Music News

Norðanpaunk Announces Festival Lineup

The self-titled “biggest Icelandic DIY festival in the world” Norðanpaunk announced its full festival lineup earlier in June. Taking place every year in Laugarbakki in North Iceland, Norðanpaunk has amassed a loyal following of punks, metalheads and indie-rockers alike. Based entirely around DIY ethics, the festival practises safe-space and safe-consumption principles. This year, bands Dödsrit, Ghostigital, Graveslime, Dauðyflin, DJ Flugvél & Geimskip, Sordide and many more are set to perform. Absolutely no viking metal is allowed. Bring your own booze and bring your own tent while you’re at it.

Alsæla Compilation Album To Be Reissued

News broke that the influential 1992 compilation album Icerave is to be reissued as a triple vinyl. The record, now being issued under its original title Alsæla, was dedicated to the bustling rave music scene happening in Iceland at the time. The music was mainly broadcast off the radio show “B-Hliðin,” whose hosts joined forces with the label Skífan to release the album. Though originally known as Alsæla (ecstasy), the title was deemed too provocative and thus received the name Icerave. The album will drop September 3, but pre-orders are live now on Thule Records’ Bandcamp page.

Kælan MIkla and Barði Jóhannsson Sell Out TIFF

No, not the Toronto one. On June 16, Icelandic goth band Kælan Mikla teamed up with Barði Jóhannsson of Bang Gang fame for a cine-concert – that’s a cinema screening and a live concert. The Icelanders composed and performed an original score to the 1921 Swedish film The Phantom Carriage for the Transilvania International Film Festival. The magic happened at the Evangelical Lutheran church in Cluj-Napoca, Romania. According to Barði’s Facebook post, the screening was sold out and might just be performed again in the future. This is Barði’s second time composing and performing a cine-concert at the film festival, as he did so in 2016 for the film Häxan.