múm Is A Living Proof That A Long-Distance Relationship Can Work

Spread across different countries and cities, the members of the legendary band came together on the stage of Harpa for their first homebound show in at least seven years on the closing night of Iceland Airwaves 2025, Sunday, November 9. The day before, I had the rare chance to see an intimate performance at Mengi after their rehearsal, courtesy of Iceland Music. múm only played two songs, but it had the power of a full-on concert. I was a bit unsure how this peaceful atmosphere would translate to the red, spacious walls of Harpa’s Eldborg, but it exceeded every expectation.

After a beautiful opening set from pianist Eydís Evensen, who was joined by Ásgeir for one song, múm lit the stage with their soft vocals and distinct glitchy beats, combining new songs from the highly praised album History of Silence with old favourites. Gyða Valtýsdóttir was, for me, the show’s biggest enchantment. She made the cello cool way before Wednesday Adams did, and, on stage, she worked absolute magic with the instrument. At one point she slipped into a theatrical bit, pretending to cut off her head, dropping to the ground, standing back up, and repeating the same thing again and again and again — delightfully strange but utterly captivating.

It’s not an easy concert to pull off. Musically, there are so many elements that need to bind together seamlessly, and múm delivers. There are little mishaps — Örvar Þóreyjarson Smárason dropping his guitar, or the moment when he needs to switch to bass but the cable is too short to reach the mic for him to sing — yet the group handles it together with ease.

There probably won’t be another concert like this from múm in Reykjavík anytime soon. The band is already heading out on tour with the new album, and then they’ll most likely jump straight into their other projects. But spending a Sunday night in their company felt like something to hold onto.

The night reminded me of a line from the Grapevine’s cover story on múm earlier this year:

“Of course, what you want it to be is magic and some such. But first and foremost, it’s about getting to spend time with each other. Being together in the same place and not having to think about anything else. And just give yourself time to be together and… not even focus, but just live into it.”

Thanks for letting us live into the music, múm.

For more of Grapevine’s Iceland Airwaves coverage, you can read our reviews of Day One, Day Two, and Day Three.