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Jófríður Unveils ‘Anew’
As you might have noticed from our recent interview, the young Samaris, Pascal Pinon and Gangly singer Jófríður Ákadóttir has been busily preparing a solo record over the last year. We got another glimpse of this intriguing work-in-progress today, via a live…
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Björk Clarifies “Redneck” Statement
Björk has clarified her use of the pejorative term “redneck” in interviews with Sky News and Rolling Stone last week. “It’s a minority of redneck politicians, the Prime Minister and the Minister of Finance especially – who are trying to erase the…
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Bedroom Community Release Christmas Mixtape
Yo neo-classical-avant-garde fans! The Bedroom Community label are giving away a free mixtape with all orders placed in their webstore during the Christmas period, featuring artists like Nico Muhly, Ben Frost, Nadia Sirota and Valgeir Sigurðsson. The mixtape is made up entirely…
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Seminal Icelandic Band GusGus Turn 20, Release Film Interviews
Time flies, huh? It might seem like yesterday, but 2015 marks the 20th anniversary since Icelandic electronica pioneers GusGus first appeared. They have, of course, evolved substantially across the intervening two decades. Starting as a hazy, experimental trip-hop art collective, they’ve passed…
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Björk To Sky News: Redneck Politicians Want To Erase The Highlands
Björk has appeared on Sky News speaking out about industrialisation, climate change and the Protect The Park campaign (learn more about that here). “I’m an optimist,” she said, of the wider environmental battle. “I feel we have enough people who believe in…
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Björk Nominated For Grammy, Releases Video Shot Inside Mouth
Björk has been nominated for a Grammy, in the category ‘Best Alternative Music Album.’ There are five albums in the category, by Tame Impala, Wilco, My Morning Jacket and Alabama Shakes. Alabama Shakes also made it into the ‘Best Album’ category, alongside…
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Stitch Punk: James Merry’s Post-Apocalyptic Embroidery
James Merry comes clomping down his garden path in snow boots, his long red hair braided neatly into two plaits, smiling warmly on a bitterly cold winter evening. “Did you find the place okay?” he asks, as we slither carefully up the…
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2015 Kraumur Music Awards Shortlist Unveiled: How Many Have You Heard?
The annual Kraumur Music Awards have announced their 2015 shortlist. Once a year, this independently funded philanthropic arts prize makes it rain kronur onto the Icelandic musicians deemed most likely to turn the cash into wider success, domestically and internationally. The Kraumur…
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Passer-By Captures Engagement, Email Address Lost, Search Goes Viral
An interesting internet-romance story unfolded in Reykjavík this weekend that even caused a slight thaw of our icy hearts here at the Grapevine. Jessica Bowe, an American who’s lived in Reykjavík for several years, was walking home from Bravó on Friday night,…
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Gamla Laugin: At Flúðir, The Secret’s Out
Flúðir is a sleepy village of around 400 people, just over an hour’s drive from Reykjavík. After turning off the well-beaten path of the southbound Route 1 at the town of Selfoss, it’s a 45km inland drive through some some surprisingly verdant…
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Question Time With Birgitta Jónsdóttir
As the Pirate Party’s poll numbers continue to climb, more Icelanders are expressing curiosity about their various stances, beliefs and internal processes grows. We compiled what we consider to be some “common questions”—whether from within Grapevine, those expressed by public figures, or…
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OKAY WTF JUST HAPPENED HERE? An #Airwaves15 recap.
So that’s that. With a lot of heat, whirlwind and flash, Iceland Airwaves 2015 has passed. Actually, not so much passed as hit the entire Grapevine writing team full on, leaving our bedraggled, mangled, booze-soaked, twitching, grinning bodies in its glitter-covered wake.…
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New Campaign Launches To Champion The Value Of Creative Labour
A new campaign is launching today, focusing on the worth of creative labour. An email was sent out to all the members of parliament, inviting them to attend the launch of the campaign, entitled “Við Borgum Myndlistarmönnum” (in English: “We pay visual…
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VIDEO: Logi Pedro’s 101 Takeover
Logi Pedro Stefansson is a familiar face to anyone with an eye on Icelandic music. He was a founding member of Retro Stefson, aged just 13 at the time. He continues to perform with that band, he has also branched out into…
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Hacking Politics: An In-Depth Look At Iceland’s Pirate Party
Alþingishúsið, or The Parliament House, is a hulking grey stone building that sits on the edge of the sleepy Austurvöllur square in downtown Reykjavík. It’s the seat of Iceland’s Alþingi, an institution that was famously inaugurated in the year 930 by a…
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The Northern Lights Forecast Looks Good Tonight, Northern Lights Fans!
According to the Iceland Meteorological Office, the atmospheric conditions tonight are gonna be tip top for aurora spotting. The sky is clear, so the biggest obstacle is out of the way. And, luckily, some of those charged particles from the sun will…
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I Will Cut Off All My Arms: Síta Valrún’s Episodes
Ekkisens is an art space that stands set back from Bergstaðastræti, in the heart of downtown Reykjavík. Past a short path of overgrown paving stones, the entrance lies down a few ramshackle steps, tucked away like an unassuming side door. I arrive…
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Swimming Through Seasons: Jófríður Ákadóttir Unveils A Poetic New Project
Hidden deep amongst all the extravagant blowouts, grand orchestral performances, strobe-lit dance parties, blood-splattered metal shows and twitching, apoplectic broken-beat DJ sets of Airwaves, one small, humble, quiet show came close to topping them all. The preternatural Jófríður Ákadóttir, well-known for her…
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Did Bieber’s Iceland Video Rip Off An Indie Skate Film? Judge For Yourself…
You may remember recently that Justin Bieber (referred to as “The Bieb” or “His Biebness” henceforth) was in Iceland recently filming a music video, in which he cavorts and galavants around various local spots of natural beauty. This, of course, sent the…
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Download This! Milkywhale’s ‘Invisible’
Milkywhale are a new electronic pop duo who recently set Iceland Airwaves 2015 alight with five fabulously fun shows. So catchy were the tracks of Árni “Plúseinn” Hlöðversson (you might know him from such bands as FM Belfast, Hairdoctor and Blazing Inferno)…
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ATP Iceland: Tortoise, Angel Olsen, Les Savy Fav And More For 2016
ATP Iceland have announced a bunch of new bands for their 2016 edition. As the festival has proven in its three years to date, there’s nothing quite like partying in the 24 hour daylight on a decommissioned US Air Force base on…
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State Of Emergency For The Highlands: “Iceland Has A Deadline,” Says Björk
Björk and Andri Snær Magnason, the renowned artists and spokespeople of the Protect The Park conservation NGO, held a press conference today about the latest skirmish in the war to protect Iceland’s highlands from industrialisation. “Iceland has a deadline,” said Björk, sitting…
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Airwaves Day One: Terror In The Chest, Taking It In The Ass & Unexpected Horse Dick
So I’m just back from a four day trip around the south of Iceland, when I wake up from a deep ten-hour sleep, aching head to toe from walking and hiking and being in a car for a long period of time.…
