It’s the most wonderful time of the yeeeeear. That’s right! Iceland Airwaves is here. We were warming up with some off-venues yesterday, scanning the app for the shows we wanna see most, and soaking up the atmosphere around town. Here’s our first Airwaves Daily news update on what went down, and what’s up next.
Ólafur Arnalds and Janus Rasmussen played their only Airwaves set as much-admired softcore techno duo Kiasmos last night at the KEXP Kex off-venue. Their full set streamed live on Facebook. They’re now jetting off on a tour, so no more Kiasmos for us. See ya, Kiasmos!
Gothy industrial pop trio Hatari have released their debut EP to coincide with Airwaves. They’re one of the must-see Icelandic bands this year. Read their pre-Airwaves statement, offered to Grapevine in lieu of an interview, here.
Just a wild guess, but if you’re at Airwaves, you’re probably somewhat interested in the music of Björk. She dropped the announcement of her new album last night. It’s called ‘Utopia’, it has 14 tracks, and it’s out on November 24. Björk said, on Facebook, “what a profound and nourishing trip this has been !!! thousandfold appreciation and headbowing . hope you like it .”
Another new release that caught our attention was this video by Reykjavík-based Canadian artist Rex Pistols. It’s a catchy, glamorous and gloomy take on synth pop. Rex Pistols will play some off-venue shows this year. Check it out!
Our #GrapeWaves competition is up and running. We’re giving away one GrapevineXEinstök goodie bag each day of the festival, including cold beers, warm hats and scarves from 66° North and Farmer’s Market, and some new music from Bedroom Community artists Ben Frost and Valgeir Sigurðsson. To win, just add the #GrapeWaves hashtag to your tweets and Instagrams, and the funnest entry each day will get a bag! Free stuff! Yes!
Today, things really kick off. If you’re scratching your head looking at the vast array of Icelandic names in the app this year, or just want some fresh inspiration, you can check out some tips in our epic Airwaves review team preview (part one and part two).
Finally, you’re invited to our off-venue today at Gallery Port to see Án and Mighty Bear perform inside an exhibition of every Grapevine Airwaves issue cover. See you there!
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