🇧🇪 TES Reviews: Hauntingly Beautiful for Hooverphonic

The fourth act rehearsing today is Belgium, who will be represented by Hooverphonic in this year’s competition with their entry ‘The Wrong Place’

What did we think of the rehearsal?

On the first run through we saw, it starts with Geike in the middle of the band. The staging is quite dark throughout with Geike’s face on the backdrop in black and white. Geike’s vocals are haunting but on point throughout the performance. in the chorus when they repeat ‘Your in the wrong place’ the band join in with her and this adds to the darkness of the performance. Geike keeps eye contact with the camera at all times it can be a bit uncomfortable but that feels like it is meant to be. There is two additional backing singers with Hooverphonic, having 5 people stood around Geike works for this performance.

This performance is very engaging and everything pieces together really well.



Now what did our team think of Belgium’s rehearsal?

Rory: was excited and scared at the same time, because Belgium and staging have been rather wobbly as of late. However, this is moody and atmospheric, with few camera cuts to emphasise the drama of the song. Geike sounds note perfect in each delivery, and the minimalist staging really brings in that level of moodiness. I love this though, and this could be a dark horse – literally!

Jazzi: I absolutely love this staging. I think Geike is an amazing performer. This performance is intense throughout. It’s dark but playful at the same time. I love when the band members chant ‘your in the wrong place’ as backing vocalists, it adds to that dark haunting theme that is going on throughout this. I think juries will love this and televoters will also go with this as its very memorable while not being a loud banger like alot of the songs around it.

Rosie: They sound exactly like the studio version live – I’m so impressed by Geike’s vocals! The staging was absolutely not what I expected, but I love the creepiness and intimacy of it. It fits the song very well. They look like a *band* as well, which I really like. I think most fans of the song will love this, but I worry it could possibly alienate more casual viewers – the eyes on the LED wall really are quite unnerving at times! I’m also not convinced by Geike’s styling, which feels a little too static and lacks the dynamic dresses of the music video, and a little more movement would suit this song well. Either way, it’s a performance that, as a fan of the song, I’m generally happy with.

What do you think of Hooverphonic’s first rehearsal? Let us know in the comments below or at social media. Don’t forget to follow ‘THAT Eurovision Site’ over at Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

News Source Credit: EBU/ That Eurovision Site

Photo Credit: Willy Vanderperre