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Countdown to Airwaves: 5 Weeks
Iceland Airwaves is a month or so away, taking place from October 17–21. You will, of course, be there. Over 170 bands and solo artists will perform – most of them are pretty good, if not outright awesome. Below are some you…
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Reykjavík Jazz Festival
Presenting a packed four-day programme, the annual Reykjavík Jazz Festival is just around the corner. From Wednesday August 29 to Saturday September 1, various downtown concert venues will play host do diverse music events where local and international musicians will perform a…
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The Accidental Musician
A lot of your music tends to be a little quirky. What inspires you to make music? I guess I try to make music that I like listening to myself. For my attention to be held, I need to be surprised or…
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Right Vibe, Wrong Headliner
A diverse mix of concertgoers flocked to bar Organ on a Wednesday evening. Four bands were about to perform but only one would actually hit the spot. The night’s concerts peaked with Jan Mayen’s performance some two hours into the programme. Too…
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Idiot Culture for the Masses
The rambunctious howls of Ljótu Hálfvitarnir, or Ugly Idiots, greeted me mid-brisk-walk towards the big stage at Miklatún Park early during Culture Night day. Upon the sound I happily slowed my pace a bit and checked my watch to see I was…
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“Elvis Was a Hero to Most…
…but he never meant shit to me” – to borrow the words of Public Enemy’s Chuck D. I was busy babbling incoherently at the tender age of one when the King passed away in an undignified manner, thirty years ago. Now everybody…
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My Date With Jakobínarína
Jakobínarína is a band that in Iceland needs little introduction. Músíktilraunir winners and Airwaves protégés in 2005, Airwaves venue headliners in 2006, and most of them only slowly nearing the twenties mark, the six-piece has long been trailed by a golden river…
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Musings in the Garden
Nico Muhly moves like his music. I mean this completely seriously. When he talks, his expressions follow his hands like foreshadow, embellishing his fast words and the sharp inflection of his voice. Curiously enough, when he plays, he has none of that.…
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The Festival Where Everyone is a Superstar
While 10,000 Icelanders headed to the Westman Islands for the annual national celebration ‘Þjóðhátíð’ during last week’s Verslunarmannahelgi (The Merchants’ Holiday Weekend), approximately 300 Innipúkar (i.e homebodies) attended the annual music fiesta Innipúkinn in Reykjavík. The two-day indoor festival, held for all…
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G! Festival: Like Valhalla’s Own Music Fest
To the untrained mind of your average European, Iceland and the Faroe Islands suffer the same relationship as Spain and Portugal, England and Scotland or Holland and Belgium – they’re the same but different. How very wrong they are. Thankfully, to the…
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Passing the Test
Rumours about the imminent break-up of Mínus, Iceland’s biggest rock act, had circulated for weeks before second guitarist Frosti and bass player Þröstur recently quit the band – citing artistic differences. The three remaining members recruited a new bass player (Sigurður Oddsson,…
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Hopeless Romantics
“This song is about my mother,” began Þórir with his eyes on the floor, “Who unfortunately has never sat in Parliament.” The audience’s eyes, consequently, were all on him, clutching his guitar as he stood hovering delicately above the microphone. Halfway through…
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Borderline OK
When you identify your band as “rock,” you’re automatically recognizing your own fated mediocrity in a way. It almost predetermines the kind of grungy shows you’re designated for and just how big (and eclectic) your fan base will get before either a)…
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Thrash Revival
There’s still hope my friend,” bellowed I Adapt’s singer Birkir. The second band on stage, these hardcore mainstays pounded through Future in You, from their recent 7” release, From Town to Town. Misplaced optimism? Perhaps. Their set was ravaged by poor sound…
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Are We Ever Going to Find the Next Björk?
In the late eighties, The Sugarcubes became closer to what can be called international stardom than any Icelandic band before them. The band wasn’t famous in the same way as U2 or Michael Jackson, but they gained respect from the major players…
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GusGus at Glastonbury
How do you explain an Icelandic dance band playing Glastonbury’s Jazz Stage? If you’re GusGus’s President, President Bongo to be precise, you simply redefine musical genres to suit, bending a few rules along the way: “Techno is the new jazz and jazz…
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Ipswich vs. Gavin Portland
In one corner we have the residents of Ipswich – one of Britain’s oldest and most historic towns – who number about 117,986. Their town is built beside an estuary in the East of Britain and is known for its fish, football…
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Saving Iceland Mega Concert
A barefoot girl with long blonde hair reaching down to her lower back was dancing enthusiastically to the deserving catchy beats of Retro Stefson when I entered NASA on a slow Monday night. In front of and around her people were leisurely…
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The Musical Impact of Three Icelandic Movies
In the early 90’s, a couple of young directors made very popular movies that were intertwined with the Icelandic music scene at the time. The birth of pop-culture movies was a much needed one. Before the 90’s, Icelandic cinema was ridden with…
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A Long-Awaited Music Hang-Out
Inga Sólveig Friðjónsdóttir was scouting for a nice spot for her new bar and concert venue when she stumbled upon a hidden treasure in a Hafnarstræti alley, next door to club Gaukurinn. The building used to house the rather shabby pub Rökkurbarinn…
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Rock Fest Eistnaflug
For the third time around, the annual rock festival Eistnaflug will take over the town of Neskaupsstaður on July 13 and 14, attracting a loyal crowd of hard-core fans and rockers alike from all over the country. Due to increasing popularity among…
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Celebrating Buckley
Jeff Buckley might have had the greatest set of lungs ever to grace this earth with a song. So, putting on a show to commemorate the tenth anniversary of his accidental passing is something you’d better pour all of your heart and…
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Sir Gussi: A Metal Knight
Okay, so his name is actually Gunnar Guðbjörnsson. While he’s not officially knighted, his studio space might just become the next Camelot for the promotion of Icelandic music. Following a long love affair with the national Hardcore and Heavy Metal music scenes,…