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 to watch the mountains change colour, all unforgettable things. Now my huge excitement to come back to play is only very slightly tempered by learning that the Phallological museum has moved away.

I feel a need to be educated in all the Icelandic bands playing at Airwaves. There are so many I don’t know anything about, so really the recommendations should be coming the other way around, but here are the bands I do know and really want to see.

I stumbled across tUnE-yArDs a couple of years ago at Glastonbury. I became a big fan immediately and can’t wait to see her play at NASA (just before us on Friday).

When we went to SXSW earlier this year, John Grant backed by Midlake was one of the highlights, so we’ll be looking out for him again.

I love Valgeir Sigurðsson‘s records & production, so we will be tracking him down. Maybe he can tell us which Icelandic bands to see.

Pretty curious to see what Sinead O’Connor is up to these days. I’ve absolutely no idea what to expect, but can’t help but want to be there.

By Clock Opera