 2010 (was it really that long ago?) my focus will be on doing things a little 'differently' and trying to bring the vibes, feelings and atmosphere of Eurovision 2023 through the screen and into your lives.

For now, the best place to access the appetite-whetting info from early rehearsals is the official site and TikTok Eurovision channel. As always, you are invited to join the conversation on our message board.

In that spirit, let's take a quick look at Day 1 - click the link to watch the TikTok footage, or just read about it in ESC Nationer's words:

1. Norway 🇳🇴

- She went with her NF outift instead of the video outfit 

- It looks like the NF performance

- They do have glo sticks… outdoing them will be impossible

2. Malta 🇲🇹

- A huge colour and stage contrast with Norway
- Very colourful 'but' it could come across as rather Junior Eurovision
- They’re celebrating with past Maltese entrants, Destiny, Chiara and others are there (in cardboard cut-out form)

3. Serbia 🇷🇸

- Looks pretty much the same as in the NF, which is no bad thing
- It seems they change the “crab walk” choreo, the rest feels the same
- Why is he wearing a shirt like the Amish people do

4. Latvia 🇱🇻

- Maybe best we’ve seen today? [Ed: This was 4th on] The stage looks great! 
- But their outfits don‘t! 
- Good to see Ann Sophie's backing lights still find some use 8 years later

5. Portugal 🇵🇹

- The sofa is gone!
- She seems lovely and the lighting looks good
- She's painting the town red, Denmark 89-style

6. Ireland 🇮🇪

- Wtf has he got on?
- As expected. The progression from the steps to the satellite breaks down the repetitiveness a bit.
- He looks like he should be singing Telegram in a Silver Convention tribute band.

7. Croatia 🇭🇷

- All the chaos I wanted from them... and a Croatian Costume Change! 
- Grandpas going around with their underwear
- It's everything I wanted, and a little bit more 

8. Switzerland 🇨🇭

- Hm, curious to see how this looks on screen. I was a bit sceptical, but it could work well
- A bit too gimmicky for a ballad? Always a risk to add in a load of choreography to a slow song
- What a hideous outfit.

9. Moldova 🇲🇩

- Lots of kitchen sinks here
- Their outfits are epic and so Eurovison friendly. I think they are doing a Dotter moment with the flute player which I think it's very clever. Moldova will sail through
- The Moldovan method strikes again: They bring someone cute as a support to the main act 

10. Sweden 🇸🇪

- The camerawork will probably be topnotch and it'll look supercool on TV but probably not as fun in the hall
- Wasn't there talk of some new elements to the staging? This one looks identical 
- The prop has slightly different dimensions to the one from MF. No final for Sweden.