Greetings, so it’s been a crazy time up at Iceland Airwaves this year. I’ve branched out from my typical ramblings and have been working with Zombie Popcorn, delivering podcasts and interviews. I am also photographing the concert, and you can follow along at my Facebook page for galleries of each day, or you can view the here:
Head over to Zombie Popcorn to check out our coverage!
Here it is, the 2016 Iceland Airwaves Icelandic musicians page. I’ve loosely sorted them into categories in the hope that you can quickly reference bands to dig as you explore the many possibilities this year. On top of the 210 bands performing this year, Bedroom Community will be celebrating their 10th anniversary as a musician collective in Iceland and I would highly recommend you check that out. And Airwords is back, the poetry/literature/music event that began in 2013. All part of Airwaves and all worth checking out. Also, you can check out my Tips to get the most out of Iceland Airwaves.
143 of the 210 bands are Icelandic this year and they span the deck in style and genre. This year, I split them into five categories:
Diversity and genre bending are two things Icelanders are rather good at which makes defining bands a bit difficult, so if you feel a band belongs in a different spot please comment below and I will check it out.
| DJ’s / Electronic / Atmospheric / Classical / Composers | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Ambátt | Ayia | Bára Gísladóttir | Ben Frost |
| BLKPRTY | DJ Yamaho | dj. flugvél og geimskip | EinarIndra |
| Futuregrapher | Glerakur | Halldór Eldjárn | Hermigervill |
| Hugar | Iamhelgi | Jafet Melge | Kosmodod |
| Kristin Thora | Mike Hunt | Reptilicus | RVK DnB |
| Sigga Soffía & Jónas Sen | Sigrún | sxsxsx | Tómas Jónsson |
| Trptych | |||
| Heavy Rock / Metal / Hardcore | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Auðn | Beneath | Dimma | Dr. Spock |
| Endless Dark | Hatari | Kælan Mikla | Legend |
| Mammút | Pink Street Boys | Singapore Sling | SÓLSTAFIR |
| Tófa | |||
And here is the Spotify playlist, it includes ALL bands playing Iceland Airwaves, not just the Icelandic musicians:
We’ve got less than 2 weeks to go!! The week of November 4th will bring approximately 9000 festival go-ers to the city of Reykjavik to enjoy 5 days of music and entertainment. It’s a crazy time, and the city definitely gets filled to the brim. It can get hectic, but if you go prepared you can’t help but have fun.
This will be my 8th year attending the festival. A friend and I will be blogging about the festival throughout with photos and highlights, but for now here are some tips I’ve learned that will make your experience better, and help you get the most out of Iceland and the festival.
Before the tips I want to bring up something new and cool Iceland Airwaves has this year. It is the “Wall Poetry” installations located all over the city.
Urban Nation Berlin and Iceland Airwaves matched artists with musicians to create “Wall Poetry” around the city. 10 gigantic murals placed all over the city, each one an artist’s interpretation of a band’s song. You can check out the artist/musician combos and learn more about the project, including a map of where they are, here.
Now for the tips:
This is probably the most important tip I can give you, and that’s why it’s the longest. There is nothing wrong with winging it, and if you are there for the adventure and have no agenda then I suppose doing research isn’t all that necessary, but if you have a plan at all, then a little research will go a long way in making things more enjoyable.
There are over 230 bands performing at Airwaves with slightly over 9000 attendees this year. Chances are a lot of folks are going to want to see the same bands that you want to see, and it’s possible that you may not get into your favorite acts. This is why I always say you need to do research, listen to the Spotify playlist Iceland Airwaves created, check out my loosely categorized list of the 155 Icelandic bands playing, and check out the line-up page to discover the bands you don’t know much about. Late night plan changes will go so much smoother if you have a few bands in your back pocket in the event you’re not feeling a gig, or can’t get into one.
There are a lot of social media outlets to get information from as well. Reykjavik Grapevine is an English speaking newspaper online and in print located in Reykjavik. They run a pretty solid Airwaves blog that I suggest you follow. Iceland Music Export (IMX) is another great resource, they will be doing live interviews throughout the festival on their website. and have many biographies of Icelandic bands that will be performing. KEXP always has something going on at Kex Hostel, and you can typically find live performances and interviews with the bands on their website as well. And of course, the Iceland Airwaves website and Facebook page will have loads of information to help you prepare for the musical week.
