A Few ATP Quickies - Featuring Slowdive! And Shellac! And Eaux! Wow!

Featuring Slowdive! And Shellac! And Eaux! Wow!

Look at all those great, legendary, wonderful bands that’ll be taking the stage in Ásbrú a week from now. Just, like, look at that list of bands. It’s amazing. So many great acts! We of course wanted to interview all of them.

But, we couldn’t do it. There were all sorts of logistical concerns. The interviews wouldn’t have fit in our paper. The bands were probably busy being all great in recording studios and on stage.

However, for fun and pleasure, we shot out a blanket message to every international performer in our reach, wherein we asked them three lightweight noncommittal questions that we thought were thoughtless enough so that people would feel they had the time to answer them. And guess what, some of our favourites even sent in answers! Like Slowdive! Wow, Slowdive!

Read on for fun QnA action!

i) Do you have any special hopes/dreams/ambitions for your upcoming trip to Iceland and performance at ATP Iceland? And is there any way festival attendees and Grapevine readers can be of assistance in realising them?

ii) Given that a lot of the crowd will be witnessing your performance for the first time, can you give any tips, tricks or ideas on how to properly prepare for the experience?

iii) Who is your favourite Sugarcube? What about Sigur Rós-er? Do you have a favourite Sigur Rós-er?

Slowdive
Answers By: Simon Scott

i) Slowdive have never played live in Iceland before, but we know how beautiful the landscape is (two or three of us have personally visited) and how friendly Icelandic people are, so we are aiming to create an appropriate soundtrack for such an otherworldly and outstanding environment. We are also determined to have fun, hang out watching other bands, to meet new people and to visit many locations whilst we are in Iceland. The musical climate is really healthy too and we have a lot of respect for acts such as múm, Seabear, Sóley, Amiina, Borko….. and Sigur Rós of course! We’ve not played at an ATP festival, so we are really excited about it, as we were paying punters at a lot of the previous UK editions (including The Bowlie Weekend). It’ll thus be an honour to play and be part of what is sure to be a memorable experience for us this year.

ii) Take a deep breath, be mindful of where you are and enjoy what information your ears receive. That is exactly what frame of mind we are in when we take the stage. Have fun!

iii) Tricky question! You know they are great groups and these groups are a collective of personalities and talents, so pulling out any one member is like a identifying branch in a wonderful tree. Why pick a cog in the machine when the whole is something beautiful?

Eaux
Answers By: Ben Crook

i) Gosh, visiting Iceland is already a dream come true, let alone playing two gigs AND watching Neil Young and Crazy Horse. We just hope you enjoy yourselves. Come ready to dance. Or lie down. Or whatever you feel most comfortable doing. And come to the ATP Recordings night on Tuesday, too, for Eaux, Hebronix and Fuck Buttons.

ii) Wear comfortable clothes and come to the front please. And have a few drinks first.

iii) This is a very difficult question. I always liked Einar a lot because he seemed to be the craziest, especially in the ‘Hit” video. But Magga and Björk were of course very cool too. I’m afraid I can’t remember the others’ names. Sorry, other Sugarcubes. Sigur Rós all seem like very nice chaps too, I’d hate to offend them by choosing one over the other. And i loved the record the strings girls [i.e. the band Amiina] made with Lee Hazlewood.

Shellac
Answers By: Bob Weston

i) I hope to take a breathtaking bike ride while staying at the Ásbrú NATO base. Please tell me where I can rent a bicycle nearby and where I should ride to. Also, hoping to wear one of Björk’s costumes or headpieces onstage.

ii) Please prepare your questions for the band in advance, and in English. For positioning: guitar guy will be on left, drummer will be in the middle (right up front), and bassman will be on the right.

iii) Who is your favourite Sugarcube? What about Sigur Rós-er? Do you have a favourite Sigur Rós-er?

1. Björk

2. The dude with the bow

3. Still the dude with the bow

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See Also:

Keflavík: Home Of Icelandic Rock ‘N’ Roll

Mogwai: Les Revenants