Tag Archives: Iceland Airwaves

8 Tips for Iceland Airwaves

It’s that time again, time one of the longest running Icelandic music festivals, Iceland Airwaves. This year they’ve brought back the original feel and are using more independent venues throughout the city. It means more movement and walking, but also means you get to see a lot of bands in unique spots. You can learn more about those venues at the Reykjavik Grapevine.

4 days of music spread all over the city can sound intimidating, but if you go in with a game plan and you’re prepared you’ll be amazed at how smooth things will go for you.

1. I highly suggest you follow these three pages on Social Media.

Iceland Airwaves page will give you the quickest updates and information on bands. IMX is an awesome source for finding out the history of bands, and they also shoot out information on tours and new music to look for. And the Reykjavik Grapevine is an English language newspaper, in an informal sometimes snarky manner they discuss the happenings around Iceland and you can gain more knowledge on things to do while you’re visiting. They typically put out a special Iceland Airwaves edition, as well as run a blog during the festival dedicated to Airwaves.

Iceland Airwaves	Iceland Music	Reykjavik Grapevine

And with that, here are some pointers on prepping and enjoying the festival:

Follow the three social media sites above for quick access to changing info
Be relaxed, flexible, and social
Be prepared
Be a tourist, in and outside the city
Respect the land, yourself, the people, and your fellow festival folks
Support the artists, buy their music
Food, alcohol and favorite people & places
Have fun

2. Be Relaxed, Be Social

Combining the normal tourist activity with over 7500 festival folks makes Reykjavik a busy busy city. Relaxation is key to enjoying yourself. You may have to wait a little longer for drinks/coffee/food/entrance into a venue, so just relax and breath in the fresh air. Be social, if you’re stuck in a line chances are you’re stuck with people of like mind, so don’t be afraid to ask your queue cohorts why they are there, what bands they’ve seen, who they are going to see and why. There are quite a few unannounced gigs that will be going on around the city, and being social is the only way you’re going to find out about them.

dj. flugvél og geimskip surprising the audience by performing with Dr. Gunni at Airwaves 2015

There is a lot of music, a good deal you may have never heard of. Listening to the Spotify link and/or checking out the page I’ve created of Icelandic bands playing are both extremely easy ways to begin prepping for the festival, and most likely you’ll find bands you never knew you couldn’t live without hearing live.

The Airwaves crew have done an ace job of making it easy for you to plan ahead and navigate these different venues with an app which is available now. Make sure you download it so you can start putting together a game plan. You should always have a plan A and plan B, so if the venue you’re trying to see a gig at is full you can quickly move on to your second choice. The app will save you a lot of time with maps, time schedules, alerts and reminders of upcoming gigs. It really will keep you on schedule, or help you alter your schedule in seconds.

3. Be Prepared!

The weather in Iceland can be really unpredictable. It can be blue skies, rain, snow, hit you with hurricane force winds and go back to blue skies all in the time it takes you to drink a cup of coffee. So prepare yourself with wet proof shoes, and layers. Layers will be your friend as the venues get pretty hot and sticky but then you’ve got to be outside getting from venue to venue. Also, if you plan on taking road trips or excursions outside the city, make sure you bring extra supplies in the even you get stuck in a storm for a while.

4. Be a tourist, in and out of the city

Nobody needs to tell you, but Iceland is gorgeous, so make sure you take some time to enjoy it. whether it’s just walking around Reykjavik looking at all the murals and art, or taking daytrips, get out and experience Iceland, there are plenty of options. Here are a few of my favorites:

I Heart RVK

I heart Reykjavik is a fantastic walking tour company that will take you around Reykjavik discussing it’s history and unique attributes.

They book up quickly, so I would suggest trying to reserve a spot now. It’s especially nice during Airwaves as there will be more music in the streets than usual while you walk around learning about old famous hangouts, and the history of the capital city.

On tour with Ívar is a new walking tour I’m really hoping to make it to this year. Ívar Pétur is in the legendary party band FM Belfast, and this tour is his way of sharing a local’s perspective. You’ll see the not well known side of Reykjavik, eat some food, drink some drinks, and hang out with Ívar and friends. Reviews that I’ve read make it seem more like a day out with your very knowledgeable friends.

The Icelandic Punk Museum opened last year during Iceland Airwaves with Johnny Rotten in attendance. Located in an abandoned Women’s public toilet in the center of downtown, the history of punk music is written on the wall in both Iceland and English. Once entering, you can stroll through the toilet stalls reading a chronological account of the advancement of punk in Iceland. Written by Dr. Gunni of legendary bands Bless, S.H. Draumer, Unun, and author of Iceland’s most comprehensive English music history book, Blue eyed pop. Across from the historical toilets are instruments, clothing and other interactive exhibits. It’s well worth a visit

Also check with your hotels, or the tourist office located in the city center. there are plenty of day trips to take you to see waterfalls, geysers, and the gorgeous landscapes of Iceland outside of the city.

