Magazine
An assortment of the latest articles from the pages of the Reykjavík Grapevine, on news, culture, language, politics and more.
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Meet Two Icelanders Who Want You To Eat A Bunch Of Crickets
Best friends Búi Bjarmar Aðalsteinsson and Stefán Atli Thoroddsen have been tight since they first met up in secondary school. All grown up now, the duo are getting ready to commence mass production of what they call a “Jungle Bar,” which is…
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Biking, Busing And Walking: Reykjavík For The Carless
I recently moved to Iceland from the Netherlands. I have neither a car nor a license to drive one, which my mother (who is Icelandic) warned me would be tough. “Pfft,” I thought to myself, “how bad can it be?” I didn’t…
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A Summary And Rundown Of Recent News: October Edition
Iceland’s National Church, Þjóðkirkjan, has been on a lot of folks’ minds this month, after the spotlight was shone on the “freedom of conscience” exemption that ministers have if they want to refuse to marry a same-sex couple for personal religious reasons.…
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Happening Tonight: 4/4 Concert Series
Youth cultural centre Hitt Húsið has just restarted their 4/4 concert series, which focuses on giving musicians aged 16-25 the chance to promote their music, as well as get experience performing in front of a live crowd. The first show features 17-year-old…
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Happening Tonight: Emmsjé Gauti / Úlfur Úlfur / GKR
We know you can’t get enough of the Icelandic rap scene, and that’s why YOU SHOULD BE EXCITED FOR THIS. Some of Icelandic rap’s greats (Úlfur Úlfur! Emmsjé Gauti!) are hitting Húrra, accompanied by up-and-coming GKR! Bring all your friends (especially that…
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The Most Beautiful Thing In The World
Our current issue’s cover is beautiful. I hope you like it, I’m sure you do, but your opinion doesn’t really concern me, because I think that it is absolutely beautiful. Intrinsically beautiful. Unconditionally beautiful. Beautiful. Just beautiful. Heart-warming. Radiant. Touching. Its beauty…
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Happening Tonight: Abominor Album Release Concert
Do you like black metal and new and exciting albums? Then you’ll want to catch the album release concert for Abominor’s ‘Opus: Decay’, a head-jarringly heavy collection of songs guaranteed to make your day a lil’ more hellish (in the best way…
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Refusing Your Rights With A Clean Conscience
In recent weeks, a matter of contention has come up between Samtökin 78, The National Queer Organisation, and the National Church. While the two generally coexist with little friction, a clause in supplemental documents to the 2010 marriage laws (that changed the…
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DeCoding Dave: My Lunch With Dave Eggers And Kári Stefánsson
“I just don’t feel comfortable about it right now. I will go home and think about it. Can you send me a kit? To take a swab or something?” “Yes I can send a kit. This is the best genetics research laboratory…
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Happening Tonight: Dulvitund Album Release Party/Döpur/ULTRAORTHODOX
Experimental dronescaper Dulvitund is releasing new album ‘Allt er Lífið Myrkur Draumur’ and to celebrate, he’s putting on a show with some of his fellow friends-on-the-scene: industrial/goth-adjacent noisemakers Döpur and all around cool-guy ULTRAORTHODOX. So git down to Gaukurinn for sounds that’ll…
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Sour Grapes & Stuff: Issue 15, 2015
Say your piece, voice your opinion, send your letters to: letters@grapevine.is — This issue’s most awesome letter! Subject: Ólafur Stefánsson Hi there, I’m from Switzerland and I’ve travelled from Denmark to Iceland by ferry from 12 to 15 September 2015. I was…
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WHERE’S THE GAYBOURHOOD?
I’ve asked around. Though the sample size is hardly one that would hold up under intense scrutiny, a pattern has begun to emerge. The question “Where’s the gaybourhood?”, when raised in Reykjavík, will most likely be met with the response (after several,…
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Running Up Those Slippery Steps: Bjarni Bernharður’s Journey Through The Darkness
Poet and painter Bjarni Bernharður Bjarnason is a unique presence in the Icelandic art world. He has endured a life of hardship, marked by poverty, negligent parents, acid, insanity, domestic violence, murder and incarceration. He is also a prolific artist. Since his…
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A Perfect Circle: Iceland Seven Years After The Crash
Every generation has their share of “do you remember where you were when” moments. For me, one of those moments will be October 6, 2008 – the day Iceland’s banking system collapsed, precipitating a series of events that would make international headlines.…
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Go West: Famous Western Icelanders of Our Time
The Icelandic diaspora stretches far and wide but the countries with the most people of Icelandic descent are Canada, the United States and Norway. Not surprisingly, many of them have gone onto great ventures and wild success. Here are a few folks…
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NOT SCARY: Meet The Icelandic Company Working On Artificial Intelligence
The Icelandic Institute for Intelligent Machines (IIIM) might be the next tech company to make international headlines. Boasting an impressive staff of computer scientists, physicists and electronics engineers, IIIM is currently and actively working on creating machines that possess artificial intelligence. The…
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Happening Tonight: Kría Brekkan
Angelic whisper-singer, multi-instrumentalist, electronic/freak-folk icon and living legend (at least in my fanatical opinion <3) Kría Brekkan (aka Krístin Anna Valtýsdóttir, aka Doctess) is putting on a show at Mengi. Whether as a (now former) member of múm, working in conjunction with…
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What Happened With Reykjavík’s Ill-Fated Proposal To Ban Purchases From Israel
Last week, an outgoing Reykjavík City Councilperson for the Social Democrats, Björk Vilhelmsdottir, submitted a proposal to City Council that would prohibit the city from buying products made in Israel. The City Council majority passed the measure, and almost immediately, Iceland was…
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Happening Tonight: Árstíðir Album Release Party
Although Árstíðir’s latest album ‘Hvel’ was released in March (following a very successful crowdfunding campaign), the band have been so busy (what with touring and whatnot) that they’re just now getting around to throwing an album release party! ‘Hvel’ offers a new…
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Happening Tonight: Bang Gang Album Release Party
To celebrate the release of his fourth album, ‘The Wolves Are Whispering’, local legend Barði Jóhansson (as Bang Gang) is throwing a grand concert/release party at Gamla Bíó. Active since the late 90s, Bang Gang has received oodles of praise in the…
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HE CAME FROM WITHIN: RIFF’S Guest Of Honour David Cronenberg
The Reykjavík International Film Festival may not unveil the season’s most anticipated premieres, or unfurl its longest, plushest red carpet, but one thing it has on the competition: it is the only film festival that can offer its guest of honour a…
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Happening Tonight: Múm & Dj. Flugvél Og Geimskip
Two founding members of renowned Icelandic experinstrumental-electroglitch group múm, Gunnar Tynes and Örvar Smárason, will be joined by queen of the local weirdo scene, dj. flugvél og geimskip, for the fourth instalment of their experimental musical/film performances at Mengi. The three will…
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Happening Tonight: Jófríður & WESEN
One of Iceland’s more prominent electronica wünderkind, Jófríður Ákadóttir, is performing solo at Húrra. She stepped onto the scene a few years ago with Pascal Pinon and Samaris, and stole hearts and minds at this year’s ATP as JFDR. Expect magic. Expect…