I highly suggest you start following some of these informational hubs now on Facebook and twitter as they will be highlighting bands, giving suggestions, and informing the masses of the different things going on during the festival.
Get the App!
The Iceland Airwaves App is now available for Download. It has maps with all the venues, customizable schedules, friend locators, off-venue and official schedule times, reminders of upcoming shows, and a whole slew of other things to make your life easy. This app is necessary for having a beneficial experience at the festival, I can’t recommend it enough.
Iceland is a friendly place, and there are going to be a lot of folks from a lot of different countries so make some new friends and be social. Before or after a band plays, while in line waiting to get into a show, or out and about touring around, take a moment to meet the folks around you.
You’ve got at least two things in common, you’re all there to listen to music, and you’re all on an incredibly unique island with things to see. There’s no better way to find out new stuff to listen to or see than by asking the person next to you who they are digging. I’ve met some rather cool folks over the years at Airwaves, so be as social as you can.
Keep in mind that there are 9000 of us that will devour Reykjavik for the week. Businesses, restaurants and services in general will be well over normal capacity. So be patient and be a decent human being. Huffing and puffing because something isn’t going as quickly or as smoothly as you like is just not needed and will never get you the results you’re looking for. Icelanders take pride in what they do, and while they will go to great lengths to help you, they’ll have no qualms in calling you out for rude or asshole-ish behavior. Your attitude will have a direct result in how you are treated around town, so civility and decency will make your trip a much better one.
This took me a few times to learn. A lot of the Icelandic bands you’ll see and hear will only have their product available in Iceland, which means if you don’t pick it up at one of the music stores or booths at the shows you’ll miss out.
There are some pretty fantastic music shops in Iceland, they’ll serve you coffee, and answer any questions you have about the music up there. Smekkleysa, Lucky Records, and 12 Tónar are traditional visits for me, and this year I’m excited to check out Reykjavik Record Shop.
Lucky Records and 12 Tónar both will have off-venue gigs going on as well, so find them on Facebook to follow along with who is playing when or look them up in the app.
With the off-venue schedule and the official schedule you can get overwhelmed, but you are in one hell of a naturally majestic land so I highly recommend you get out and tour a bit. Hotels or the Information center located downtown will have all the tour outfits to take you outside of Reykjavik for a half day or so, and the scenery makes it well worth it. A few simple things to remember as you’re touring around will keep you out of trouble and in good favor with the tourist gods:
If getting out of town seems like too much effort, I would suggest going over to I heart Reykjavik’s website and checking out their tours. They do tours around the city focusing on multiple things from the Northern Lights to the history of Reykjavik. I would suggest booking the tours sooner than later because they are smaller tours and they fill up quickly. As of this posting, there were limited slots left and they do fill up quickly.
Relax and enjoy yourself, treat folks the way you like to be treated and just open yourself up for good music, a great Island, and a good time.
Entire Harpa audience on their knees at FM Belfast
Another year, another Iceland Airwaves. It’s time again for one of my favorite music festivals of the year. Me, you, and approximately 9,000 other festival ticket holders will be invading the city of Reykjavik for 5 days of non-stop music, art and beauty surrounded by amazing scenery and unique culture. I’ve revised my list of pointers I’ve gathered over the years, and here they be:
The first and probably best tip I can give you is that Positivity and awareness of the people around you goes a long way. Iceland can be quite laid back, and while there typically is no rush, its people will do their best to help you in most any situation. It’s a small island, and there really isn’t room for ego’s or entitlements so do your best not to be rude or condescending. if something is taking longer than usual or needs a little tinkering to be just right, just breathe and remember that 9,000+ of us just landed on the island and the folks helping us out are most likely doing their best. Getting cross or yelling at people will get you absolutely nowhere.
Prepare! Prepare! Prepare!, there are over 200 bands playing in a matter of 5 days. Learn you stuff before you even land, make primary plans as well as back up plans in the event you can’t get into the primary gigs you want to see. Spotify has an Airwaves playlist, the Iceland Airwaves website has details on all the bands with links to their music, as well as an app where you can browse bands, create schedules, and let your friends know where you are.
