Words by

John Rogers

@jhnrgrs

ATP Iceland is three this year, and we at Grapevine couldn’t be happier to see this discerning festival putting down some roots over in Keflavík. After memorable performances from previous headliners Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds and Portishead, ATP Iceland has shown it can bring the best out of its star turns; 2015 sees a quadruple-pronged attack from the varied talents of Public Enemy, Iggy Pop, Godspeed You! Black Emperor and Belle & Sebastian, amongst a raft of emerging leftfield artists.

But hey, those guys, great as they are, have been written about all over the world. So, for the festival goers flooding into Iceland (many for the first time) we thought it might be more useful to highlight some of the local talents that’ll be joining them on the bill. Get ready to make some rings in your mental or actual schedule: here are our HOT TIPS for the ATP Iceland 2015.

1. Grísalappalísa
This young rock ‘n’ roll band have two frontmen, with highly entertaining chemistry. One is a bearded poet with a gruff roar of a voice, and the other is a gurning high-energy lightning rod of a performer who’ll be giving Iggy Pop a run for his money on the Ásbrú stage. Their songs are short, catchy, riotous barrages of punk energy, and while their lyrics are exclusively in Icelandic, they’re capable of charming any audience into their sweaty palms. Don’t miss them!

2. Oyama
Reykjavík shoegaze darlings Oyama share two members with Grísalappalísa, but their sound is altogether different. They play brooding indie-rock with a deep sense of unease running through it, singing of alienation and intimacy with an enticing lightness of touch.

3. Ghostigital
In sharp contrast come Ghostigital, featuring former Sugarcubes vocalist Einar Örn and Björk collaborator Curver Thoroddsen. The two make an anarchic racket, featuring Curver’s mind-bending electronic squiggles and Einar’s impassioned, surreal ranting. The beats are fracture and frayed, and the music seems to pour out in all directions in once, electrifying the audience into joyous laughter, total confusion, or both.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dyS2dDT7hXU

4. Kiasmos
It seems that prolific Icelandic composer Ólafur Árnalds rarely puts a foot wrong. After winning a BAFTA for his contemporary classical TV soundtrack work, he explores a different side of himself in Kiasmos – a minimal techno collaboration with Faroese musician Janus Rasmussen. The two create an atmospheric, simmering sound, the mechanical rhythms brought to life with lush string arrangements and skittering piano melodies. When they play live, Kiasmos are capable of finding gears even they didn’t know they had, so take your earplugs for the crescendo.

5. Kippi Kaninus
Kippi Kaninus are an electronica big-band. Whilst that made-up genre might seem like a contradiction, trust us, it’s a thing. Based around the subtle compositions of Guðmundur Vignir Karlsson, the all-star band are driven along by drummer duo Sigtryggur Baldursson (another former Sugarcube) and Magnús Trygvason Eliassen, a talented percussionist also seen in Tilbury and Borko, amongst many others. Kippi Kaninus create a mellow atmosphere, full of quiet magic for those who listen carefully.

6. Rythmatik
New kids on the block Rythmatik recently won the Icelandic national battle-of-the-bands, and they’ve been busy playing shows and lapping up some hard-won media attention ever since. The music belies their tender age: it’s an enjoyable notch-potch of influences, from pop-punk to screamo to jangly indie-rock and anthemic MOR. If you’re yet to see them, they’re sure to give their all at a big show like this.