Author: Josie Gaitens
How It’s Made: The Sense of Wonder in Fischersund No. 23
“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
by Josie Gaitens and Shruthi Basappa
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.”
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
by Josie Gaitens and Bóas Hallgrímsson
The Reykjavík Grapevine’s Musician of the Year, Svavar Pétur Eysteinsson — better known by his stage persona, Prins Póló —…
Track by Track: Hekla, “Xiuxiuejar”
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!
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
“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
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
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
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
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
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
The artist Sigurður Guðmundsson is preoccupied with pouring a bottle of beer into a glass. He watches the rim intently,…
Perfect Day: Snæi Jack
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
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
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
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’
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
by Valur Grettisson, Josie Gaitens and Emma Ledbetter
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
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
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
“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
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”
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
The first visitors have returned from the new eruption site at Meradalir. The fissure opened earlier today [Wednesday 3rd of…