5. Respect the island and it will respect you.

Built on multiple volcanoes with lava in its veins, The island may try to kill you if you give it the chance. Just be aware of your surroundings, footing, and the weather. Common sense goes a long way, and Icelanders fully believe folks should use said common sense. Have a good time not an out of control painful time. There’s a lot to do and even the half day you spend recovering from the night before will result in you missing a lot.

Pay attention to warnings about weather and areas not to tread in. Unlike the East coast where we cancel school over the mere hint of snow, the Icelanders rarely give out warnings unless they need to.

Lucky Records

6. Support the artists, purchase their music while you’re there.

There is a lot of music you won’t find off the island, or if you do it’ll cost crazy shipping. So purchase it while you’re visiting. Iceland has some amazing record shops, Lucky Records, 12 Tónar, and Reykjavik Record shop are the ones I’m most familiar with. All ran by folks who love music, and love talking about music, you’ll also find a lot of off-venue gigs will be at these places.

7. Food and favorite places.

There are a lot of solid places for quick bites or sit down meals. And there is the Bónus grocery store in the event you want to grab your own stockpile of munchies. I tend to go for the lighter side of things such as the Noodle Station or Reykjavik Chips Noodle Station is your quick simple three option noodle place, good for warming you up and filling yer gullet quickly and cheaply. And Reykjavik Chips has hand cut fries, with a ton of sauces, and beer.

Mandi is one of my favorite late night places. Though it gets packed so I tend to just go get my Shawarma /Falafel/kebab wraps and keep them in the fridge at my place for my late night cravings.

There are great Vegetarian and vegan places to check out as well. A really cool new place is Veganæs. located in the venue/bar Gaukurinn. Lead by Chef Linnea Hellström of Oumph! Vegan food and the formerly vegetarian outfit kaffi Vinyl, the place has burgers, fish-ish, gooey cheese balls, and amazing soup. Every day the menu changes slightly, so check their FB page.

Gló is another great vegetarian spot with a large eating area and portions are quite large.

For quick bites in between venues, there is the famous Pylsurs (hot dog). the “Clinton” stand down by the Reykjavik art museum, and other places around the city. Cheap, easy to access, and good.

Bars are plentiful in the city, and the prices only slightly vary. There will be bands or DJ’s playing in most of them. During the week the bars close at 1 or 2am, but on the weekend the bars will be open until 4. Find a bar with the atmosphere you dig and have at it. Alcohol purchased at the liquor store is taxed pretty heavily. I suggest picking up a bottle of wine or spirits at the duty free shop while you wait for your baggage, It will be considerably cheaper that way.

8. And finally, the most important factor, have fun.

Don’t get too wrapped up in details, maps, or must sees. You are going to experience one of the most unique festivals in the world, and you’re going to do it with northern lights above your head. If you have any specific questions, don’t hesitate to comment below, or send me a Facebook message at Ragnaarbastiaan. You can follow me on Instagram, and/or Facebook for photos of the festival, as I’ll be up there snapping away.

My favorite 10 things to do in Reykjavik

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I’ve put a top 10 list of places I frequent when in Iceland list together. 9 favorites, and 1 that I am eagerly waiting to try out. The great thing is, you can do most of these things all year round. These are places and things outside of the regularly mentioned attractions and off-venue gigs that you may have heard of. It’s just my favorite spots to hit while I’m in town for Airwaves.

1. On tour with Ívar

On tour with Ívar is one of my favorite walking tours around the city. You’ll go down partially hidden alleyways, drink local cocktails, eat local food and the tour ends with a beer. As a member of FM Belfast, Ívar has been in the Icelandic music world for quite a long time and he has a lot of great stories of the old and new Reykjavik. I would suggest booking sooner than later as he books up quickly, especially during Airwaves. You can book at the link provided above.

2. Lucky Records

Lucky records is a massive music hub. Typically there are bands playing during off-venue before, during, and after the festival. The shop is pretty massive so you can shop and listen to live music all at once without feeling crowded or drowned in sound. A lot of the Icelandic bands playing Airwaves will have music available at most the music stores and I suggest you get it while you can as a lot of it isn’t available off the island, And if it is you’ll pay more for shipping than your record.

