International stars flock to Iceland for Airwaves

With bands travelling from all over the world to play at Iceland Airwaves, we thought it would be fun to break down exactly where the performers are from (all correct at the time of writing, and subject to lineup changes).

With over 150 homeland acts putting Iceland in pole position, the USA comes second – fifteen bands will cross the Atlantic this year (hurricanes permitting, of course). From veteran indie-rock heroes Yo La Tengo to emerging acts like Zola Jesus, Caveman and Nite Jewel, there’s a rich selection of American acts on the way.

Canada comes next, with no less than thirteen bands on the bill – Fucked Up are probably the most well known, with underground shoegaze stars No Joy a particular highlight from the newbies.

Sweden is best represented from Iceland’s Nordic neighbours with five bands playing, including much-hyped Anna von Hausswolff. Four Norwegian acts will make the trip, with Denmark and the Faroes on three each. Surprisingly, there are no Finns on the lineup, but there’s a particularly rich and varied selection of UK performers this year that includes Gold Panda, Savages (pictured above), Jon Hopkins and Aluna George.

Omar Souleyman comes from Syria to play Iceland Airwaves in 2013

Travelling farthest are the two Australian acts – Robert Forster and Jagwar Ma. From the Middle East come Syrian Björk-collaborator Omar Souleyman and NYC-based Kuwaiti experimentalist Fatima Al Qadiri, and there are also bands coming from France, Estonia, Ireland, Luxembourg and Belgium.

There are some ticket-holder stats on the way too – keep an eye on the site over the next few weeks for that, and for a guide to some of the newer overseas acts you could be getting acquainted with at Airwaves 2013.