Music
Most read
Latest
-
Ikea Satan
Ikea Satan are three guys who have decided on an ironic band name that that conveys a somewhat powerful image (“Satan”) with something flimsy and second rate (“Ikea”). You know, wouldn’t it be funny if their music actually contained the same elements…
-
Sódóma – Saturday
Here’s the extra short, totally mean review of the Drowned in Sound/SESAC night. The name Cynic Guru gives no hint of what’s in store. But it inspires no confidence either. These guys are old, is the first impression. A violin is the…
-
Risið – Saturday
Things weren’t looking so great when I walked up the stairs to Risið on Saturday and was one of eight people in the room, including the three bartenders and the bands that had arrived. It was precisely 19:10, when Heima was meant…
-
Venue – Saturday
The evening was cold and wet when I arrived at Venue. No lines had formed outside of the Art Museum (yet) and exactly three people had arrived before me eager to get this second-to-last night of Airwaves started. I find my place…
-
Faktorý – Saturday
Lazyblood show us how it’s done The night began awesomely well at Faktory on Saturday, with Lazyblood kicking things off in style. They played to an appreciative crowd, who gathered in a small group around the stage. No one danced but no…
-
Iðnó – Saturday
Not very typically Airwaves-like, the first show of the day featured not a rock band but a young guy on a grand piano. Nils Frahm from Germany wasn’t wearing tails and bow tie but a comfy hoodie and designer stubble. His piano…
-
Amsterdam – Saturday
Amsterdam is a bit of a mixed bag tonight with a reasonably mixed line up ranging from teenage spunk to old school screaming punk. As I rock up I’m relieved to see the building still standing after the apocalyptic events that went…
-
Tjarnarbíó – Saturday
[Maleen Mohr took the first two acts at Tjarnarbíó so that Anna Andersen could go see her brother’s band, Just Another Snake Cult, play at Sódóma. Then she took over for the rest of the exciting evening. Enter Maleen] Tjarnarbíó is possibly…
-
Art Museum – Saturday
a)Holy shit, this place looks awesome. It’s about time Iceland had a real pop/rock venue that is aesthetically pleasing as well as comfortable, and the Art Museum, bedecked in all its Airwaves finery (huge speakers, tasteful lighting) might well be the finest…
-
Sódóma – Sunday
[For whatever reason, we had the hardest time getting people to review Sódóma that Sunday night. It seems everyone wanted to be at NASA (or at home, licking their wounds). Thus, we divided the night’s duties between the above writers. Bogi Bjarnason…
-
NASA – Sunday
The first band to play that night was Orphic Oxtra who helped get me over my intense anger (at NASA, they charged money for water) with their fun Balkan inspired ensemble. The band is great; they have a lot of energy and…
-
Harpa
Nestled in the harbour, the massive Harpa Concert and Conference Hall provides the festival with three beautiful, state-of-the-art show rooms, along with restaurants, stores and a stunning view. There’s a super swanky bar with some excellent bartenders, but expect to shell out…
-
Iðnó
A grand old historical theatre by the pond, this charming venue is decked out in swanky 19th Century décor and holds a super fancy restaurant where the MPs from Parliament next door like to lunch. It’s got a great capacity and wonderful…
-
Amsterdam
Establishing itself in 2011 as the punk and metal central for Airwaves, this unlikely bar comes pre-warmed by a crowd of hard-drinking, hard-partying regulars. Between the cheap beers and the VLT machines, you can expect a gritty, rocking experience in a dive-bar…
-
Gamli Gaukurinn
Here’s a venue with a great story! Gamli Gaukurinn existed in its current location many years ago, being one of the original Airwaves venues and known for some of the most memorable shows of the ‘80s, ‘90s and early 2000s. It shut…
-
Sálin Reign Over The Country Balls
March 10, 1988 was a big day for Icelandic music. In a long-since burnt down club called Tunglið, HAM were playing their first ever concert, and in the building’s basement—at an adjoining club called Bíókjallarinn—Sálin hans Jóns míns were also making their…
-
DUDAMEL, THAT WAS AWESOME!
The gala audience gathered for Sunday night’s concert at Harpa had come to see two freshly minted superstars of the classical scene, each with a compelling back story. Dazzlingly gifted Swedish clarinettist Martin Fröst is in the process of transforming his instrument—long…
-
Track Of The Issue – Mugison: “Stingum af”
Mugison’s track ‘Stingum af’ has grown immensely popular since it was released earlier this summer. We’ve heard that even preschool kids are coming home singing these friendly lyrics about summer in the Icelandic countryside. Sadly, summer is now coming to an end.…
-
DELICIOUS, SALTY AND SWEATY
A heavy cloud of cigarette smoke and a gloss of leathery inebriation lined the gateway into NASA that night. A sense of powerful debauchery was spilling out of the door, onto the sidewalks of Austurvöllur, and festering among the pockets of people…
-
Úlfur Kolka: Human Error
The latest offering from the former Kritikal Mazz frontman and Ciphah alias sees him rapping in English, which is always going to be a slight risk when it’s your second language, moreso than with regular ‘singing.’ And overall he does a decent…
-
Sage Francis Struck A Nerve In The Listenership
Sage Francis ended his show at Sódóma Reykjavík last Saturday rapping while he surfed the crowd, lying on his back, supported by dozens of arms, with a motionless Sage suspended in the air, words emanating from his unseen mouth. It was a…
-
Dr. Gunni´s History Of Icelandic Rock / Part 29
In the eighties, Stuðmenn (“Funmen”) were the most popular Icelandic band. These people had a solid track record from the seventies (in that decade they had made two wonderful Stuðmenn LPs, six amazing folk rock LPs as Spilverk þjóðanna and two great…
-
Ofvitarnir: Stephen Hawking/Steven Tyler
I recently wrote a live review of Ofvitarnir, where I used words such as ‘plebeian,’ ‘rough’ and ‘filthy.’ This gave the impression that they were ordinary and one-dimensional. But after listening to their debut album several times, it’s safe to say that…