3. Fischer

Tucked neatly behind the city center in an old Icelandic house is Fischer. Ran by a very musical family and their friends, the house/store has a cozy old Icelandic feel that’s quite warm and welcoming. Throughout the shop there are displays of olden time “remedies” for common ailments all coming from an old book they also have on display. They sell bespoke items such as sustainable tooth brushes, soaps, shampoos, and perfumes. They also sell a 7′ that is handmade with the store soundtrack which was created by Sin Fang, Jonsi, Kjartan Holm, and Alex Somers. If you want one I would suggest getting there at the beginning of your trip as they are handcrafted and with the influx of festival goers chances are they will be sold out sooner than later. One of my favorite things about Fischer, is the mighty guard dog Atlas.

4. 12 Tónar

Another of my favorite record stores in Reykjavik. Go in, get a bit of coffee and browse both levels of the shop looking for new and used music. As with Lucky’s, the owners and employees are very nice and really knowledgeable about the Icelandic music scene. I have found absolute gems for great prices downstairs in their vinyl bins. They also may have bands playing during the festival so watch out for schedules.

5. Why not? Plötur

This is fairly new to Iceland. A new underground record label that will most likely have basement concerts at RS6013 later in the festival. True underground and off the mainstream Reykjavik experience. It’s a DIY label and I highly suggest you check and follow their Facebook page for updates and notices of when bands will be playing. They have a great catalog of music already and if you dig what you hear you need to pick it up then, as it’s rather difficult to get otherwise.

6. Smekkleysa Plötubúð

Smekkleysa is an old staple around Reykjavik. Smekkleysa records, (Bad Taste records) was the baby of Björk and Co, and the record store carries a lot of classics and current releases. Kiddi, the man behind the counter has been part of the music world as long as anyone and is quick to answer any questions you may have about music current and old.

7. Messinn

I typically grocery shop and live off cucumber and tomato sandwiches all throughout the festival, money is better spent on vodka I say. That being said, I always try to hit up Messinn at least once during the festival. A few years ago I surveyed a good deal of my Icelandic friends and asked which restaurant in Reykjavik has the most true to form and best tasting Plokkfiskur (fish stew) in town. It was unanimous that Messinn was the place, and they were right. Served right in the skillet the food here is really good, and the atmosphere cozy, it’s perfect for the November weather. I would suggest getting a reservation a day or two before attempting to go there as they always tend to be busy.

8. Brauð & co

I’m not a big cinnamon bun fan, but this place made me one. They also carry quite the assortment of bread that you can get by the slice or full loaf. I typically grab my bread here for my breakfast and lunch during the festival. It can get busy, but it’s worth the wait. One of the better Icelandic secret spots you’ll find in the city.

9. Mandi

It may seem weird, middle eastern food in Iceland, but Mandi is the saving grace of almost every late night in Iceland. They’ll be open after the bands stop playing, and out of all the late night food spots this is the best in the city. It will busy with locals most nights but it is well worth the wait. Typically, I grab food to eat then and food for breakfast in the morning. It’s a very social place so it’s easy to meet new folks and learn about unannounced gigs and after-parties around the city.

10. Veganæs

And finally, but not least, Veganæs. This is a new place located in Gaukurinn, A bar and possible Airwaves venue located in downtown Reykjavik. Veganæs is a new outfit ran by Linnae and Krummi. Linnae has been a staple for vegan food in Iceland for a long time, and her partner Krummi is in the Icelandic bands Mínus and Legend. I haven’t had a chance to eat here as they just opened, but it is one of the first places I plan on hitting once getting to the island. Other great vegetarian/vegan places in Iceland are Kaffi Vinyl, and Gló

Icelandic Bands of Iceland Airwaves 2018

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And here it is, the complete list of Icelandic musicians performing at the 20th anniversary of Iceland Airwaves 2018. It’s under new management so there are probably a few more surprises coming our way, But here is the list of everything we know. So get digging in and learn about all the new stuff you haven’t heard before.

I’ll be doing a few blog posts with tips, recommendations etc… And this year I’ve started a series on the first time Icelandic musicians, you can see the first post here.

You can see my past Airwaves photos here, and my tips for a pleasant Airwaves as well.

Once again I’ve created a loosely sorted, by genre, cheat sheet for the Icelandic bands. Out of the 225 bands set to perform, 139 are Icelandic. This year the Airwaves team massively improved their line up page, you can search and sort by genre and country, but the genre sections is rather precise, so I’ve kept the categories rather broad here. To See the official Airwaves line-up page, click here.

With Icelandic bands it can always be hard to categorize their music styles as one of the greatest things about them is their ability to snag and grab their favorite things from all over the musical spectrum and make it work for them. So these lists are just general nods in the direction you may be looking for, for example, the Dance table, they sit right on the edge of electronic and dance pop/rock and beats. But I tried to focus on the prominence of a lead singer and the beats of the bulk of their songs in deciding which side to place them.

At the bottom you will also find the Spotify playlist for the entire festival.

