The Reykjavik Grapevine
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20 Years Of Grit, 20 Years Of The Grapevine
Former editors look back on their time at The Reykjavík Grapevine From A Pagan Chief To Bobby Fischer It seems like a long time ago that a picture of a black woman in the Icelandic national costume would cause a furore. A…
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Grapevine Cover Wins The Magazine Photograph Of The Year Award
Blaðaljósmyndarafélag Íslands announced the winners of its annual “Photos of the Year” competition. The association received a total of 789 photo submissions. [su_pullquote]Not in Iceland for a while but still want to read our new issue? Get it sent from the Grapevine…
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WOW! LOOK AT OUR #AMAZING SECRET #AIRWAVES15 PARTY!
Yesterday, we invited a bunch of our readers and friends and whatnot to a little get-together at Reykjavík Grapevine’s International HQ. It was #AMAZING. With loads of free Brennivín&Gull, and wonderful, intimate performances from some of our favourite local artists – Auður,…
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Track Review: HIMBRIM – Running In Circles
There’s not an immediately auspicious start to ‘Running In Circles’, the first track from electronica-upstarts HIMBRIM. After all, stuttering synths and echo-laden, back-spun vocal lines have undergone a little bit of a resurgence since Disclosure’s garage-nodding house became dance’s next big thing.…
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Testes Not Required For Metal
For the rockers and metalheads of Iceland, the second weekend of July is a religious holiday, road trip and family reunion all rolled into one. It marks the annual Eistnaflug festival (“Flight Of The Testes”), held in Iceland’s eastern-most village, Neskaupstaður. During…
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It’s Your Book And Your Voice
“Iceland is like a disease you can’t get rid of.” This from Andrew Evans, National Geographic’s ‘Digital Nomad,’ by way of introducing the locally set travel essay that he’s reading to kick off the first ever Iceland Writers Retreat. It’s clear that…
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A Growing Divide?
It’s that time of year again, when everybody is talking about everybody else’s salary. “Did you see? Grímur Karl Sæmundsen [CEO of the Blue Lagoon] makes 6.2 million per month [645,000 USD per year],” someone will say. “Wow, Davíð Oddsson [Editor of…
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Straumur: Best Of Music
Best album: GusGus’s ‘Mexico’ The greats of Icelandic dance music, GusGus, have yet to slip up in their almost two decade long career and they certainly don’t do so on their latest album, ‘Mexico.’ They continue to explore the sonic terrain of…
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Við Erum Best!
At last count, there were 326,340 people living in Iceland. That’s .0045% of the world’s population and while it isn’t really a competition, this has created a bit of an inferiority complex among some Icelanders who, as Grapevine writer Oddur Sturluson put…
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Best Of Reykjavík 2014: Shopping & Commerce
Once a year, we like to take a step back and celebrate our little city. It’s not that Reykjavík is a city without problems, or that it’s a place that doesn’t have plenty of ways in which it could improve. This probably…
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How Not To Tackle Iceland’s Rugged Landscape
Not long after moving to Reykjavík, I naturally became preoccupied with searching for adventures in the Icelandic countryside. My search led me to Esja, a mountain range around 10km from Reykjavík. The most popular summit, Þverfellshorn, is around 780m high. Feeling like…
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A Few ATP Quickies
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.…
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Love In The Land Of The Midnight Sun
It’s nearing four o‘clock and the boys at the bar are tearing their shirts off. Bare chests multiply on the dance floor like drunken amoeba—three, four, five. This is a high-stakes game and all stops are pulled. You don’t go gently into…
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Homeward Bound
In 2007, Iceland’s economy was still in its pre-crash boom days, cruising along to an eventual 4.9% GDP growth rate. Eiríkur Hauksson, the country’s Eurovision ambassador, failed to qualify for the final round of the contest entirely. “Eyjafjallajökull” was not yet an…
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By Immigrants, For Immigrants
Barbara Jean Kristvinsson, a counsellor with the city’s Human Rights Office, knows from experience how difficult it can be to get accurate information when you move to a new country. Barbara came to Reykjavík from the United States in 1991 and remembers…
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So What’s This Christmas Tree I Keep Hearing About?
Every year since 1951 the city of Oslo has presented the city of Reykjavík with a goddamn enormous spruce tree, which is erected every year in the square in front of the parliament building a few weeks before Christmas. As well as…
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Brighter Days Ahead
First things first, we’d like to thank Phédre, Ken Park, Nolo and everybody who showed up for our summer celebration at KEX on May 3. The hostel was crammed with exciting music, people and good vibes. Thank you! With that out of…
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News In Brief
We’re #1! We’re #1! At what, you ask? Did Iceland finally win Eurovision? No—that hasn’t happened yet (and honestly, our chances aren’t so good). At the Crossfit Games? No, that hasn’t happened yet (although Icelandic contenders, including two-time winner Anníe Mist, represent…
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Icelandic Serbs Collecting Emergency Aid For Flood Victims
A group of Icelandic Serbs have set up an emergency relief fund collecting money for flood victims, reports Vísir. This comes after the worst floods in the Balkans for decades left more than 35 dead and forced tens of thousands of people to flee…
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Household Debt Relief Package Goes Into Effect
Iceland’s Household Debt Relief Package voted through by parliament Friday night has already gone into effect, reports DV.Applicants are now able to seek amendments to their indexed mortgages or allocate personal pension funds to pay down their debts via the government website leiðrétting.is.The maximum…
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One Year In Prison For Blackmail
A 36-year-old man has been sentenced to a year in prison for attempting to blackmail a wealthy couple in Ísafjörður out of 100 million ISK.Vísir reports that the blackmailer sent a letter to the couple at the end of October 2012, demanding payment…
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“No One Can Be Forced To Work Overtime”
Despite a strict ban on anything resembling a strike where airline pilots are concerned, this has not stopped them from fighting back.Vísir reports that airline workers are unhappy with a newly passed law, introduced by Minister of the Interior Hanna Birna Kristjánsdóttir, that makes…
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Showtime To Remake Icelandic Dramedy
Television network Showtime plan to remake award-winning Icelandic dramedy World’s End, reports the Hollywood Reporter. The show will be adapted to English by Jonathan Ames, known for Bored To Death, who plans to both pen the script and co-executive produce. In Iceland the programme was…