Live in Basel: Eurovision 2025 rehearsals — Day 1 (Saturday 3 May)

Eurovision 2025 is right around the corner, and Saturday marks the start of first rehearsals inside Basel’s St. Jakobshalle arena.

Seven artists take to the stage for their first rehearsals. They’re the countries competing in the first half of semi-final one — Iceland through to Portugal. They’ll have 30 minutes on the the stage to see how their graphics and camera angles are coming together. It also gives them time to start working out their jitters as they fill the arena with their voices for the very first time. 

The EBU are sharing thoughts from inside the arena on Reddit. We’ll try to update this post as things drop. Regardless, please share your thoughts in the comments section throughout the day!

Eurovision 2025 rehearsal schedule | Day 1 (Sunday 3 May)

Here’s the full Eurovision rehearsal schedule for Saturday 3 May. Times are in CEST.

• 10:30 — 11:00 Iceland
• 11:10 — 11:40 Poland
• 11:50 — 12:20 Slovenia
• 12:30 — 13:00 Estonia
• 14:10 — 14:40 Ukraine
• 14:50 — 15:20 Sweden
• 15:30 — 16:00 Portugal

1. 🇮🇸 Iceland: VÆB – “RÓA”

Comments from Eurovision Reddit:

Let’s kick things off with an Icelandic party banger, shall we? VÆB (pronounced ‘vibe’) are brothers Matthías Davíð Matthíasson and Hálfdán Helgi Matthíasson. They are the first TikTok-born act of this Semi-Final, but definitely not the last. RÓA means ‘rowing’, and this song is very much about boats. Like a sea shanty, but make it an anthemic Nordic banger.

The routine is fundamentally the same as the one we saw at Söngvakeppnin, but with a little Basel polish – the two-part wooden boat is painted white with some waves at stage level, and the three backing dancers have upgraded outfits – silver dungarees with cute Icelandic jumpers and silver bucket hats. But the two VÆB boys are in the same outfits with hoods we’ve seen previously, and of course their trademark silver shades. The whole routine has been elevated, and the arena is already jumping. Is there a mic drop at the end? Of course there is.

Two interesting things that we’re going to see used to great effect this year – the LED wall at the back of the stage is full width and height, so it allows the artists to create hugely impactful graphic backdrops. VÆB use it for very cool geometric landscapes and seascapes in neon red and blue that feel very Icelandic, along with VÆB in giant letters that we saw at the national final.

Also the front of the stage has an enormous rectangular frame that supports the roof – this is also entirely clad in LED pillars on all three sides, so they can use front and back graphics to create depth of field. It’s really clever, and looks amazing both on screen and in the audience.

PYRO update – lots of smoke jets, for the Icelandic geyser vaeb. Our eyebrows are so far intact, but Poland is incoming.

 

 

 

 

 

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2. 🇵🇱 Poland: Justyna Steczkowska – “GAJA”

Comments from Eurovision Reddit:

Time for a supreme goddess to emerge from (Icelandic) Chaos – Poland is up next, and our first returner of the season. Justyna Steczkowska first represented Poland at Eurovision in 1995 with the song Sama – she’s an established artist in Poland, having released 19 studio albums, recorded over 200 songs and performed more than 3,000 concerts.

Every year there are a few songs that have a bassline so deep you can feel it in your chest. GAJA is definitely one of those – the reverb pounds through the floor of the arena, and for at least a minute we forgot to breathe.

Justyna descends on two ropes from the roof at the beginning of the song in this version, in a black catsuit that’s very similar to the one she wore at Polskie Kwalifikacje, but without the shoulder fringing. Her four backing dancers (three male, one female) also have different outfits, with gladiator-like fringed skirts and VERY high heels – the choreography is complex, so 10/10 for core strength.

The LED wall starts with spinning planets and water and lightning and lava like it’s the birth of the universe. Then at the end Justyna is lifted back up into the heavens against a backdrop of fire-breathing dragons. It’s giving Game of Thrones meetings Eurovision, and it’s an absolute spectacle from start to finish.

Pyro update! Low smoke on the main stage from the start, and flame jets during each chorus and for the final big note.

 

 

 

 

 

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3. 🇸🇮 Slovenia: Klemen – “How Much Time Do We Have Left”

Comments from Eurovision Reddit:

Rehearsals have started again, with our first ballad of 2025. It’s an absolute heartbreaker from Slovenia’s Klemen – he’s an actor, singer, songwriter and TV host. He’s hosted EMA, Slovenia’s national selection, four times, but this year it’s his turn to represent his country at Eurovision.

How Much Time Do We Have Left is a song about the fragility of life, and the staging really captures that haunting theme, with both the LED wall and the front arch both sparkling with thousands of stars that change from red to blue through the song.

It’s also a different outfit from the one Klemen wore at EMA – in this rehearsal he’s wearing a black suit with a white t-shirt, rather than the grey turtleneck. As we saw at EMA, Klemen sings the middle section upside down, supported by two backing dancers.

After two uptempo openers, this feels it will create a moment of beautiful, hypnotic quiet – Klemen’s huge vocals fill the hall with heart and soul.