Categorizing some bands can be extremely difficult as they run borders are freely through genres, so if you feel a band needs to be moved into a different category let me know and I’ll change it.

Singer/Songwriter / Folk / Indie Folk
Árni Vil	Árný	Árstíðir	Ateria
Axel Flóvent	Árstíðir	Ateria	BeeBee & the Bluebirds
Birgir	Hildur Vala	Ingibjörg Turchi	Júníus Meyvant
Lára Rúnars	Ljósfari	Matthildur	Moonbear
Snorri Helgason	Sóley	Special-K	Teitur Magnússon
Ylja

Rock / Pop Rock / Indie / Dance / Dance rock
Agent Fresco	Amabadama	Ari Árelíus	Ásgeir
Auður	Berndsen	Between Mountains	Bláskjár
BRÍET	Ceasetone	Daði Freyr	Einarindra
Elín Harpa	Febrúar	GDRN	Grúska Babúska
Helgi	Hildur	Himbrimi	Hinemoa
Högni	JFDR	Karitas	Kayak
Kiryama Family	KRÍA	Máni Orrason	Mighty Bear
Milkywhale	Mórókóar	Moses Hightower	Mr. Silla
Munster	Shakes	SiGRÚN	Svala
Sycamore Tree	Sykur	Tara Mobee	Una Stef
Valdimar	Var	Vasi	Vicky
Vio	Vök	Warmland	Young Karin

Punk / Metal / Hardcore / Garage Rock / Prog Rock
Austurvígstöðvarnar	Future Figment	Glerakur	Godchilla
GRÓA	Hatari	Hórmónar	Horrible Youth
Julian Civilian	Korter í flog	Kul	Mammút
Pink Street Boys	Ring of Gyges	Rock Paper Sisters	Rythmatik
SÓLSTAFIR	Stafrænn Hákon	Tófa	Une Misère

Electronic / DJ / Atmospheric / Experimental / composers
Andartak	ÁRNI²	ASDFHG	aYia
B1B2	Bára Gísladóttir	Berghain	Bervit
Bistro Boy	dj. flugvél og geimskip	DJ Snorri Ástráðs	Eydís Evensen
Futuregrapher	Gunnar Jónsson Collider	Helgi Sæmundur	Hugar
kjartan Holm	LaFontaine	Madonna + Child	Magnús Jóhann
Ólafur Arnalds	TRPTYCH

Hip-Hop / Trap / R&B / Rap
AFK	Arrnar Úlfur	Birnir	Cell7
Countess Malaise	Cyber	Dadykewl	Elli Grill
Emmsjé Gauti	Floni	Geisha Cartel	GKR
Joey Christ	JóiPé x Króli	Jökull Logi	Kef Lavik
Kött Grá Pje	Logi Pedro	Lord Pusswhip	Ragga Holm
Reykjavíkurdætur	Sprite Zero Klan	Sturla Atlas	Sura
Two Toucans	Úlfur Úlfur	Unnsteinn	Yung Nigo Drippin

Icelandic newbies at Iceland Airwaves 2018

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The final acts for Iceland Airwaves 2018 have been announced and there are a lot of Icelandic newbies on the roster. I’ve decided to blog about some of them and have included a brief history of each. Also, the bands have been kind enough to answer a few “getting to know you” questions. Hopefully I’ll be able to do a few of these posts between now and Airwaves.

Ateria

Ateria is a family trio, sisters Ása and Eir and their cousin Fönn. Ateria formed in 2017, and won Iceland’s famous new music contest, Músíktilraunir in March of 2018. The trio have studied classical music for years, and their music incorporates what they’ve learned creating a darker folkrock-ish feeling. Funfact, the name “Ateria” is derived from the latin name for the eider duck, Somateria mollissima.

What acts would you say hold kinship with your music? Ateria: “One always perceives one’s own music differently than other people’s, so we find it very difficult to determine what acts are similar to ours.”

What other Icelandic bands are you looking forward to seeing? Ateria: “We are looking forward to seeing Between Mountains, Vök, Mammút, Ólafur Arnalds, Hórmónar, Mókrókar, Sóley and Agent Fresco.”

Do you have any albums, or merch for sale. Where do folks go to get it? Ateria: “We don’t have any albums or merch for sale.”

If you could be any animal covering any song, what would you be, and what would you cover? Ateria: “We would be eider ducks covering ‘Weird Fishes / Arpeggi’ by Radiohead.”

Kjartan Holm

While this isn’t Kjartan Holm’s first time at Airwaves, previously performing with his other bands such as For a minor reflection and Tófa, this will be his first solo performance. His broad knowledge of musical genres have allowed him to collaborate, produce, and work with a great number of Icelandic musicians and has taken him all over the globe. Focused more on composition, his solo material carries an almost dark atmospheric sound combining a diverse pallet of instruments, sounds, and beats. Kjartan, along with Jónsi, Sin Fang, and Alex Somers, also created the background soundtrack to the store Fischer located in downtown Reykjavik.

