From Iceland — Welcome To ATP Iceland

Words by

From Barry Hogan, Founder of All Tomorrow's Parties

Thank you, Iceland, for allowing All Tomorrow’s Parties (ATP) to return to the land of ice and snow for a second year. Last year was a great start, with the likes of Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, Thee Oh Sees and Thurston Moore, and this year is even more extensive with a fantastic line up packed in over three days.

For those uninitiated to what ATP is all about, here is a quick rundown so you know what the hell I am talking about: ATP is a music festival that we started over fifteen years ago in the UK, the idea being to have an alternative music festival held in a strange location with a curator selecting the line up. Kind of like making a mix tape for the stage without being stuck in a soggy field. Over the years we have had some seriously great folks play, from the likes of Iggy Pop to Aphex Twin to Boards of Canada and The Cramps.

So it gives us great pleasure to be able to build on last year’s foundation by bringing over a fine selection of international acts such as Portishead and Interpol, who are playing in Iceland for the first time, and older favourites like Swans and Shellac, who will play alongside newer Icelandic acts like Fufanu and Low Roar. Our event is a boutique and intimate festival staged in Keflavík, at Ásbrú, which is the former NATO base that the Americans conveniently left behind in 2006.

ATP is a festival that prides itself on a laboured attempt at presenting the best music and films out there, offering something for the more discerning music fan. Even if you don’t like festivals, you need to try ATP. It’s like an anti-festival that washes away all pre-conceptions of such a music event.

Thank you to our partner Tómas Young, and to Egill Tómasson and their entire team for making this event possible.

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