Just Outside The City Limits

The Kátt á línunni concert series brings the grassroots music scene to Kópavogur

“I moved there two or three years ago. Not Hamraborg, but close by, and I’m really content,” says artist, musician, curator, and Kópavogur resident Pétur Eggertsson as we meet for coffee. “It has everything I want — except concerts.”

We’re meeting to discuss Kátt á línunni, the concert series Pétur is curating in his fight to change the lack of concerts in Kópavogur. With its first iteration back in November, Kátt á línunni is taking advantage of the spacious venue/restaurant/bar Catalína, just outside the fingertips of Reykjavík.

Pétur’s curation of the series highlights a different genre each month — November’s was all about alternative rock and January zeroes in on experimental pop, while electronic and punk will be featured in February and March, respectively. When Catalína hosted the yearly Hamraborg Festival’s closing concert, and amid a thinning out of grass roots spaces in Reykjavík, Pétur took note of the venue’s potential.

“It was on everyone’s lips that night,” says Pétur. “It was pretty obvious that this was a great venue.” The festival had booked Xiupill, MSEA and Ghostigital — all household names in the scene at the moment. You could say the same for Pétur’s curation of this series, with BKPM; Sucks to be you, Nigel; and Juno Paul in the inaugural performance. K.óla, Lótto, Katla Yamagata will be playing next on January 16.

Past, present & future

“This is a bit of a reminisce for me,” explains Pétur. Having previously worked for the famed Kimi Records, Pétur put on shows at Sódóma Reykjavík, “which were a very similar vibe, I gotta say,” he notes. “Three bands a night, maybe a DJ, and, you know, kind of accessible price-wise.”

Though helped by past experience, Pétur is curating Kátt á línunni with an eye firmly on the current scene. “I actually reached out to Molinn [Youth Program] to see who’s doing stuff in Kópavogur that I need to know about, because I think it’s important to have at least one local act,” he says of Katla Yamagata.

Probed more generally about his thoughts on the state of the grassroots scene, Pétur smiles  instead of launching into the usual, warranted but saddening monologue about the decline of venues.

“Oh, it’s super exciting,” he says emphatically, beginning a story about a recent December weekend that held some incredibly experimental back-to-back-to-back shows. “I just had a thought watching Yang Soup, just being like, ‘okay, the scene right now is exactly what I wanted it to be when I was 20.’ So, a young me was very happy.”

In addition to Kátt á línunni, Pétur also became a co-curator of Hamraborg Festival for 2025. Asked whether he sees the music side of the festival grow as a result of this concert series, he answers, “I would like to see it morph. Just like new sprouts happening. I would love to see it — maybe not grow — but develop.”

101 & 200

Discussing Catalína as not just a live music venue, but a restaurant and bar, we both noticed that the first concert included both people who came to Catalína for the concert, and people who came to Catalína and found a concert.

Pétur hopes that more people will come intentionally to the concerts, both from Reykjavík and Kópavogur. “I really want to see if I can get the locals to turn up to the shows. And not just – but also, of course — the people from 101,” he says, thinking out loud. “A combination would be lovely, absolutely.”

Because there’s only been one concert so far, Pétur is excited to see how the series changes, particularly as the genres change each month. “That’s just an experiment, really, to see what people are going to turn up for in Hamraborg? Are they going to turn up for a club night, or are they going to turn up for a rock show? I’m not really sure. So I’m going to try out a few different things,” he says.

The next show is intended to be more musically accessible. The three artists have been tasked with doing their own experimental take on pop songs, so if that’s your speed, hitch a ride to Kópavogur. But, if you’re looking for something with a little more bite, the electronic February event “is gonna be way more out there.” There’s something for everyone within Kátt á línunni.

Kátt á línunni will take place on Thursday, January 16 at 20:00, at Catalína in Hamraborg.

Entrance is sliding scale, with a suggested donation of 2500kr, and you can find more information on Facebook or Instagram @kattalinunni