What acts would you say hold kinship with your music? “I guess stuff like Tim Hecker, Stephen O’Malley, Ben Frost, Fennesz and things like that come to mind. When I write this kind of music I’m just following the mood I’m in at that particular moment. Mixing together processed sounds with recordings on top of that for endless amount of time until I’ve created something I think sounds interesting. The structure kind of comes automatically in that process.”

What other Icelandic bands are you looking forward to seeing? “Bára Gísladóttir is definitely one of the most interesting acts around in my opinion, Gunnar Jónsson is really good, Ingibjörg Turchi, SiGRÚN and Tófa.”

Do you have any albums, or merch for sale. Where do folks go to get it? “My debut album as a solo artist is being mastered as we speak. It won’t be out until early 2019 though. I have older stuff, everything from barely-touched demos to finished orchestral pieces on my Soundcloud (www.soundcloud.com/kjartanholm) but that’s about it for now. When the record is out I’ll start promoting in properly. For those interested they can check out my website for more sounds: www.kjartanholm.com”

If you could be any animal covering any song, what would you be, and what would you cover? “That’s easy. I’d be a Raccoon covering Belinda Carlisle’s ‘Heaven is a Place on Earth’.”

Shakes

Shakes consist of Logi Marr and Frank Raven. You may have heard of Logi’s former band, Lily of the Vine but Shakes is as about as far from that sound as you can get. Formed in 2016 Shakes are on a mission to bring back real drums and good melodies. Their first E.P. is all about sex, drugs, and casualties.

What acts would you say hold kinship with your music? Shakes: “We don’t really feel like anything influences us really, our album Red Motel was basically about murdering your girlfriend in a motel room..never heard that before..but I guess Bobby Vinton is cool.”

What other Icelandic bands are you looking forward to seeing? Shakes: “No idea who’s playing besides us.”

Do you have any albums, or merch for sale. Where do folks go to get it? Shakes: “We have a 7″ double single vinyl for sale in the UK only. We will be bringing it for airwaves and people can buy it at the show. We will also maybe collaborate with a icelandic designer and bring some cool stuff for sale, you don’t wanna miss that.”

If you could be any animal covering any song, what would you be, and what would you cover? Shakes: “Shakes ARE fucking Cheetahs and I guess if we were covering we would do something badass, I wanna be adored with Stone Roses. Maybe we should on Airwaves..see you then.”

Sycamore Tree

less than a year old, Sycamore tree has already gained quite the following. The duo consists of Ágústa Eva Erlendsdóttir, of Silvía Night fame, and the fashion designer Gunnar Hilmarsson. soothing instrumentals topped with an eloquent chanteuse. Another fun fact, Gunnar Hilmarsson once designed the uniforms for Wow Air.

What acts would you say hold kinship with your music? Sycamore Tree: “Sometimes it´s hard to tell for an artist to be the best judge on that. We create really without thinking about what other people do and we follow our heart. The names we hear popping up when people talk about the Sycamore Tree “Sound “ are everything from Leonard Cohen, Lee Hazlewood, Beth Gibbons to Mazzy Star. Basically we don´t know or really care to be honest.”

What other Icelandic bands are you looking forward to seeing? Sycamore Tree: “There are so many great ones. Warmland, Agent Fresco and Between Mountains I don´t want to miss. But I could mention so many more.”

Do you have any albums, or merch for sale. Where do folks go to get it? Sycamore Tree: “People will be able to buy our album in all music stores and most cafés in Reykjavik.”

If you could be any animal covering any song, what would you be, and what would you cover? Sycamore Tree: A Lion Covering Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps) by David Bowie ( This is Gunni answering this question )

For the full line-up head over to here. And of course, to listen to the full line-up check out their Spotify playlist:

Day 4 of Iceland Airwaves

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Day 4 of Iceland Airwaves. A little crazy with the schedule but I managed bounce to and from different venues and at least see all I wanted to see, and I managed to photograph most of it as well.

Started off with Kælan Mikla which was followed by the legendary Dr. Gunni. Then we moved across town to see Mr. Silla perform before crossing back to a very packed dj. flugvél og geimskip set which was followed by Árni². Árni² is Árni Valur and Árni Grétar, both legends in their musical fields here in Iceland and they did not disappoint. Then quickly after that I went to see Kontinuum, but there was no possibility of getting close enough to photograph and after their set I finished the night watching Milkywhale. I may be biased, but I honestly thought the shiny new floor at Iðnó was going to break from all the jumping and mass partying that went on for that gig. At least the floor is well worn in now.

