With second rehearsals concluding this afternoon with the semi-final 1 participants, it’s time for the Big 5 to embark on their first rehearsals of the contest. We here at ESCToday are ready to bring you the latest news live from the arena itself.

The first rehearsals kick off this evening where both France and Spain will take to the stage for the first time, starting from 18:55 CEST. First rehearsals then continue tomorrow morning at 9:50 CEST with the remaining 3 members of the Big 5; Germany, Italy and the United Kingdom.

Sweden, the host nation and the final automatic qualifier in this year’s competition, took to the stage for their first rehearsal on Tuesday afternoon following the rehearsals from the second half of the first semi-final.

Following the Big 5’s first rehearsals, they along with Sweden will return to the arena on Sunday where they will rehearse on the stage for a second time, making any necessary changes.

Short first impression videos from the Big 5 first rehearsals will be uploaded via the official Eurovision YouTube channel.

France: Amir – J’ai cherché

Amir enters the stage on his own with no backing dancers or vocalists in sight. The singer wears a blue suit with a white shirt underneath, similar to what has been seen in the past. A universe theme takes over the LED background with stars and lights appearing across the screen throughout. The colours mainly consist of blues and white, with the staging changing to red, white and blue at the end of the performance to represent the French flag.

Spain: Barei – Say yay!

An energetic performance is seen on the Eurovision stage this evening with Barei and her backing vocalists. Barei wears a short gold dress on stage with her famous black and white boots whilst her backing vocalists are wearing sports t-shirts. Bringing the energy to the arena, Barei performs her trademark dance routine which we’ve seen over the last number of months.

Germany: Jamie-Lee – Ghost

A fairytale themed performance for Germany’s Jamie-Lee at the Globe Arena today, where she is joined by 4 backing vocalists onstage. The trees from the German national final make their return, placed all around the stage. Green beams circulate around the arena throughout Jamie-Lee’s performance, a rising moon graphic being used on the LED screens. Towards the latter half of the song, Jamie-Lee walks up the catwalk where the performance ends.

Italy: Francesca Michielin – No degree of separation

Francesca Michielin is next to take to the stage this morning for her first rehearsal, the theme of the performance itself being focused around nature. Francesca’s performance features an image of a tree on the LED screens and she is joined onstage by a number of little props including flowers and birds. During the performance, the graphics on the floor of the stage change, creating a small island where Francesca is standing and adding water around it. Onstage on the night, Francesca will wear a full jumpsuit.

United Kingdom: Joe & Jake – You’re not alone

Joe & Jake enter the darkened stage for their first rehearsal, a single spotlight shining over the duo. As the song tempo increases, the stage is lit and 2 drummers can be seen at the side of the stage, standing on raised platforms whilst Joke & Jake remain central. During the chorus of the song, a number of selfies submitted by the public appear on the backing LED screens. Pyrotechnics are used towards the end of the performance before the song concludes.

Join us later today for our latest daily press poll with the latest results on the Big 5 and Sweden.