Author: Josie Gaitens - The Reykjavik Grapevine

How It’s Made: The Sense of Wonder in Fischersund No. 23

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“Smoke in the air and tarred telephone poles, tall freshly mowed grass, and tobacco leaves. Dead flowers bow to the…

Learning When To Clap at Tertulia x Reykjavík

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Music and dining bring to mind bored jazz bands playing to an equally uninterested audience — or worse, solo crooners…

Track By Track: TRPTYCH’s “Inner Terrestrial MMXXIII a.D.”

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TRPTYCH is the solo project of electronic musician, drummer and designer, Daníel Þorsteinsson. A prolific artist, he has been releasing…

King of the Mundane: Prins Póló is the Grapevine’s Musician of the Year

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The Reykjavík Grapevine’s Musician of the Year, Svavar Pétur Eysteinsson — better known by his stage persona, Prins Póló —…

Track by Track: Hekla, “Xiuxiuejar”

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Theremin virtuoso Hekla’s album ‘Xiuxiuejar’ was released in September 2022 has just been named Album of the Year in the…

Holy Shit! It’s The 2023 Grapevine Music Awards!

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What will 2022 be remembered for? If 2020-2021 were “the lost years,” where artists went insular and mused on solitude…

In The Beginning Was The Word: Halldór Ragnarsson Searches For Meaning Through Repetition

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“Do you see a paintbrush here?” artist Halldór Ragnarsson asks. He is buzzing around his studio in Skeifan, seemingly fuelled…

Great Moments In Icelandic History: Flatus Lifir Enn

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Probably The World’s Longest Running Fart Joke On the road between Reykjavík and the North stands a wall that should…

The Islanders: Einar Sigurður Einarsson, The Microgreens Dealer

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In an inconspicuous shipping container down by Heimaey’s harbour in Vestmannaeyjar, Einar Sigurður Einarsson conducts his work. Step inside the…

Track by Track: ‘Repeat’ by Brynja

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Budding pop singer-songwriter Brynja will soon be blessing us with her debut album, ‘Repeat.’ Inspired by contemporary themes such as…

Desert Island Dishes: MATEY Food Festival Proves Vestmannaeyjar Is The Food Capital Of Iceland

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Think of Icelandic food culture, and few things spring to mind—and not all of them pleasant. Sheep heads, salted cod,…

Track by Track: ‘Everything I Know About Love’ by Laufey

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Laufey’s star is rising so fast we can barely keep up. From being lauded by Billie Eilish to performing on…

A Life, Curated: At 80 Sigurður Guðmundsson Is Just Getting Started

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The artist Sigurður Guðmundsson is preoccupied with pouring a bottle of beer into a glass. He watches the rim intently,…

Perfect Day: Snæi Jack

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Snæbjörn Helgi Arnarsson Jack wears many hats—broadcaster, musician and community organiser, to name but a few. His perfect day in…

All Under One Roof: Food Halls Are Reykjavík’s New Dining Obsession

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If you have traversed downtown Reykjavík in recent months, you will have undoubtedly noticed multiple areas of construction disrupting the…

Beyond Language: Theatre Production ‘Umbra’ Speaks to Audiences Without Words

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Finding English-language theatre performances in Iceland has always presented a challenge, but a new production at Tjarnarbíó seeks to bypass…

The Islanders: Brynjar Karl Birgisson, The Lego Kid

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In many ways, Brynjar Karl Birgisson is your average 19 year old. He studies at a menntaskóli, where he is…

“I Live A Really Normal Life”: Björk On New Album ‘Fossora’ And Being A ‘Cool Mom’

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On a chilly Friday afternoon in late August, in an otherwise empty Reykjavik restaurant, Björk Guðmundsdóttir is having trouble focussing….

Icelandic Love Stories: There Is Nothing Simple About The Icelandic Love Story

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Icelanders are perhaps not the most romantic people in the world, but underneath our cold exterior, our amorous hearts still…

What’s Cooler Than Being Cool? Extreme Chill Festival Is A Celebration Of Subculture Specificity

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Extreme Chill Festival co-founder Pan Thorarensen sure has a lot of plates spinning. Sitting in latest venture, Space Odyssey—a record…

Riff It Up And Start Again: Reykjavík International Film Festival Welcomes Arthouse Cinema To Iceland

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Cannes, Berlin, Venice… Reykjavík? Our petite, northern city might not be the first to spring to mind when it comes…

Weaving Through Time: ‘A Rainbow Thread’ Highlights Queer History In Iceland

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“Who belongs to the Icelandic nation?” the opening page of ‘A Rainbow Thread’ asks. The pamphlet is the physical version…

Choose Wisely: ‘A Study Of Choices’ Wins The RVK Fringe Grapevine Award

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Reykjavík Fringe is over for another year: the hubbub around Tjarnarbíó has died down, the flurry of wrist-banded guests marching…

PREMIERE: Award-Winning Singer-Songwriter Jelena Ćirić Reveals Debut Single “Rome”

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Reykjavík-based singer-songwriter Jelena Ćirić releases her single ‘Rome’ on August 26, 2022—that’s tomorrow for those of you who haven’t bought…

Eruption Watch 2022: First Photos From New Volcano

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The first visitors have returned from the new eruption site at Meradalir. The fissure opened earlier today [Wednesday 3rd of…