Here are the pics:

Day 3 of Iceland Airwaves

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Day 3 was delightfully long. Started off with Speciak-K then Pink Street Boys followed by Jae Tyler, moving then to Pinegrove, and then Arab Strap and finally finishing the night in an insane hour long party known as FM Belfast.

Pics are a bit FM Belfast heavy, but that’s because every second they are playing there is something incredible to try and capture on camera, even their end of show bow. Click here or the picture to see day 3 photos:

Day 2 of Iceland Airwaves

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Another great day full of music. I wanted to quickly tell you about the tour we took yesterday. I had recommended it as it was something new and so I figured I should go as well, I’m glad I did as it was well worth the time and money, even for someone who has been coming to Iceland regularly for almost a decade and half.

On tour with Ívar is a 3 hour walking tour that begins at Lucky Records. As you wind through the city of Reykjavik you meander down streets and visit places hidden and off the beaten path. You learn not only learn where a lot of famous musicians and artists began, but you get to see where the scene is currently developing. You learn about streets, venues, buildings, new places to go, and old favorites of the city. As a long time visitor here I was surprised that I may change some of my go-to places in order to return to businesses we visited on the tour. I highly recommend the tour to veteran visitors as well as newbies.

Day 2 was a full night, We started off with a small solo set from former kimono front-woman Alison Macneil (Dame Judy Wench) and ventured to Hard Rock cafe for a high energy Tófa set. Then to Gamla bíó for most of the night where we saw Hatari, Grísalappalísa, and For a Minor Reflection. Then we crossed over to Þjóðleikhúsið, the National theatre of Iceland, to catch a few songs from the legendary Megas.

Enough babble I s’pose, here are the pics:

Now, on to day 3…

Day 1 of Iceland Airwaves 2017

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And the festival begins. Reykjavik is once again engulfed in music. You can hear all types of music as you walk down the street. Coffee shops, clothing stores, and restaurants all partake in the off-venue part of Airwaves during the day. Stripped down small sets of not only the Airwaves festival bands, but quite a few other local bands as well.

And at night things were in a full swing, I really enjoy the return to the old feel of airwaves. Running to and from individual venues and stopping by other venues for a quick listen. My schedule last night was only 60% followed, but consisted of Cyber, Benny Crespo’s Gang, Ceasetone, Ruxpin, and Högni.

Photos say a thousand words they say, so for this year’s Airwaves I will just let you look at the pics, and leave the write up for the wrap up. You can follow me on Facebook for photos, comments, random photos, and band information, or you can see all the photos on Flickr:

and on to day two…

Icelandic Bands of Iceland Airwaves 2017

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Unlike past years, Iceland Airwaves will be in two cities this year, Reykjavik and Akureyri giving festival goers a chance to see more of the island, and from the looks of it, bringing more Icelandic bands from all over together to play. You can now look at the schedule here. And here are my tips to make the festival more enjoyable.

I will be photographing the festival this year and if you follow my Facebook page you view at your leisure. You can see photos from Airwaves past here.

218 bands have been announced so far of which 162 are Icelandic. I make this page as a quick reference and it’s a good thing to bookmark while you’re at the festival. There will be times where your plans may not come to fruition and you can look at the app, find a band you’ve never heard of for plan B, and use the quick reference here to see if you dig it.

Iceland Airwords is back as well. A night of Poets, authors, and literature, including Ásta Fanney Sigurðardóttir, Kristín Ómarsdóttir, Andri Snær Magnason, Bergur Ebbi Sigurðsson, Kött Grá Pjé. Check the online schedule for times.

I’ve also made a table of just Möller Records and Thule Records artists as they have quite the strong presence this year. Both of these record labels have continually brought amazing electronic acts out of the Icelandic woodwork for years and I’m really stoked to visit their stage and get my fill of their collective music.

Categorizing some bands can be extremely difficult as they run borders are freely through genres, so if you feel a band needs to be moved into a different category let me know and I’ll change it.

Electronic / DJ / Atmospheric / experimental
Chevron	DJ. flugvél og geimskip	DJ Snorri Ástráðs	DJ Spegill
DJ Sura	Frank Murder	Good Moon Deer	Kosmodod
Ljósvaki	Púlsvídd	Röskva	Ruxpin
Tonik ensemble	TRPTYCH	Yagya

Veteran Electronic Record Labels: Möller & Thule Records
Án (M)	Andartak (M)	Árni² (M)	Bistro Boy (M)
Cold (T)	Futuregrapher (M)	Gunnar Jónsson Collider (M)	NonniMal (T)
Octal Industries (T)	Ozy (T)	Ohm (T)	Subliminal (M)
Thor (T)	Vector (T)

