The penultimate act to rehearse today is the United Kingdom, who are being represented by James Newman. James will be singing the song ‘Embers’ in this year’s competition.
What did we make of the United Kingdom’s rehearsal?
Two massive trumpets on stage with him, James starts off on a black platform, the LED lighting is very red, he is joined by 4 backing dancers who are wearing all white and playing various brass instruments, in the second verse James comes off the black platform and joins the dancers, he is moving around and quite visibly enjoying himself on stage, in the bridge it goes all black! The lights then flash red and white at the end and there’s some crazy effects on the LEDs. James sounds vocally sound throughout the performance! No pyro today but that could very well come in the second rehearsal on Saturday! This is by no means a Eurovision winner but it’s a decent effort and something UK fans can definitely be proud of
Now, what does the team make of the United Kingdomโs rehearsal?
Rory: Going in, I was a little nervous about what was going to come to us from the UK, but I can safely say they have delivered a solid entry with some really quite memorable staging. I love the giant trumpets that come to light James in the opening shots, and then when the beat drops James knows his marks and hits them flawlessly. Some camera angles do need to be worked on, and perhaps James’ mic needs to be turned up a bit, but these are all minor details that can easily be tweaked for a second rehearsal. Overall, a really enjoyable rehearsal from the UK – *who* says the BBC never tries!
Jazzi: This has had some tough competition to follow today, with some amazing staging from other Big 5 countries + The Netherlands, this is a really decent effort from the UK. James looks like he is having the time of his life, an there will be fans on Saturday night who will dance along with him. Is this a Eurovision winner? No. Is this an improvement on the last few years? Absolutely, and that is all some of us UK fans have been asking for.
Rosie: Following Jeangu and Barbara in the rehearsal schedule was going to be tough, and unfortunately I don’t feel like the UK has quite lived up to that standard. It’s good – definitely fun, and fits the song – but this is a year where good isn’t good enough to succeed. It definitely need more practice and polish, and the sound balances need altering, so I’ll wait for the second rehearsal before I truly become either a nationalist or grumble about us coming bottom 5 again. It’s not bad by any means, but I fear this might get very lost on the night.
What do you think of James’ first rehearsal? Let us know in the comments below or at social media. Donโt forget to follow โTHAT Eurovision Siteโ over at Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
News Source: EBU/ That Eurovision Site
Photo Source: Victor Frankowski
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