Features & Interviews
Most read
Latest
-
Doing It Right, Getting Wronged: International Students’ Plans Of Studying In Iceland Fall Through
The Grapevine recently reported that applications for student visas in Iceland had increased by 40 percent since last year, and that many of those students were – due to no fault of their own – having difficulties in having their resident permits…
-
On A Date With: Bríet
The acclaimed Bríet takes a look back while charting her new course After another eventful year for pop star Bríet, the Grapevine took her on a date to hear about her creative process, Birnir and Bríet’s Grapevine Music Awards-nominated film 1000 orð,…
-
A Journey Through The Steam
Icelandic composers Benni Hemm Hemm and Bára Gísladóttir explore death on their collaborative album Gufa. Sometimes the most idiosyncratic and intense Icelandic music comes out of sudden collaborations. Both Benni Hemm Hemm and Bára Gísladóttir have respectively rich scopes of work, and…
-
This Is Going To Be Good
Dream Wife continue their political journey on their third album A striking moment of community response was demonstrated by the East London initiative Shadwell Responds when, after lockdown was lifted in England, the organisation fought for the reopening of their local swimming…
-
A Basket Full of Music
The Nordic House’s PIKKNIKK concert series highlights diversity On a lazy Sunday summer afternoon, there are few things as pleasant as a stroll in a garden, laying out a blanket with flourish and having a picnic. The Icelandic weather doesn’t tend to…
-
All Roads Lead To Skúlagata
The Skúlagata Collective releases its second compilation Skúlagata Collective is a group of like-minded artists formed around a bustling creative space. Once housed on Skúlagata, the space was eventually torn down to accommodate Reykjavík’s growing hotel economy. “We were still making music…
-
Norður, Niður And Back Again
A conversation with Sigur Rós in eight parts I. The eulogy A genuinely palpable sigh of relief could be heard echoing through circles of Icelandic music fans when news broke in 2022 that multi-instrumentalist Kjartan Sveinsson had returned to Sigur Rós after…
-
An Exhibition of Healing Songs
Entering the Halls of JFDR’s Museum It’s a hectic morning for Jófríður Ákadóttir, known as JFDR, when I arrive at her bright and charming apartment on the west side of Reykjavík. Having just returned from a series of soft-launch performances ahead of…
-
A Soundtrack To Get Thrown Out Of Society To: Skoffín Drops New Album
In IÐNÓ’s airy attic space, overlooking Tjörnin, Jóhannes (Jói) Bjarki Bjarkason, Bjarni Daníel, Auðunn Orri Sigurvinsson and Sævar Andri Sigurðarson sit comfortably, sporting electric blue boiler suits and sipping coffee as they reflect on their band’s new album, ‘Skoffín hentar íslenskum aðstæðum’.…
-
The Grapevine GrapeWaves 2017 Festival Super Preview, Part One
Airwaves is upon us! The off-venues are running, the stages are warming up, and it’s time to download the festival app and start organising your life for the next five days. Grapevine will, of course, be there in force—we have ten writers…
-
No Wristband? No Problem! How To Off-Venue At Iceland Airwaves
As well as the official wristband-required evening schedule, Airwaves concerts happen pretty much all day every day during the festival week. Reykjavík’s city centre is already buzzing with free daytime off-venue shows. This means even if you don’t have an Airwaves wristband…
-
PHOTOS: Björk Brings Vulnicura To Harpa
Björk presented her last album, ‘Vulnicura’, in Iceland for the first time yesterday in the Eldborg hall of Harpa. She sang stripped down strings-and-voice arrangements with a specially assembled orchestra, as heard on the ‘Vulnicura Strings’ alternate-version album released earlier this year.…
-
We Painted The Walls: Airwaves Leaves A Mark
Airwaves completely takes over Reykjavík 101 each year, but since 2015, the festival is leaving a more lasting mark on the city. WALLPOETRY is an initiative that brings together music and street art into a series of ten towering, large-scale murals that…
-
All That Shines And Shivers: Björk On VR & The Female Star
In Björk’s ideal fantasy life she spends all of her time writing music, cued by the cycles of the moon. “When the new moon comes, I’d go under, like a submarine,” she explains, motioning up and down with her arms. “On a…