Live Blog: Monday 10 May

That's it for today's liveblog - if you've enjoyed our company be sure to tweet about it!

Tomorrow we’ll be back at 10:00 CEST for another day of first rehearsals. Look out for:

🇬🇪 Georgia
🇦🇱 Albania
🇵🇹 Portugal
🇧🇬 Bulgaria
🇫🇮 Finland
🇱🇻 Latvia
🇨🇭 Switzerland
🇩🇰 Denmark

#JoinUs then!

Watch: Serbia First Rehearsal

Henry the Hoover makes his Eurovision debut.

Rehearsals are over for today... we're just waiting to share Serbia's performance with you before previewing Day 4!

...you're too kind.

Watch: Iceland First Rehearsal

Serbia are now on their third run-through and they have implemented both FIREWORKS and GEOTHERMAL VENTS (presumably supplied by the Icelandic delegation)

While you wait here's a gallery of Da∂i and co!

...and immediately BLAST AWAY any cobwebs that might have been left in the rafters of the Rotterdam Ahoy.

Assured and unstoppable, they stomp their way towards the satellite stage midway through the track.

Not enough credit is given to what established girl groups are able to do - especially ones that manage to pull off the harmonies and dance routines that Hurricane are presenting at this Contest.

Earlier we spotted Uku Suviste from Estonia getting a little hair care expertise from Eurovision official sponsors Moroccanoil. They've created a beautiful salon in the delegation bubble...we might have to make an appointment if there's any chance we could leave looking this good.

We're not going to spoil the surprise... but Iceland have pyros.

We all know Da∂i's a music knowledge obsessive, so we're wondering if there's a sneaky reference to John Cage's 4′33″ at the end of 10 Years... or if it's just a very cool ending.

Either way, Iceland are making the most of the 3 minutes they have.

Da∂i and his band Gagnamagnið run through their first rehearsal in signature green sweatshirts (colour hex #37B0A1 for the nerds among us) with an array of curvy keyboards which transform into a larger instrument that would send Rita Repulsa running for the hills.

The dance moves are polished and the vocals are on point.

Watch: Moldova First Rehearsal

...to the end of runway 2. Please remain seated until the aircraft has come to a complete stop and the seatbelt signs have been turned off.

The 30-second preview of Moldova's performance will be along soon. Why not look at some photos while you're waiting?

There is no Moldovan pyro. Please adjust your notes.

And on that bombshell, it's time for a short break for twenty minutes before our final two rehearsals of the day, from Iceland and Serbia. Missing either of these two would be foolish in the extreme, so don't go away.

Watch: Poland's First Rehearsal

A 30-second preview of Rafal's performance will be available in a matter of seconds, but please take a look at the photo gallery while you're waiting!

It's our first minimalist outfit of the day, this time in very sparkly silver sequins. No shirts for Natalia's dancers either, we hope they're not getting cold.

This is the first performance we've seen that feels a long way from the official video - no pink, no polka-dots, no giant candy props - everything has been polished to a high gloss. Natalia is a great dancer, and the revolving stage is a nice touch too, although the backdrop graphics are (confusingly) almost identical to Rafal's from Poland. We sense there may be pyro incoming, but obviously we'll keep you informed.

It’s time for Natalia Gordienko from Moldova, rehearsing her song Sugar. This is another huge bop, and the official video features some giant polka-dot boxes and a complex dance routine (in heels). It’s also VERY pink, so the big question is - can Natalia out-pink Destiny from Malta yesterday?

Watch: Austria First Rehearsal

...Come and play ping-pong with me...

Here's Senhit playing table tennis with a member of of the Moldovan delegation. We'll let you know if she has any plans to represent San Marino at the Paris Olympics in 2024. Would anyone be surprised? No.

Hooray, Rafal's final run-through features fireworks AND fog. No wonder Rafal wants you to hold on for the ride of your life, those are terrible driving conditions.

This is a really fun performance from Rafal, using similar 80s-style graphics from the official video. He has four male backing dancers, all in white suits. We haven't seen many white suits this year, and everyone knows that Eurovision isn't Eurovision without white suits. The dancers also have glo-sticks, or torches, or whatever it is the kids wave around these days.

Poland are rehearsing next, with Rafal singing his song The Ride. The official video for this 80’s-style bop is great fun, packed with fast cars and men in sharp suits and shades. We are very hopeful that Rafal has brought them all to Rotterdam. Also maybe some pyro? We haven't seen any for a while, it's getting chilly in here.

You can see the video of Vincent's performance soon, but here's a gallery of photos to keep you going.

All hotel rooms in Rotterdam provide this handy 'do not disturb' sign...

Nice.

During our chat with Senhit earlier, we asked her whether Flo Rida will be joining her on stage next week.

"My very talented friend Samuel was rapping with me on stage today, but if Flo Rida will come or not... we’ll discover together soon."

We LOVE surprises.

This performance features Vincent on a raised plinth on the stage, with a little smoke and beautiful lighting. There are no backing dancers and very minimal use of the graphics screen - it’s some of the simplest staging we’ve seen so far in the competition, but Vincent’s voice needs very little accompaniment and it’s hugely effective.

Some of our team caught up with Senhit from San Marino and asked her about the crown headdress she was wearing at beginning of her rehearsal performance this morning.

She told us “I brought this special crown because you called me the Freaky Queen! And with Luca Tommassini, my amazing creative director we decided on this fabulous design which represents mother and son, or queen and prince!”

Oh, that's just the sound of Go_A lip syncing to Zombie because of course it is.

