Reviews 2012
Most read
Latest
-
The Bear, The Wolf, And The Unveiling of Sigur Rós
Once in autumn-nighttime, a bear and a wolf strode through a forest. As they walked, bear heard music so beautiful that she said: “Sister wolf, what bird is it that sings so well?” “It’s not a bird at all; that is Sigur…
-
Post-Apocalyptic Disco
There are some nights when you look at the line-up at a venue and know pretty much what to expect. I thought that was the case Saturday night at Faktorý, but I was proven wrong. And I’m glad I was. With acts…
-
My House. Faktorý Downstairs.
Saturday night around 10pm, I walk into Faktorý, Sunday jazz bar, weekend electronica venue and it’s empty. Like, actually empty. Well, okay the musicians and the bartender are there. I can understand this, with a plethora of fantastic bands playing, no one…
-
Oh, Boy (bands)! : Harpa Norðurljós Pt. II
It seems like everyone here for Ásgeir Trausti’s set is actually here to listen. I’m guessing as much because, for the first time at this year’s festival, I’m hearing a lot of shushing. “You’ve never seen him play before?” a girl standing…
-
I Only Do Girls I Just Barely Like: Harpa Silfurberg Pt. II
Someone find Retro Stefson a cruise ship to rock! The set by Icelandic collective – whose members included two backup dancers, a woman wearing (and playing) a keyboard, a guest percussionist, and a hype man who ended up shirtless — was one…
-
Does Size Really Matter? Harpa Silfurberg Pt. I
The old proverb goes that it’s not the size that matters, but how you use it. It works for music as it does for sex. You can do just as much with a kazoo as you can with a symphony if you…
-
Cult Leaders and Circus Sideshows
Stereo Hypnosis kicked off the night at Þýski Barinn for a thin crowd, and they never got worse but they never got better either. They essentially played the same song for their entire set; it was a slow and steady noise, and I…
-
Dirty Projectors Whip Up A Masterpiece
Prinspóló have been going a long while now, and in that time they have perfected an Icelandic version of the lo-fi college-rock sound, a bit like the sweet-hearted early days of Yo La Tengo. They’re innately loveable, but I’ve always felt slight…
-
Das Flugzeug Fliegt
Lucky me and lucky us the lucky people crowding the upper floor of Faktorý on Friday because I can’t imagine that any other night had this one beat.
-
Hypnosis And High Times: Deutsche Bar Pt. II
At Deutsche bar on Friday, the late gigs offered the kind stylistic pileup I’ve come to expect from an Airwaves lineup.
-
“Good Work, Gang!”
This evening Lára Rúnars gives the sense of a pop star ‘dressed down’ with a loose fitting dress and brandishing a bottle of beer. It feels good to have a native star on this large stage in a beautiful venue and she…
-
A GRAB-BAG OF GUITAR-ROCK
Hello, Airwaves. Having arrived at the festival a day late thanks to a certain big storm on America’s East Coast, I was treated to an evening of mostly homegrown talent at Amsterdam. Like a lot of Icelandic bands I’ve seen, these ones…
-
Beats, Rhymes And Life: Faktorý Downstairs
I don’t do drugs (often), but if I did I would do them while listening to artists like Thizone. Oops, I’ve fallen down a K-hole and I can’t get up! Then again, it’s sort of nice down here… Thizone serves up tracks…
-
Ups And Downs At Gamli Gaukurinn
There may be gale force winds trying to blow festivalgoers towards the sea tonight, but there’s not a lot that the weather can do to dampen spirits. The sky’s clear, the northern lights are glowing and there are some seriously good sounds…
-
Youth Is Wasted On The Young…
It was halfway through the evening‘s music when I kept thinking of two pieces published by our paper. The first being last week’s news item on a report that Iceland’s youth was becoming “more conservative,” the other being a think piece from…
-
A Night Of Confounded Expectations
Unlike many of the other venues – including Deutsche Bar across the road – there is no queue at Amsterdam for the first night of Airwaves, but that doesn’t mean it’s not the place to be. An extremely mixed, inclusive line-up is…
-
Keep It Simple
The small, dingy space of Faktory’s downstairs venue lent itself well to both the tranquil and the frenetic, as three varied electronic acts brought their own definitions of minimalism