 

 

 

 

 

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4. 🇪🇪 Estonia: Tommy Cash – “Espresso Macchiato”

Comments from Eurovision Reddit:

One last rehearsal before we take a break for lunch, and it’s Estonia’s Tommy Cash. He’s a singer and conceptual artist, with a huge social media following across Europe – he’s even played Glastonbury, and now he’s bringing his unique style to Basel.

Espresso Macchiato is the first of three songs featuring the Italian language this year, and one of two songs about Italy that aren’t sung by…Italy. Welcome to the joyful unpredictability of Eurovision – it’s one of the many, many reasons why we love it so much.

Tommy is wearing the same blue suit/long red tie we saw at Eesti Laul, and the routine is also much the same, with two burly security guards who are joined by two others for Tommy’s trademark spaghetti-legged dance routine.

The LED backdrop creates an alpine landscape that matches the mountains that flank the stage, with similar animated graphics to those we saw at Eesti Laul, just much bigger and bolder. There’s a real fun energy to this song – you can’t help but sing along. This is, as the kids say, going to go VERY big in the hall.

 

 

 

 

 

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5. 🇺🇦 Ukraine: Ziferblat – “Bird of Pray”

Comments from Eurovision Reddit:

In the first Semi-Final it will be time for Spain to perform now, but as one of the Big 5 they won’t rehearse until Thursday. Instead it’s time for our first band of 2025 – Ukrainian 3-piece Ziferblat. They formed in 2015, and took part in X Factor Ukraine in 2019, where (FUN FACT) they were mentored by none other than Andriy Danylko, aka Eurovision legend Verka Seduchka.

Made up of Daniel, Valentyn and Fedir, Ziferblat define themselves as being part of the new generation of Ukrainian music. The staging has definitely undergone some changes since the performance that won them Vidbir – the suits are a similar wide-legged/puff shoulders 1970s cut, but they’re now each in a different solid bright colour with lots of sparkle, and the three backing singers have glittery gold pantsuits.

The on-stage garden of grass and flowers has also gone – instead the LED wall has pink and green neon graphics that pulse and swirl with the music, and explode during the chorus. The lighting and close camerawork really drive this performance – even the way Daniel walks around the stage is perfectly choreographed to each beat. The whole thing is VERY stylish and polished, but that’s very much the Ziferblat signature, no?

PYRO update! There’s low smoke on the main stage from the start, then some fireworks during the guitar middle eight. Post lunch lull? Not in this arena.

 

 

 

 

 

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6. 🇸🇪 Sweden: KAJ – “Bara Bada Bastu”

Comments from Eurovision Reddit

So last year Sweden were represented by Norwegian twins, and this year it’s Finnish trio Kevin, Axel and Jakob, aka KAJ. But despite being the first Finnish act to represent Sweden, they’re from the Swedish-speaking part of Finland and are singing in Swedish. It’s also the first time Sweden have sung in their own language since 1998. Are you keeping up? No matter if not, your local TV commentator will almost certainly explain this all again next week.

All of which, excitingly, means we’re six rehearsals in, and have already clocked up six different languages, and we still have Portuguese to come. Bara Bada Bastu means ‘just sauna’ – this song is an invitation for the Eurovision fandom to steam it up, let go of stress and turn up the heat like a Swede/Finn.

Staging-wise, we can confirm the changes from Melfest that KAJ have already spoken about – the same brown suits, a firepit that’s more like the wooden heat rock box you get in a sauna, and a log store that is easier for the (now three) dancers to tilt into sauna mode.

However: a few additional things to note: the opening sausage is SIGNIFICANTLY LARGER than the one we saw in Melfest. The LED backdrop provides an entire forest complete with deer, until the key change when the entire arena goes full neon laser party for an epic finish.

And finally, KAJ have found some fir trees! We’re too far away to tell if they’re real or fake, sorry. Will try to sneak into the prop store later – we did it last year to check if the Windows95man denim egg had pockets.

PYRO update! Flames in the fire pit, and flame jets in the middle eight just before the key change. Then smoke jets to accompany the laser party ending. Sweden have left nothing unsteamed.

 

 

 

 

 

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7. 🇵🇹 Portugal: NAPA – “Deslocado”

Comments from Eurovision Reddit:

Time for our final rehearsal of the day, and it’s Portugal’s NAPA. They are Guilherme, Lourenço, Francisco, Diogo and João, a 5-piece band from the Portuguese island of Madeira who released their first album back in 2019.

Sung in Portuguese (our seventh language of the day!), Deslocado translates as ‘displaced’ – it’s a song about feeling out of place in the city, but also the peace of knowing you can always go home. The emotion is very much in the tradition of Portuguese Fado, but the sweeping musical arrangement of Deslocado also adds a contemporary summer vibe. They describe their influences as bands like The Beatles, Red Hot Chilli Peppers and Arctic Monkeys, and you can definitely hear a touch of all three in this performance.

The set-up of the band on stage is the same as we saw at Festival da Canção, but a few things have been added for the Basel stage. Firstly, the band’s outfits have changed – now they all have long-sleeved jackets or shirts in different muted colours that elevate the whole thing to a new level of style. The LED wall adds some lovely floating clouds and animated skyscapes that change colour in sync with the LED arch, all of which adds to the dreamlike quality of this performance. The harmonies are stunning in this big space – even if you don’t understand Portuguese you can feel the emotion, and those gentle final notes gave us goosebumps. A lovely way to end the day.

 

 

 

 

 

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