Filthy Interview: The Swamp Goblins Of 105

Dauðyflin’s demo with a dash of Norðanpaunk, thanks

In this Filthy Interview, we caught up with hardcore punksters Dauðyflin, who recently released a new demo called Þorparaljóð.

Harder, faster, noisier

Though Dauðyflin formed as a band in 2016, their musical journey began long before that. “We’ve known each other since we were teenagers. Shit, for about fifteen years now,” says Alexandra, who supplies powerful vocals to the outfit. She is joined by Fannar on drums, Júlíana on guitar and Dísa on bass.

Fannar and Alexandra had been playing together in bands like Tentacles Of Doom and BÖRN, but decided to pull in two additional members to the Dauðyflin project. Rooted in Reykjavik’s most punk neighbourhood – which was built on a swamp – the band has proclaimed themselves the goblins of the 105 postcode.

“We’re all anti-capitalists. We’re feminists. We stand for social justice. We are against racism and ableism”.

In their first two years, the band experienced a whirlwind of events. They began with a demo and performed at a hardcore fest in Copenhagen in 2016. Then they toured Spain and France, released an EP and embarked on a full US tour. “We were learning what works for us and what we don’t like through playing all these different shows and stuff,” explains Fannar.

“We quickly learned that it’s more fun to play fast and to be as noisy and chaotic as possible.”Despite the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, Dauðyflin developed material during the forced downtime. They tried crafting complex and challenging songs that pushed their musical boundaries. “We often write songs with complicated riffs that we can’t play,” laughs Júlíana. “Then when we start rehearsing, we’re like, ‘Wait, I can’t play this!’”

A punk in the face

“We’re all anti-capitalists. We’re feminists. We stand for social justice. We are against racism and ableism,” highlights Fannar, adding that Dauðyflin’s music became a reflection of these values with a strong anti-establishment stance and a focus on LGBTQ+ representation and rights.

“We often write songs with complicated riffs that we can’t play,”

Dauðyflin is also active in spreading their values outside Iceland. “We have a network of other punks that share similar values as us and we have friends who want to organise tours for us. This network has been growing over the years,” says Dísa.

During the interview, the band is on a “family trip” in a cabin in Sweden after a successful gig at the iconic Oslo, Norway, anarchist and punk venue Blitz. Speaking of punk venues, the Icelandic DIY festival Norðanpaunk is the perfect stage to host this bunch – so it’s fitting they’ll be performing there in August. “There’s a nice community around it, like everybody coming together and helping out. Plus, it feels really safe,” adds Alexandra.

But Dauðyflin won’t be at Norðanpaunk as performers alone – they’re also fans and super excited to see Graveslime’s set.

Catch Dauðyflin Norðanpaunk on August 4-6 in Laugarbakki. Stay up to date with Dauðyflin on Instagram at @daudyflin and check out the program for Norðanpaunk at – you guessed it – @nordanpaunk.