Dance / electronic / pop / rock
Blissfull	FM Belfast	GusGus	Mikael Lind
Milkywhale	PASHN	Sólveig Matthildur	Sykur
Sylvia

Rock / Pop / Singer/Songwriter / Indie / Dance
200.000 Naglbítar	AFK	Árstíðir	Ásgeir
Axel Flóvent	AUÐUR	aYia	Benny Crespo’s Gang
Between Mountains	Biggi Hilmars	Ceasetone	Daði Freyr
Dísa	Einarlndra	Emiliana Torrini & the Colorist	Indriði
Fai Baba	Fox Train Safari	Fufanu	Gangly
Godchilla	Grúska Babúska	Gorn	Hildur
Högni	Hugar	JANA	JFDR
Jón Jónsson	KALLI	Kiriyama Family	Lára Rúnars
Lára Rúnars	Máni Orrason	Megas	Mighty Bear
Moses Hightower	Mr. Silla	Nilüfer Yanya	Omotrack
One week wonder	Ösp	Oyama	Par-Ðar
Pascal Pinon	Paunkholm	Pranke	Ragga Grönda
Rósa Guðrún Sveinsdóttir	RuGl	Rythmatik	SiGRÚN
Skaði Þórðardóttir	Skrattar	Snorri Helgason	Soffía Björg
Sóley	Special K	Sycamore Tree	Tilbury
TSS	Tusks	Una Stef	Valdimar
Vök	Védís	Warmland	Young Karin

Punk / Metal / Hardcore / Garage Rock / Prog Rock
Dr. Gunni	For a Minor Reflection	Fræbbblarnir	Grísalappalísa
Gróa	HAM	Hatari	Hórmónar
Kælan Mikla	Kontinuum	Korter í flog	Mammút
Phlegm	Pink Street Boys	ROHT	Skelkur í bringu
Tappi Tíkarrass	Tófa	Une Misère	We Made God

Hip-Hop / Trap / R&B / Rap
Alexander Jarl	Alvia Islandia	Aron Can	Birnir
Cell 7	Chase	Cryptochrome	Cyber
Dillalude	Elli Grill	Emmsjé Gauti	Fever Dream
Flóni	Geisha Cartel	GKR	Glowie
Holy Hrafn	Ider	Joey Christ	JóiPé og Króli
KÁ-AKÁ	Lord Pusswhip	Rari boys	Reykjavíkurdætur
Shades of Reykjavik	Sturla Atlas	Tiny	Úlfur Úlfur
Valby Bræður	Young Nazareth

Composers / Atmospheric / Audio Visual
Amiina	Bára Gísladóttir	GlerAkur	Gyða Valtýsdóttir
Halldór Eldjárn	Jónas Sen

An Iceland Airwaves ’16 recap…

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Well, it’s over. Another year another massive amount of music, art, and sight seeing crammed into 5 days. It began with an art show, a toilet museum opening with a Q&A from John Lydon, and continued with a ton of new music. On top of that I managed to go beyond my comfort zone and took part in conducting live interviews with bands, and created a few podcasts.

Jason from Zombie Popcorn convinced me to get behind a mic and conduct interviews and podcasts with him. There were a few hilarious moments, a few cringe worthy moments, but a lot of good dialog with bands and musicians such as Dr. Gunni, Tófa, Milkywhale, and Sóley. It’s all been compiled nice and neat like over at Zombie Popcorn on an Airwaves page.

I took all the photos in the blog post and you can see all the Airwaves photos here.

It all started the night before Iceland Airwaves officially began at Mokka-kaffi. Dr. Gunni of Bless, S.H. Draumur, Unum, and his own band had an art exhibit opening at the cafe. It’s his new album, ATVIK, of which he’s only made 18 copies all with acrylic paintings of historic moments in his musical life on the album covers. The bottom middle photo above is of Dr. Gunni giving the legendary Bubbi Morthens an empty Coke bottle… because that’s what you do apparently.

A new punk museum opened in Iceland. Housed in an old public toilet the museum gives you the history of punk stall by stall, with memorabilia and pull down headphones so you can sample the goods. John Lydon, accompanied by Rambo showed up for the opening and participated in a Q&A where he talked about underwear, and questioned if punk was still alive.

One of the great things about Iceland Airwaves is there is always something new, and there is always something for everybody. In the event you can’t cram it all in at the official shows there will always be extra off-venue gigs throughout the city during the day. This blog post would turn into a book if I commented on everything I saw so I will stick to highlights for me of new bands and veterans.

First, the new:

Tófa @ 12 Tónar

One of the freshest highlights was Tófa. The word Tófa is Icelandic for a female blue fox. An animal that looks sweet and innocent but actually can be vicious and cunning. And much like their namesake the began with innocent banter about who they are right before blowing out our eardrums and manufacturing mosh pits with their heavy high-spirited sets both off-venue and on. Even a power outage at Gaukurinn was no match for drum solos and banter.

