Iceland Airwaves 2011
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Confined
I walk into Factory. Aðalsteinn is there. We have a mildly humorous misunderstanding regarding beer. It’s alright. I sit down and sit there for a while. Natasha Fox stays pretty true to playing pure dubstep. After some time, Hekla and Simon arrive.…
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Never Too Late For Thorunn
She isn’t the first name to come to peoples’ lips when thinking of Icelandic musical exports, but Thorunn Antonia has been around the block and hit foreign shores. Having worked with Danish bigwigs Junior Senior and formerly singing for the British band…
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Chikka-zzz-chikka-chikka
Dr. Badmind here to ruin the party for everyone! What I love about Iceland is the versatility of the music scene, sure there have been a few Sigur Rós imitators in the past decade but nowhere near as many as you would…
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Crazy Beats Down At Animal Farm…
It’s Reykjavík! It’s Wednesday Night! It’s Iceland Airwaves! And that means it’s time to party on down to Faktorý where we’re going to be blowing those hinges off baby! Djamm í kvöld! Well ok, the night didn´t really start off like that.…
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A Night To Remember
Fönksveinar – 20:00 Young, energetic, and looking good, these talented gents had the task of opening up Airwaves at Harpa Kaldalón, and did so confidently. With a congealed, classic sound, Fönksveinar launched in front of an eager audience into their blend of…
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"Twee As Fuck!"
When Mammút hit their stride they feel like a force of nature, washing over their audience like crashing waves of sound. Katrína Mogensen’s voice floats on the music like an arctic tern in a storm.
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From Sitting On The Floor To Raising The Roof
It’s hard to imagine a more incongruous set of opening acts for the headliners at this gig, unless you count the time Tom Jones opened for GG Allin at the 930 Club in Washington, DC in 1988. But I still feel as…
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The Good, The Bad and The Misplaced
Whatever quarrels surrounding the Harpa concert hall and its construction, you have to admit that it is a huge, polished piece of architecture that is made to be home of music. This is why it became Airwaves’ new ‘large’ venue, taking over from…
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A Voyage to the Worlds of the Amsterdam System
In a centrally located and often-travelled region of the Reykjavík galaxy lies a surprisingly seldom-visited solar system known as the Amsterdam system. How and why it received such a name is a mystery lost to time, but connotations of reckless debauchery and…
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Wildly Imaginative, Creatively Liberated…
Seven albums in, it’s easy to forget how special Björk’s voice is, but seeing her sing up close is perfect reminder. Her face twists and grimaces, giggles and grins as she goes through the rapture of belting out each note, from that…
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Clock Opera's Guide to Iceland Airwaves (Without Having Ever Been There)
It’s our first trip to Iceland as Clock Opera, but I came to stay with a friend a few years ago and fell in love with the place. Waterfalls smothered in cloud, stumbling on secret hot springs and waking up in Landmannalaugar…
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We Used To Be Birds, But Now We're Monsters… And Men.
Of Monsters And Men recently released their stellar debut album, ‘My Head Is An Animal’, songs from which you can catch playing in nearly every coffee shop and radio station in Reykjavík, for damn good reason.
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Reggae in Reykjavík? Looks like less is, more or less, more.
Answering popular demand within Reykjavík’s budding reggae scene, Ojba Rasta are a ten piece that’s dead-set on facilitating the spread of their niche, convincing Sinéad O’Connor to return to her reggae roots, and promising foreign bands anything they can dream. Most definitely.
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The Airwaves Engine That Quietly Toils For Thee…
Behind every great festival, there are those who beaver away unnoticed to make sure your Airwaves experience is unforgettable.
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Big Man On A Little Planet
Although he’s been to Iceland every year for the past five years, and although he’s played concerts here almost every time, this is the first year that Sean Lennon is lining up his annual Iceland excursion with Airwaves. To make the most…
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Valdimar, The Creator!
Reykjavik!’s erstwhile guitarist Valdimar Jóhansson breaks out into production of all kinds… Now you may have noticed that Iceland’s favourite pleasure rockers, Reykjavik!, have just released ‘Hellbound Heart,’ the first track from their at-the-time-of-writing untitled third LP. But their guitarist Valdimar Jóhannsson,…
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The Best Party You Weren’t At!
Airwaves veterans share their best memories Once a festival gets to its 13th year, you better believe it’s made a lasting impression on people. And a festival like Airwaves in a city like Reykjavík? Well, that really spells out a recipe…
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Diaper-Crapping Dreams Come True
Interview with John Grant After the break up of the band he lead for a long time, The Czars’, musician John Grant has spent the past few years gathering himself together by moving to New York City, learning a fifth language…
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A CLOSER LOOK AT BEDROOM COMMUNITY
‘Everything, Everywhere, All The Time’ Along with the rest of tasteful folks everywhere, us at Grapevine have been closely following the Bedroom Community collective (which comprises, at its core, messrs. Valgeir Sigurðsson, Ben Frost and Nico Muhly—all super internationally acclaimed for all…
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“STOP WASTING YOUR TIME LISTENING TO A BUNCH OF CRAP”
WE, THE DANDELION SEEDS, ARE HERE TO SAVE YOU By Axel Björnsson GARAGE ROCKERS, PSYCH HEADS AND WILD ROCK ‘N’ ROLL FANS: OUR TIME HAS COME! Soon people will notice that this is the shit. Yeah, I’m talking about the retro—the revival…
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The Young Composer’s Guide To Reykjavík Dining
By Daníel Bjarnason I have a few favourite places for dining in Reykjavík, and I have listed a lot of them below. The ones I have listed all have in common the fact that they all get their ingredients straight from various…
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The Grapevine’s Comprehensive Guide To Airwaves
You’ve made it through harassing airport security, scrutinising border guards and cramped, smelly planes and here you are. Congratulations! Welcome to Reykjavík. Is it your first time doing this festival? Oh man. You’re probably going to need some help. And don’t tell…