Author: - The Reykjavik Grapevine

Pool Yourself Together: Iceland’s Best Countryside Bathing Spots

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After a long day of road tripping or hiking, nothing feels better than sliding into some hot geothermal water. Pretty…

Buy Shit: Scarves, Bedding, Books, Herbal Medicine

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We’d skip the shitty novelty T-shirts, tbh. This stuff is better. 66° North Bylur Scarf Icelandic wool is a wonderful…

LungA School To Offer Scholarships For Icelandic Applicants

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The East Iceland LungA School—an offshoot from the popular music and arts festival—has announced that they’re starting a scholarship for…

What’s New & Who’s Who #5: Lo-fi, Rap, Jazz & More

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Oh lord, the fun never ends: part five of our guide to the bands playing Airwaves for the first time…

Land’s End: The Villages, Cliffs & Windswept Islands Of Skagafjörður

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We’re just north of Bifröst when the night falls hard. After a blustery three hour road trip up the western…

Hveragerði Town Guide: Local Beer & Geothermal Bathing

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Hveragerði is the first town people pass through when they drive south from Reykjavík towards the natural wonders of the…

Airwaves Tipsters: JFDR

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Jófríður Ákadóttir is a member of GANGLY, Pascal Pinon, Samaris and JFDR, (her solo project). She’s always one of the…

What’s New & Who’s Who At Airwaves #4: GDRN, Indriði & More

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Our guide to the least dusty artists at Airwaves 2017 continues. Each one is plucked freshly from the rolling fields….

#SmiteTheWorld: World Cup Omens From Witches, Entrails, A Magic 8-Ball & More

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After the raging, calamitous, historic homeland victory that saw Iceland smite Kosovo within an inch of their mewling, tawdry lives,…

Kosovo Krushed: Iceland Qualify For World Cup 2018

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Iceland tonight qualified for the World Cup, for the first time in the country’s history. They beat Kosovo 2-0 at…

Iceland On Track To Win World Cup, Starting Tonight With Kosovo

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Iceland will tonight smite the weedy minnows of Kosovo on their way to winning the World Cup 2017. The last…

Buy Shit: Skateboards, Lysi, Mr Tree, Iceland In Icons

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Seriously, get over the puffin obsession already, guys… Mold Skateboard Reykjavík is a skateboard-heavy city, so it’s a natural home…

The Pop Savant: Páll Ivan’s Art Therapy

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Páll Ivan leaps up and down in a dark, graffiti-coated subterranean space, his eyes gleaming under a torrent of glowing…

What’s New & Who’s Who #3: Elli Grill, Flóni, Fever Dream & More

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Get into the new skool: it’s part three of our epic festival debutantes guide to the freshest faces at Iceland…

Grapevine Playlist: Úlfur, Mammút, CYBER, Sin Fang, Sóley & More

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With Airwaves approaching, Icelandic bands are throwing out new material at a rate of knots. Here are the tracks that…

Music News: Sigur Rós, Valgeir Sigurðsson, Iceland Earthwaves

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The Sigur rós-curated Norður og Niður festival—to be held at Harpa over the Christmas period from December 27-30—has released more…

The Centre Cannot Hold: Ben Frost Tackles Sound, Politics, And The Idea Of Art

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Ben Frost stands on stage between huge speakers, behind a blinking array of gear. His set jolts to life with…

Jimi Tenor Comes To Iceland To Play Live Film Score

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Jimi Tenor, the esteemed Finnish electronic and experimental musician who’s released with Warp, Kitty-Yo and, more recently, Sähkö Recordings, will…

Vinyl Fantasy VII: A Guide To Reykjavík Record Stores

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Downtown Reykjavík has some great independent record stores, all of which sell LPs by Icelandic artists that you might not…

Into The Smoky Valley: An Autumn Hike To Reykjadalur

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The bus to Hveragerði rumbles to life in Mjódd bus station, gliding out into the sparse mid-afternoon traffic and cruising…

What’s New & Who’s Who At Iceland Airwaves 2017, Part Two

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Iceland Airwaves is an annual state-of-the-union for Icelandic music. As well as being a who’s-who of better-known acts, it’s also…

Airwaves Drops 2017 Schedule: Less Harpa, More Hard Rock

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Iceland Airwaves have released the schedule for the 2017 edition of the festival. The big news, venue-wise, is that Harpa…

Life In Pictures: JFDR In Tokyo

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Jófríður Ákadóttir, aka JFDR, went to Tokyo recently for some life shows. Grapevine photographer Timothée Lambrecq happened to be in…

Buy Shit: Lace, Liquorice, Ginger and Hanskies

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Souvenirs that won’t make your entire suitcase smell like hardfiskur. Virki Lace Collar This 1800s-retro accessory is carefully constructed from…

A Collection Of Treasures: Shahzad Ismaily’s Figureight Label Is Born

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Shahzad Ismaily is a familiar and intriguing figure in Reykjavík’s music scene. A serial collaborator with a distinctive presence, he…