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Nicky Digital Captures The Chaos of Iceland Airwaves
Nicholas Rhodes, aka Nicky Digital, is a party photographer, it-boy and moustache role-model based in New York City. You may have seen him industriously snapping the best gigs and parties at Airwaves last October. We caught up with him via email to…
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The Absolutely, Unquestionably, Very Best Of Airwaves 2013!
We did it again (oops). We did it again. It was a tough one, what with the one hundred thousand bands each playing three shows per night for fifteen consecutive nights at eight thousand venues spread throughout the gargantuan Reykjavík metropolis area…
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Sykur: Being Insane Is A Good Thing!
The lead singer of Sykur, Agnes Björt Andradóttir, is clearly mental. But in a good way.
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A Note On Replication And Adaptation
Apparently there has been some controversy — and some misunderstanding — regarding my recent comment about certain Icelandic bands and the music of the African diaspora. I do choose my words carefully, but some people didn’t read them very carefully. They seemed…
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Reykjavík Grapevine’s Podcast: Airwaves Monday Edition
Poof! Five days packed with music, party and Grapevine Airwaves Podcast is now over. What a blast! As we say goodbye to Iceland Airwaves 2013, there is still room for one more thoughtful, hopefully entertaining podcast from Your Friends At The Grapevine.…
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Icelandic Soul Is Life Of The Party
The decision to spend the last night of Airwaves at Gamli Gaukurinn was one of the better ones I made over this four-day music bender. Though Gamli was hot and packed and people were by now sweating beer, there was a sense…
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Samaris: The White Swan Performance
For many, Iceland Airwaves is about discovering new and exciting bands and being surprised with performances. My Airwaves experience usually consists of randomly wandering around from venue to venue with very little idea of what to expect. After seeing only the photo…
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Those Magnificent Men in Their Kraftwerk Machine – Harpa Eldborg
It’s been over 40 years since they released their first album, and even the oldest songs haven’t aged much. Not many bands can say that about their catalogue, especially in the electronic genre.
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Saturday Night Live
SÓLEY At first glance, one would not think Sóley is a very tough person. For her set at Gamla Bíó on Saturday evening, she wore loosely tied pearls, frumpy glasses and her hair tied up in a bun. She looked, frankly, like…
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A Downer Crowd, Icelandic Bro-Hop And Synth Driven Lolita Fantasies
The evening started quietly at Hressingarskálinn on Saturday evening, not a lot of commotion going on as venue opener Jara took the stage. Being the first one up, she was obviously dealing with a rather tired and stiff crowd. Jara played for a little over…
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A Walk On The Mild Side
Just off Laugavegur behind some tall red doors lies Gamla Bíó, a grand seated theatre with a high balcony circle and a spotlit stage. Despite being in the heart of downtown Reykjavik, it feels like a secret somehow; an atmospheric sanctuary from…
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The Big Sleep At Harpa Kaldalón
Kira Kira, an experimental noise band fronted by Kristín Björk Kristjánsdóttir, opened up Harpa Kaldalón with a song I imagine is similar to the sound of a dinosaur being born. Kristín is that girl you went to art school with, she interchangeably plays…
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Different Flavours Of Electronic
VÖK Vök is a young band, formed only earlier this year. Already within that short time they’ve managed to win the prestigious Icelandic battle of the bands, Músíktilraunir, after which they recorded and released an EP on Records Records. Vök instantly recall…
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Too Much Polish, Not Enough Passion – Iðnó pt. 2
No, you don’t need hand gestures to accompany each vocal flourish, and no, you don’t need to tell the crowd to move closer to the stage (pet peeve of mine, that one). And you might want to consider spitting your gum out…
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Very Solid! – Iðnó pt. 1
It was an early start at Iðnó on Saturday. The band Vigri went on stage just after seven o’clock and played extremely melodic and well crafted electronic music. The vocal arrangements were nothing short of dazzling and complemented their keen sense of…
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Jon Hopkins Destroyed My Face
An unedited conversation about the bands I saw last night, which ended up being a ridiculous amount of fun. Not that surprising considering the night ended with John Hopkins bringing “all the party”, and FM Belfast doing their best to claim their spot as…
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Icelandic Metal Is Alive And Well – Amsterdam Pt. 1
Trust The Lies is a young, upcoming metalcore band. They are obviously well rehearsed for the occasion, with all melodic changes delivered without a hitch, and their timings are impeccable. They have a lot of raw power, and pull off an energetic…
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This Was Special For Mykki Blanco
One of the most notable shows of Airwaves 2013 was about to begin, featuring Nolo, Ghostigital, Mykki Blanco, Gold Panda, and Savages at the Reykjavik Art Museum on Saturday night, and Michael Quattlebaum Jr. aka Mykki Blanco is in his pajamas in the…
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“…Then The Bass Came In” – Harlem Pt. 2
Venue impressions: very hand painted, intimate feel. Feels like a lot of DIY loft venues I’ve been to in NY, so mission accomplished I guess. Great stuff to be looking at if one were to be flipping out on hallucinogens, I imagine.…
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Like Sticking Your Head In Warm Ambient Goo – Harlem Pt. 1
ARNI² Fresh from their blistering set last night (where they apparently played nowt but banging hardcore techno), Árni Grétar and Árni Vector decided to take a different tack this evening by playing a mostly ambient style of music. Starting softly, they mixed…
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The Norðurljós Is Thoroughly Rocked
APPARAT ORGAN QUARTET Several times during their show, someone in the Apparat Organ Quartet told the crowd, “Apparat loves you!” And we all loved them right back. Apparat Organ Quartet are musical bad-asses, but they have a sense of playfulness that is…
