Eurovision 2025: Semi-Final 1 Dress Rehearsal live coverage
- Liv Webster
- 5 hours ago
- 7 min read
Today the first behind-closed-doors dress rehearsal of semi-final 1 is being shown in full behind closed-doors but with media access. For the first time this year, media only have access to the live arena show, but not "down the lens" footage.
We will be updating this article with live updates of the show:
Iceland: Væb - Róa
The boys immediately open with the throttle on full!! The graphics in the background are quite unique from what we’ve seen at Eurovision in the past - very Minecraft-inspired with block-y patterns and lots of colors. What a cracking show opener, the bass absolutely BOOMS in the arena. A little sloppy at times from vocals and dancers but can be ironed out by the live. The vocals were improved from the national final.
Poland: Justyna Steczkowska - Gaja
One word: SENSATIONAL. From start to finish, there is a feast for the eyes and a real story with the staging. It doesn’t feel as frenetic as her national final performance; they’ve really worked in lots of moments for her to shine. Vocally phenomenal, that top high note she hits is angelic. The dancers are giving it everything. It just works. The kitchen sink in the best way possible. Not to mention her outfit is easily one of the best of the competition this year. Lots of flames and drama.
Slovenia: Klemen - How Much Time Do We Have Left
As seen in the photographs - the staging revolves around those soft warm gold and orange lights and focuses entirely on Klemen and his passion. It certainly stands out as a tough position in the running order around the attention-grabbing Iceland, Poland and then Estonia right after. The first half of the performance Klemen stuggled with some intonation issues, for a song that relies heavily on vocals, it could prove problematic.
Estonia: Tommy Cash - Espresso Macchiato
A honed in version of his Eesti Laul staging. The general concepts are still the same, he is joined by the “security guards” on stage, followed by lots of goofy dancing and his trademark cheek. What’s new is when being spun around there are coffee beans on the floor which looks really good and he is also joined on stage by a “super fan” who interacts and dances with him before being “dragged off by security”. It’s a well-oiled package and very compelling - especially for fans who wouldn’t have seen it before.
Spain: Melody- Esa Diva
If you enjoy slay, slay, diva, pose, dance, big note, big hair - then this is the entry for you! Her white outfit pops spectacularly on stage. Pretty much she starts with an outfit reveal from a black dress to the white jumpsuit and then from there hits the accelerator and doesn’t stop till the end. Her vocals were on point today - and no, she didn’t twirl her hair!
Ukraine: Ziferblat - Bird of Pray
The initial photos and videos failed to capture the gentle aura and charm of their staging. There are lots of majestic moments, particularly with the female backing vocalist who does the high notes. After seeing the whole performance with the “hazy” filter, I feel it works for the entry and really leaves the viewer feeling warm and light afterwards. Some vocal moments drifted into danger territory without hitting it.
Sweden: KAJ - Bara bada bastu
The bookies favourite came out swinging with their usual charm and fun. The LEDs in the background have a surprising amount of detail - off to the side where only the public would see is a deer moving about! The last minute with the key-change and colour-palette burst was huge. It’s their Melfest performance with just a few tweaks and yes, it DOES look better than Melfest! Trust me bro.
Portugal: Napa - Deslocado
Napa are doing their Napa thing and focusing on the atmosphere and intimacy of their song. The performance itself is very similar to the national final performance - lots of close shots with the band just vibing out there. It does feel like a good spot in the running order for this (opposed to Slovenia for instance), almost a sweet palate cleanser moment.
Norway: Kyle Alessandro - Lighter
Kyle has brought essentially his national final staging with some tweaks - including that big rock prop. There is a lot of fire (obviously), but it really comes at the right times to keep interest and momentum. He is such a firecracker with that choreography—he really owns it completely. The first half vocally today sounds a little strained, we must say.
Belgium: Red Sebastian - Strobe Lights
I must say - the bass from this entry nearly sent me into a coma (in a good way). It’s SO booming and it really, really suits the stage show in the arena. His vocals were on point today and he really prowls along the stage. His stagecraft has improved since the national final. He is joined on stage by 3 “mini Sebastians” which are intriguing and look cool. I’ll admit the last 30 seconds weren’t visible from where I was sitting, so not entirely sure what it looked like on the screens in the arena.
Italy: Lucio Corsi - Volevo essere un duro
A beefed-up version of his national final performance. He starts behind a piano and has subtitles on screen. By the end of the performance, he comes to the front with his backing guitarist and has sections of live harmonica! I suppose it's an easy instrument to sneak in live since you just stick it in front of the microphone. The aura stands out in this lineup for just being very simplistic. Vocally his usual self today.
Azerbaijan: Mamagama - Run with U
This unfortunately felt like a real flat spot in the running order - the staging features lots of reds and oranges with pretty LEDs in the background, but other than that - it doesn't really go anywhere or progress through the staging to tell a compelling story. Vocally, they also had a few issues with strain.
San Marino: Gabry Ponte - Tutta l'Italia
It's always an unenviable task to stage DJs at Eurovision but I think Gabry Ponte has distilled as much as possible from it! There is a lot of Italiana-statues in the background which are intriguing and can be quite amusing at times. He uses pyro for every drop which helps anchor the staging and keep movement when he is otherwise very static. The backing vocalists have improved significantly since the national final. Also great spot for them in the running order.
Albania: Shkodra Elektronike - Zjerm
Wow! The staging is absolutely stunning and walks the line just right between allowing her to do her special dance moves, tell the story and also tug on heartstrings. I would say this is the most sophisticated staging ever ever seen from Albania! We always say that Albanian songs work great with red and fire - but this one works on a new level. The only downside I can see is there is already a lot of red at Eurovision this year - and by this point in the running order you really notice it.
Netherlands: Claude - C'est la vie
The performance starts very intimate with Claude at the front of the stage with a close camera shot and slowly expands out as the song picks up. Vocally superb today - can't fault him there. The whole concept feels like it's missing a key moment and doesn't carry across the whole 3 minutes the way a song like this demands. It is already quite a repetitive song and bits of the staging can feel that way too.
Croatia: Marko Bošnjak - Poison Cake
Not sure where to start. The whole performance is engulfed in smoke to the point it's hard to see what's actually happening at times. Marko's vocals were unfortunately quite ropey at times - especially in the last minute of the climax. The outfit choice is unusual, dark and doesn't help elevate the performance. The whole product is messy and not particularly compelling.
Switzerland: Zoë Më - Voyage
A technically interesting performance from the home nation. Zoë Më is on stage with about 6 camera and lighting people to create the intimate music video-esque stage show. Unless you're sat in a very specific area of the arena - you can't see much of her in person. On the screens the performance is delightful, striking and totally unique from anything else at the competition this year. For the last chorus text saying "Please turn on your phone lights" pops up and the twinkling from the crowd is very effective.
Cyprus: Theo Evan - Shh
One of the performances that garnered a lot of attention once rehearsal pictures emerged - the first few movements with the "scaffolding" look pretty cool, but it felt a little bit like "what now" once we saw the prop used a few different ways. They spin the scaffolding around in lots of different arrangements but it becomes a little dull after a few minutes. Theo is also having to work very hard to maintain that vocal, dance and run around, I'm concerned!
Other show notes
We can confirm Australia gets a "good morning Australia!" from the hosts at the start of the show!
Watch the Aussievision crew in Basel review of each country
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