Milkywhale is what you get when you cross an upbeat choreographer with a musician from one of the most party-est bands in Iceland. He was bouncing and smiling behind the decks, she was all over the stage, belting out while the audience danced away. Both shows I saw this Airwaves were full of interactions with the crowd breaking down that wall between performers and festival goers.

Hórmónar is another new band that I was really impressed with. I actually left PJ Harvey early so that I could catch their gig at Gaukurinn and they ended up being a great way to end the festival. they were all over the tiny stage and guard rails, with the drummer using a wheel rim and a saxaphone player stuffed in the corner. It all added to the rough and angry set. I can’t wait to see what they come up with for next year.

Last but not least is Cyber. Comprised of some of the Reykjavíkurdætur crew, Cyber did aerobics with the crowd, rapped about Daddy issues and Aspen Barbie-world problems, and there was some hugging it out while pretending to pretend they were at prom. Icelandic hip hop has become rather large over the last few years, and Cyber definitely was my top pick this year for the genre.

Now for the highlights from the veterans:

This year was FM Belfast’s 10th anniversary playing Airwaves. I first saw them in 2009-10?? when they closed the festival at NASA. The festival ended with hordes of people dancing and running past us in their underwear. I have seen this band play small bars in Boston and stadium sized venues in Iceland and every time they leave you sweaty, out of breath, and wanting more of the party.

Now, 10 years later, they’ve upped their game with confetti-cannons, rolls and rolls of streamers, and costumes galore. The band revved up the crowd to the point the floors felt as if they were going to give in from the insane crowd jumping up and down.

In an interesting twist of things, two veteran bands I see whenever they play swapped up their stages. Prins Póló dropped his band and Berndsen added one. Things are always changing and even established bands like to completely swap things out for the fun of it.

Prins Póló was joined by Árni Rúnar Hlöðversson from FM Belfast/Milkywhale/Plúseinn. Perhaps having less folks on stage led to the heightened party atmosphere and more aggressive vocals and powerful beats. Svavar was flying all over the stage interacting with the crowd as he sang songs we’ve all come to love.

Berndsen on the other hand, showed up with a full band. He played a lot of the classics, and a few of the new songs from his upcoming album, “Alter Ego.” The new material still has that 80’s feel, but there’s more of a rock element now. I’ve dug what I’ve heard so far and can’t wait to get my grubby mits on the full album. The set ended with a stripped down Berndsen, and the drummer standing on his kit.

Part of the fun of going to Airwaves a lot is you get to watch bands evolve. Fufanu is one such band, I’ve been watching them for a few years now and this year was the best I’ve ever seen them. Their music was tight and on point, the visuals complimented the set, and they filled the Harpa hall with rock quite nicely. They’ve released a great new video for Sports, and their show superseded my expectations.

Vök packed the Reykjavik art museum and their high-octane performance with saxophones, synths, guitars and simulated drums was had the crowd excitedly dancing and singing along. They seem a lot more at ease on stage and worked as a full rock unit playing a lot of material I actually hadn’t heard yet.

And then there was Pink street boys. I fully admit to having a musical crush on this band. Their dirty, garage punk rock style is just my type of music and they killed it at Gaukurinn. The place was packed, and the sweaty horde of festival goers were rocking Their album is a go-to staple for me at home and in commute and I only wish I could see them play live more often.

And then there was PJ Harvey.She filled the enormous hall at Valshöllin. I was not only excited for the chance to see her live, but damned near ecstatic I was given the opportunity to photograph. The band entered the stage in marching band style with PJ in the middle playing the saxophone.

She lined up in formation and once everyone was set moved front and center to begin the show. While she played a few of her classics, her focus was on the new material. With band members moving from brass instruments to strings, and her holding on dearly to her saxophone she filled the hall with her quirky style of music.

So, yet again another fantastic year at Iceland Airwaves. All of the photos are mine though the featured image contains the Iceland Airwaves logo as well. Early bird tickets will be on sale soon so make sure to follow Iceland Airwaves on Facebook and check their website frequently. If you want a head start on learning about more of the Icelandic bands that may be playing next year, or just want a reminiscent feel for what you saw I suggest you check out Straumur on Facebook and their website. They compile fantastic playlists mixed with international acts, but a lot of the new Icelandic bands coming out. Also, follow Iceland Music Export on Facebook as they deliver speedy news on new bands, bands that are touring, and new information about the bands you already love.

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An Iceland Airwaves ’16 recap…

Tófa @ 12 Tónar

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Tófa @ 12 Tónar

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