Last week’s events roundup was deployed on the first day of summer here in Iceland and today’s is coming at you as Reykjavíkings and residents of many other swaths of the country are glaring out their windows at piles of late-April snow. Lousy Smarch weather. But hey, don’t let the forecast get you down — there’s loads of fun to be had. Whether you’re looking for nightmare pop, Norwegian folk trance, a celebration of an Icelandic legend or to toss back some wine while doing your best Patrick Swayze (or perhaps you fancy yourself a Demi?), you’ll find it in this week’s roundup.
Don’t forget to check out our events site for even more options!
Photo | Baldur Kristjánsson
Hátíð Hirðarinnar
Thursday April 27 – 19:30 – Gamla Bíó – 5900-7900 ISK
Wednesday April 26 would have been the 46th birthday of Svavar Pétur Eysteinsson, more famously known as Prins Póló. Svavar passed away in September last year, but that doesn’t keep him far from a good party. In celebration of his life, work and artistry, Svavar’s friends and collaborators organised a birthday concert. Following its massive success – all tickets were sold out fast – the organisers decided to add a second night of celebration. All proceeds go towards a newly set up memorial foundation in Svavar’s name, aimed towards supporting “creative people with good ideas”. We’ll receive more details later this year when the foundation opens up for applications. In the meantime, we can pour one out for Svavar, who left an everlasting mark on Icelandic music, the arts and food production. JB
Mengi
PULS: Vilde Tuv & Morita Vargas
April 28 — 20:00 — Mengi — 3000 ISK
The latest iteration of Mengi’s PULS series shines the spotlight on Norwegian folk-trance darling Vilde Tuv and Argentinian experimental artist Morita Vargas. While the series was conceptualised to platform Nordic artists, the good people at Mengi teamed up with the DIT darlings at post-dreifing, who pitched a South American element. Geographic origins aside, Vilde Tuv and Morita Vargas both craft creative, experimental soundscapes that will make your brain tingle and your body sway. CF
Ýrúrarí/Facebook
Ýrúrarí — Nærvera (Presence)
April 28 – August 27 — Museum Of Design & Applied Art
Textile designer Ýr Jóhannsdóttir has been creating delightfully bizarre and unique knit works under the name Ýrúrarí since 2012. In her first major solo exhibition, Ýrúrarí’s experiments with recycled unsalable sweaters become playground and laboratory, displaying her work and her actively working on a massive, growing piece of knit-art over the coming months. RX
Mengi/Facebook
MSEA, “Mouth of the Face of the Sea” — Release Concert
April 29 — 19:30 — Mengi — 1000 ISK
To mark the release of her newest single, “The Mouth Of The Face Of The Sea”, MSEA welcomes you to Mengi to celebrate the track. Although MSEA will not grace us with a performance herself, the event will feature mixed-media performances. Brynja Hjálmsdóttir will have a poetry performance, Ægir Sindri has devised a sensory drum kit, where he remixes MSEA’s newest track by playing the drums, as well as a VJ-set by artist Vikram Pradhan. Alongside this cornucopia of performance, the single’s music video will be unveiled. “Mouth of the Face of the Sea” is off MSEA’s forthcoming album, Our Daily Apocalypse Walk, out in September. JB
Flæði/Facebook
Clay & Wine
April 29 — 17:00-20:00 — FLÆÐI — 5500 ISK
Gallery FLÆÐI has just opened its brand-new studio at the creative space hafnar.haus. On Saturday, the artists invite you to join their short ceramic course combined with cosy chats and wine. And who knows, maybe you’re a master of clay arts and can craft your own wine glass in just minutes? Such workshops are usually expensive in Iceland, but at 5500 ISK for materials, wine and good company, it’s a steal! IZ
R6013/Facebook
Laura Secord / Sucks to be you Nigel / Morita Vargas
April 30 — 18:00 — R6013 (Ingólfsstræti 20) — 1500 ISK or pay what you can
One of the true gems of the Icelandic live scene is Ægir Sindr Bjarnason’s non-functional garage turned fully functional event space. Ægir is always one to invite guests over for interesting live performances. This time around, he will play with his alternative-rock band Laura Secord, which features members of bands Kimono and BSÍ. Sucks to be you Nigel will playing their third show of the week, coming out strong from a lengthy performing hiatus. Their fiery punk attitude has been sorely missed. Lastly, Morita Vargas is an Argentinian experimental musician, whose music conjures up shimmering dreamscapes brought forth by her voice alone. JB
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