Music News: Battling Bands, Music Awards & Chilling To The Extreme

Músíktilraunir, once again

It’s that time of year again, where young musicians are lauded for their dedication to crafting their work. Músíktilraunir is the annual battle of the bands competition, where 32 bands and artists demonstrate their ability spanning four semi-finals. Ultimately, 12 artists were chosen to clash in the finals, with one standing as the true winner of music. This year, alt-rockers Fókus were awarded first place. Hailing from Höfn í Hornafirði, in southeast Iceland, the all-female rock band demonstrated a unified and controlled stage presence, with a sound reminiscent of ‘90s alternative-rock and grunge. Second place went to techno-pop artist Torfi, and teen-pop band Dóra and Döðlurnar rounded out the top three.

Íslensku tónlistarverðlaunin – 22. mars

Originating in the 1960s, the Icelandic Music Awards have been held semi-regularly over the past three decades. On March 22, musicians and their entourages filled Harpan to receive recognition for all the sweat, blood and tears they’ve poured into their work. Changes were made to many of the prize categories, resulting in a shorter awards list. Pop, hip-hop, rock, and electronic music genres were combined into one comprehensive category. In the same category, Guðlaug Sóley Höskuldsdóttir (gugusar) won Best Performer, Björk won Best Producer for her album Fossora, and many more awards bestowed to a total of 20 artists.

Extreme Chill Festival Announces Dates

Iceland’s favourite experimental happening, Extreme Chill Festival announced their show dates earlier in April. The festival will take place September 21 – 24 in Reykjavík. The festival has always been open to changes, having been hosted all around Iceland and even in Berlin. This time around, it will take place across Gamla Bíó, Kex Hostel, Iðnó and Space Odyssey, with more venues to be announced. The festival aims to foster relationships between Icelandic and international musicians, with a focus on platforming a range of art forms, from experimental music to visual art. The full line-up as well as information on tickets will be announced May 5.