Folks from the Icelandic music scene have been out touring, getting on TV, putting out records, winning awards, and stirring controversy: here’s the latest news.
The rise of cold-wave goth queens and 2018 Grapevine cover stars Kælan Mikla continues. Next on their path to world domination is a slot at the Cure-curated Pasadena Daydream Festival in the United States on August 31st. The lineup includes US alt-rock legends Pixies and Throwing Muses, alongside post-rock pioneers Mogwai, The Twilight Sad, Chelsea Wolfe and more. It will take place at Brookside at the Rose Bowl, and tickets are on sale now for $149 general admission, and $299 VIP.
Valgeir Sigurðsson received an award at the International Composer’s Conference, which took place between 14th-18th May in San Carlos de Bariloche in Argentina. The 66th Rostrum of Composers highlighted ten pieces from all over the world, including ‘Dust,’ a three-part piece composed by Valgeir for the recently-released album of violinist Daniel Pioro. A total of 50 pieces were nominated by the 27 national radio stations, with the ten selected works receiving airplay and exposure around the word as a result. ‘Dust’ was released by Bedroom Community, one of the most interesting labels in the Icelandic music scene.
Hatari’s Eurovision run seems to have resulted in pretty much everyone being mad with them. But they found a one new fan in HBO satirical news host John Oliver, who described Eurovision as “like America’s Got Talent, but minus the America and, frequently, the talent.” He gleefully highlighted Hatari’s “magnificent” performance, ending a segment about Donald Trump’s ill-conceived trade tariffs on China with: “This leaves us in the frankly ridiculous position where the current President of the United States may have a genuinely less informed take on global economics than a leather-wrapped Icelandic dystopian techno band.” The band are currently on tour in Iceland for their “Shame of the nation” tour, so check them out—they’re on a winning streak. Hatari, it seems, mun sigra.
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