Welcome back for the afternoon session - up first is Vincent Bueno from Austria, who is performing his song Amen. It’s the second male-fronted ballad of the day, and Vincent is no stranger to a big stage, having come from a musical theatre background. We saw him heading for the stage a short while ago looking very stylish in sparkly black jacket.

Watch: Greece First Rehearsal

Delighted to see Alex Larke of Electro Velvet (United Kingdom, 2015) following the Live Blog over on Facebook.

You take care now, honey.

We'll share a video soon, but the gallery is available now!

Time for a short lunch break, rehearsals will resume at 13:40 CEST for Austria, Poland, Moldova, Iceland and Serbia.

In the meantime we’ll get the photo gallery and video preview for Greece up soon!

Watch: Czech Republic First Rehearsal

So impressed to see how this year's costume designers have prepared for the rain in Rotterdam today. Stefania's boots are ideal.

Mask - check

Microphone - check

Purple sparkly gloves - check

So this is all green screen and makes very little sense watching from the arena, but we CAN tell you that Stefania is wearing a purple sparkly catsuit with matching gloves, and has four male backing dancers.

We've heard from the Greek delegation that this performance will use special visual effects that have never been used before on the Eurovision stage. They've also told us that "The stage presence captures the journey that we can all make when using our imagination. Stefania, is at times making an earthly journey or floats, by moving in an urban landscape, where the pace of life shapes people's relationships as impersonal. Her zestfulness brings her to a 'last dance' knowing that this marks a new beginning."

Intriguing.

We'll have a video for you soon, but you can look at the gallery now!

Watch: Time lapse building of the Eurovision stage

Watch: Estonia First Rehearsal

It’s time for Stefania from Greece, who is rehearsing her song Last Dance. Like Ireland on Saturday, we’ve heard that Greece are using some clever digital effects so we may not be able to give you a fully report of their performance until we post the official video after the second rehearsal later in the week. Some things are definitely worth waiting for...

Out comes Benny in the sparkliest of yellow jackets, backed by two male and two female backing dancers. It's an effortlessly cool performance, and Benny brings his trademark energy and some great dance moves. Definitely one that will get the arena dancing next Thursday.

Next up to rehearse is Benny Cristo from Czech Republic, who is singing his song Omaga. It’s a really fun, upbeat song, so we’re hoping Benny will bring the same energy to the stage today as he gave to skateboarding outside Rotterdam Ahoy yesterday.

30-second preview video of Estonia's rehearsal is coming soon...here's a gallery to tide you over.

Can confirm that the rapper on stage with Senhit in rehearsals today was Don Jiggy, and you can find him on Instagram here.

Watch: San Marino First Rehearsal

Can confirm that Uku IS wearing shoes, along with a white shirt with a undone bow tie that makes him look stylishly dishevelled. His performance is simple and atmospheric, with stormy graphics that also include footage of Uku underwater, similar to the official video. Very classy.

We'll have a 30-second video for you soon, but if you can't wait that long (and who could blame you), here's a gallery of pictures.

Next up on the main stage is Uku Suviste from Estonia, who is rehearsing his song The Lucky One. There are a few male-fronted ballads that this year, and the luck of the draw means they’re ALL in Semi-Final 2. Uku is the first, and we’ve tagged him as the most likely to not be wearing any shoes.

Watch: LookLab with The Roop

Obviously San Marino have pyrotechnics, it was never in question. Big puffs of flame, then fireworks to finish.

Incredibly practical for wet weather

After a night of storms, Rotterdam is very, very wet.

Let's look at the weather today's participants are leaving behind:

🇸🇲 San Marino: 18° ☀️
🇪🇪 Tallinn: 13° ⛅️
🇨🇿 Prague: 17° ⛅️
🇬🇷 Athens: 21° ☀️
🇦🇹 Vienna: 17° ⛅️
🇵🇱 Warsaw: 19° ☀️
🇲🇩 Chisnau: 21° ☀️
🇮🇸 Reykjavik: 2° 🌋
🇷🇸 Belgrade: 21° ☀️

Where to start with San Marino? It’s SO much fun, featuring Senhit in black harem pants, a furry jacket and a huge elaborate headdress, alongside some incredibly well-dressed alien backing dancers in red sparkly boots.

Today’s rap interlude featured a different rapper, but the graphics definitely read Flo Rida so it’s reasonable to assume he may be joining us in Rotterdam next week. We’ll keep you posted, but in the meantime that is going to kick off the second Semi-Final with a BANG.

First up on the main stage today is Senhit from San Marino, who will be rehearsing her song Adrenalina. The big question everyone’s asking is – Will Flo Rida have flown in, and if so what’s on his (flo) rider? WHO KNOWS.

Having failed numerous times to turn on our own mics during Zoom calls over the past year, this table is anxiety inducing:

Thankfully we have an incredible team of sound professionals.

Rotterdam Ahoy's resident fish are back in action today.

Very excited for Fincent Bueno from Austria.

Goedemorgen everyone, and a very warm Rotterdam welcome to Day 3 of our Eurovision Live Blog. Heidi and Rob are back in the hottest seats in town for the third day of first rehearsals on the main stage.

More acts have arrived in Rotterdam over the weekend, and today we’re moving on to those performing in the first half of the second Semi-Final.

The team at Eurovision.tv have exclusive access to the arena for first rehearsals, so stick around for a sneak peek of the staging and a 30-second video clip.

Day 3 Schedule

🇸🇲 San Marino
🇪🇪 Estonia
🇨🇿 Czech Republic
🇬🇷 Greece
🇦🇹 Austria
🇵🇱 Poland
🇲🇩 Moldova
🇮🇸 Iceland
🇷🇸 Serbia