Eurovision 2025 is officially beginning today, as the first rehearsals commence, and Iceland was the first country to step on stage.
Væb, the electronic duo that represents Iceland this year with the song “Róa”, were first in the list for the rehearsals in St. Jakobshalle, in Basel! Iceland’s first rehearsal had everything we expected, including strong stage presence and a boat!
The performance 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 cute 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.
In the last run, there were lots of smoke jets, for the Icelandic geyser vaeb. Our eyebrows are so far intact, but Poland is incoming.
Who are Væb
Væb are an Icelandic electronic music duo made up of brothers Hálfdán Helgi Matthíasson (born 4 June 2003) and Matthías Davíð Matthíasson (born 7 December 2004). They made their debut in the recording industry with the studio album Væb tékk, released in September 2022 and preceded by two singles. In February 2024, Væb participated in Söngvakeppnin, the national final of Iceland, finishing fourth.
Below you can see the so-called “I’ve Arrived” video of the Icelandic delegation:
Photos from the rehearsal will also be added when they become available.
Iceland’s second rehearsal will take place on Wednesday, May 7, and we expect more info and rehearsal footage from the final result on stage.
Stay tuned on Eurovisionfun for all the news regarding the Icelandic participation at the Eurovision Song Contest 2025, in Basel!
Source: eurovision.tv
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