If only it weren't for my darned penis
It’s not some bullshit hipster pose that leads me to skip out of the Big Name Band that plays on the final evening of Airwaves. It’s more a phobia of massive stadiums and hatred of the cold, coupled with the fact that I saw The Flaming Lips two months back (yes, they were brilliant, they are always brilliant). I love The War on Drugs too, but I have the attention span of an aged, drug-addled goldfish and fifteen minute jams sound great on record but try me in person. And I say this as someone with a very real affection for the Kozelek-hating Philadelphians.
So I’m here at Húrra with Reykjavíkurdætur in my motherfucking face instead and, well, it’s really great. I don’t know what they’re singing about (I liked their song about Tinder though), and maybe if I did then I wouldn’t enjoy this quite so much.
Airwaves hasn’t managed to surprise me yet this year with something so batshit bonkers and wildcard-y. I am dubious about using the “it shouldn’t quite work but does” plaudit, but I just have. There isn’t the sense of amateurism I thought I’d find – and I didn’t really vibe off the videos of them on YouTube. What I’m seeing here right now is some pretty good beats sitting behind some real conviction and a crowd-savvy delivery. This is fun, right? They’re dressed with nods to The Knife, Rammstein, ISIS and Eyes Wide Shut. And they’re ripping beats on one track that sounds like a really messed up lift of the Spice Girls “Wannabe”.
If I didn’t have a penis I’d be downing vodka and up there with them.
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Paul Bridgewater edits a music website called The Line of Best Fit, who has been attending Iceland Airwaves for a few years now – sometimes as part of our SUPER LETS-GET-CRAZY-AND-REVIEW-EVERY-SINGLE-SHOW-OF-AIRWAVES TEAM (miss u, team). We were texting him last night, from the Flaming Lips show, and he couldn’t stop raving about Reykjavíkurdætur’s set, so we were all like: write us a review then. The above is what he sent, via iMessage (below: your proof).
That’s some on-site reporting right there. Good to have you, Paul.
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