Author: John Pearson - The Reykjavik Grapevine

Author: John Pearson

Reach Out And Move: The Reykjavík Dance Festival

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Dance should be the most accessible, comfortable, familiar art form known to mankind. Everybody has a body, and most people…

Lost In Google Translation: Earthquake Produces A Rumble Of Drunks

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Last month, the daily newspaper Morgunblaðið appeared to report that an earthquake near Hekla—the active volcano in the south—had caused…

Have Yourself A Gentler Black Friday…

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While the frenzied consumerist excesses of Black Friday aren’t really “a thing” here in Iceland, we at The Grapevine do…

Grapevine Grassroots: Live Track And Interview With BSÍ

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The lo-fi DIY punk of BSÍ has been playfully poking its finger into the ribs of the Reykjavík music scene…

The Bookish Tradition Of Christmas Eve

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As yuletide approaches, the thoughts of Icelanders turn to books. And we’re talking real books here; the ones made from…

Björk’s Choral Concert Soars

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A musician announcing plans to “re-imagine” a well-loved body of work in the live arena can induce a shiver down…

Grapevine New Music Picks: Inspector Spacetime, Árný Margrét & John Grant

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Tomorrow sees the return of Live From Reykjavík! You can choose to brave the Icelandic chill to catch the live…

Wist From The Westfjords: The Gentle Folk Of Árný Margrét

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Árný Margrét creates sublime, wistful songs that draw on themes of love and longing in the best tradition of heartfelt…

Live From Reykjavík Returns

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Music fans will have to wait until 2022 for their next fix of Iceland Airwaves, after gathering restrictions put paid…

Iceland Airwaves: The Unheard Festival

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The pandemic silencing of Iceland Airwaves—for the second year running—has led to claims that the government isn’t listening to live…

Lamb: A Strange Tale of Nature And Nurture

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The Icelandic environment and its folklore are inextricably intertwined. The island’s often bleak and treacherous landscape is the perfect backdrop…

Go Walkies With Pollý

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When you visit Reykjavík, come and meet Pollý and the Grapevine crew! Extra dates for our Walking Tour Of Reykjavík…

Return Of The RIFF: The Reykjavík International Film Festival Bounces Back

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This September sees the return of Iceland’s leading celebration of cinema to its more familiar format, following a year of…

Refugee Urges Iceland To Save Afghan People

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An Afghan refugee has urged the Icelandic government to take action regarding the emerging humanitarian crisis in his home country….

RVK Newscast #122: Covid Shoots Up And An American Aviator Drops In

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Pandemic infection numbers for Iceland leapt up again last week. But the Nordic nation had already reacted to recent rises,…

RVK Newscast #120: New Pandemic Restrictions and Reykjavík Has Crabs

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Over the last three days, Iceland has introduced new border policies and domestic restrictions to counter the spread of COVID-19….

RVK Newscast #118: Tighter Icelandic Borders Loom & The Mythical Four-Day Week

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Following the recent increase in COVID-19 infections in Iceland, chief epidemiologist Þórólfur Guðnason is expected to announce tighter border controls…

Picture Story: The Vaccination Of A Nation

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Iceland’s COVID-19 vaccination program recently hit top gear. Laugardalshöll—a huge sports hall in Reykjavík—has been turned into a mass vaccination…

Picture Story: Guardians Of The Geldingadalsgos

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Iceland’s civil defence relies heavily on local search and rescue (SAR) teams, highly-trained volunteers who undertake a huge range of…

Picture Story: Airborne Fire-Fighters

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Iceland has no armed forces, but the nation’s coast guard often steps into the gap to undertake certain specialist tasks….

Isolated Iceland: The Splendid Solitude Of The North

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Northern Iceland—where landscape, sea and sky converge just south of the Arctic Circle—is as far north as many of us…

Track By Track: ‘Mobile Home’ By GusGus

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GusGus join forces with Vök vocalist Margrét Rán on their new album ‘Mobile Home’, as well as hooking up with…

Volcano And Drone: A Seismic Soundtrack

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Images of Iceland’s recent volcanic activity have travelled around the globe, and touched people’s imagination in a variety of ways….

Húsavík, My Boomtown: Eurovision Lifts The North

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Húsavík is currently hibernating. Even though yesterday was the official start of the Icelandic summer and the weather is gradually…

Tales Of A Michigan Boy: The Open Book Of John Grant

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“I suppose I never really tire of going back over my life, and trying to figure out what the fuck…