The wind is whistling and rumbling as I watch my balcony almost being blown away. This is how the first day of Iceland Airwaves 2024 begins for me. After years of living here, I should be accustomed to the weather and have my gear ready for rain, wind, or whatever else nature throws at me (and I do), but these first heavy storms of the season always feel like а first.
The Airwaves festival flags barely cling to their poles as I make my way downtown.
Not to brag, but after attending so many festivals this year, I’m at that point where festival fever and burnout are becoming indistinguishable. The Airwaves programme is so extensive, with numerous side events, that you face a choice: either meticulously plan what and when you want to see, or simply go with the flow. This year, I choose the latter.
I kick off my Airwaves programme earlier by checking out the Iceland Airwaves Conference, which relocated from Harpa to NASA this year. Though the conference has been running for several years, this is my first time attending. I’ve always wondered about its target audience — and honestly, I still do. The room holds an eclectic mix: a handful of music industry people, label managers (both local and international), a few artists, and some tourists who seem to have wandered in straight from their waterfall hikes.
The first talk I visit is titled “Iceland Music: A Cultural Exploration.” While the takeaways are rather predictable, I like the quote from María Rut Reynisdóttir, Director of Iceland Music who says, “In Iceland it’s not about the music scene, it’s about making music with your friends.”
After finishing a couple of talks at the conference, I start receiving a flurry of email invitations for various pre-parties. They all sound interesting, and of course, they’re all happening at the same time.
Side stages
I decide to start my evening at 12 Tónar, one of my favourite off-venue spots in town (or really, just one of my favourite places in Reykjavík, period). As I step inside, the band I’m here to see is already onstage. “We’re sad,” they tell the crowd, “We don’t have Airwaves passes, so we’re kind of boycotting.” The band CYBER launch into a set of bangers from their new album SAD :’(, focusing on a shitty unstable period of being a teenager, followed by a spirited cover of a Britney Spears song.
On my way further downtown, I stop by Smekkleysa to catch Magnús Jóhann‘s set. The venue is packed to the brim, and I end up sitting on the stairs, unable to see Magnús at all. The crowd around me — or at least those of us stuck between the two floors — seem a bit disoriented. Some don’t even know who’s playing, having never heard of Airwaves, but somehow ended up here regardless.
Halfway through the gig, the person sitting next to me leans over and asks, “Has he started playing already?” That’s the moment I decide it’s time to leave. Luckily, I’m sure there will be other opportunities to catch Magnus in a more suitable setting.
Wait, are they not a girl band?
With a bit of time before the next act I want to see, I swing by Gaukurinn to check out Vampíra. I know they’re a metal band, and that they won the Músiktilraunir competition last year, but somehow in my head they were a girl band. Imagine my surprise when…they turn out not to be?
Atli Freyr Steinsson for The Reykjavík Grapevine
Metal isn’t really exactly my genre, so I find refuge on a couch in the back of the venue. The crowd around me is clearly loving it, though, and it’s almost pitch black to see the band — who are all wearing masks over their faces.
I then head over to Iðno for Oyama, who have just released their new album Opaque Days. There’s been a lot of talk about their gig, but while I love how they describe their music “We play sleepy melodies wrapped in puffy clouds of noise and angsty peach fuzz”, it’s hard to perceive Oyama as a festival band. I saw them earlier this year at Mengi, and the smaller venue fit them better, IMHO.
Running in circles
The timing during Airwaves is everything. You often have to be in seven places simultaneously and it’s a lot of pick and choose.
I head to Kolaportið to catch Supersport!, who I’ve started to truly enjoy in the past few years. I’ve seen them or some of them play at festivals around Iceland, once even illustrated live, and as I step into the venue, I immediately understand how off this venue is for them. The lights are so intense, the sound is, at times, horrible, with otherworldly noises coming from the stage and people trying to shut their ears. The saver is Bjarni Daníel’s storytelling, who tries to give long intros to songs while the tech team is trying to fix the sound. The crowd – made up of Reykjavík regulars and international visitors is loving Supersport!. When Bjarni Daníel calls out a group that’s being super loud, “I’d appreciate it if you were less loud. It’s a concert. You probably paid a lot of money to be here, but let me tell you — you don’t have to be here,” the crowd is clapping and whistling.
Joana Fontinha/The Reykjavík Grapevine
I get to hear “Fingurkoss” live thinking how many times I’ve been singing along to it during road trips this summer. But somehow, I’m the only one screaming “Meira” when the band finishes.
Atli Freyr Steinsson for The Reykjavík Grapevine
There’s another break in my schedule, so I manage to catch a few minutes of Ravyn Lenae‘s set at the Art Museum. I’m definitely loving what I’m seeing — Ravyn brings an atmospheric, Chicago-bred R&B sound. I’m a little sad to leave, but I wouldn’t want to miss Sykur, a band I’ve never seen live and who haven’t performed in years.
The electronic band has recently released their first single since 2019, and everyone is anticipating their comeback. The energy at their performance is amazing, despite some lingering technical issues affecting the sound. “It’s the ghost of my ex trying to haunt everything on stage,” laughs singer Agnes Björt, whose look tonight reminds me of Pippi Longstocking. Sykur proves that high school bands can survive beyond their school days — at least that’s exactly what happened with Sykur after their MR days. They’re definitely going straight into my playlist after this show.
One person per household sees The Joy
I’m in doubt whether to stay until Sykur’s last song or catch a bit of Magdalena Bay, who so many people I know are seeing tonight. I don’t regret my decision — Magdalena is giving everything on stage and her visuals are amazing, there’s angel wings, and a flower-sun headdress, but I can’t be in two places at the same time and I run to Iðno for The Joy as I hear it’s getting crowded.
The South African a cappella group is a big hit with the Airwaves crowd, and the venue is packed. I see the former mayor being denied entry, and witness couples and friend groups getting separated at the door — “Only one of you can come in,” the bouncers say. I end up sardined in the hallway, barely able to see anything, but what I do hear is nothing short of amazing.
Photo by Atli Freyr Steinsson
There are a few more artists I’d like to see tonight, but they’re all scheduled after 23:00. I’m not 18 anymore, it’s a Thursday night, for goodness’ sake, so I head home.
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