I have a page dedicated to the Iceland Artists loosely sorted by genres. There is going to be a lot of new music you haven’t heard, and getting a head start on previewing it will make for a broader, more musically expanding experience. There is a free English newspaper in Iceland called the Grapevine. They always put out a detailed Airwaves issue, and I suggest you get that as well.
Pétur Ben at an off-venue gig at Kex Hostel
There are a lot of Off-venue gigs as well, over 600 of them this year at 44 different spots around the city. Off-venues are shorter daytime gigs the bands put on in coffee houses, hostels, and other gathering places around the city. You don’t need a festival wristband to get into them, so if you are planning on seeing someone, it’s always a good idea to get there early as it’s first come first serve for the whole city.
Be Social, chances are you will find yourself waiting in a queue for a gig, or standing around waiting for a band to begin. Use that time to talk to the people around you. We all have our love for music in common and talking with someone near you may lead to discoveries of bands you would have never thought to go and hear. It took me a few years to get used to this, and a few of my Icelandic friends are always commenting that I need to be more social. The key advantage to being social is that there are quite a few after-parties and unplanned sets that happen around Reykjavik, being social will make attending these much easier for you.
If you really like a band, buy their merch at the festival. A lot of times you won’t be able to purchase it, or have to pay huge shipping costs otherwise. Reykjavik is home to two of my favorite record shops, 12 Tónar and Lucky Records. So make sure to include browsing these shops in your itinerary for the festival. And be on the lookout for small-ish merch booths at the different gigs you attend.
It looks like a wabbit
Be a tourist, at least for a day. Iceland is gorgeous, there is a reason everyone freaks out about the volcanic valleys and waterfalls. Make sure to take some time to tour around. The Golden circle tour may seem to be too “touristy” but it’s not. It spans a great deal of distance, and the guides are chock-full of information. It can all be done during the day so you can return in time for the night festivities no problem. One of my favorite new Icelandic travel blogs is I heart Reykjavik. She has a very sweet and informative online presence, her Facebook page is entertaining and informative, and she offers daily walking tours around Reykjavik. Be quick to reserve as she sells out rather quickly, I’ve yet to work one of her tours into my schedule when I’m there, but I’ve had plenty of people tell me how much they loved her.
And finally, It’s possible you may run into some of your favorite mythical Icelandic band members. While telling the band thank you is typically appreciated, or casually chatting about this or that while in a queue, nobody likes a stalker. Chasing them down the street screaming, or camping out waiting to catch a glimpse of avocados being peeled or coffee being consumed is just creepy and not the norm in Iceland. It will make for really awkward situations, chances are if these guys are around, they want to listen and see the bands playing as well. It’s an island, not a zoo; and they are your concert going peers, not monkeys.
So, show up relaxed and ready to mingle, do your homework on what you want to see, and explore, this is the gist of it. It’s a fantastic festival put on by awesome folks. I’ve yet to hear anyone ever say they won’t be trying their hardest to return the next year.
You can read about my previous re-caps of Iceland Airwaves here. And you can see my photos from Last year’s festival here. See you there!
So I’ve gone and started a record label, Theory of Whatever Records (TOW for short.) It’s something I’ve always wanted to do after leaving the music world a decade ago, and this just seemed to be the right time. The goal of the label is to get music we dig out in the music realm so others can dig it as well. We’ve got some great things coming up for the rest of 2014 and 2015, it’s all rather exciting. I’ll still post on here as I enjoy writing about the new Icelandic bands out there, and it won’t matter what label they are on, but it may be less frequent depending on how crazy life gets.
You can visit the new label website here, and you can can find us and/or like us on Facebook here. Now for a shameless plug:
We are rather excited and humbled that our first is none other than kimono. I have had a music crush on this band for many years and we are excited that we get to release their new single here in the states as well as at Iceland Airwaves 2014 where they will be performing.
kimono’s Specter is an earworm, it’s still got that minimalish-heavy feeling that makes kimono so great, but there’s a new almost dance factor that will stick in your head for days. and the B-side is a cover of the great Icelandic band Þeyr’s “Rúdolf.” the album artwork is by Sigurður Angantýsson, not only an artist, but in the band the Knife Fights. You can see more of his artwork here.
The single, a 7″ 45 vinyl record, will be released in US on November 11th. until then it will be available at kimono gigs in Iceland, including Iceland Airwaves. The single will be accompanied by a digital download, but of course.
If you’re going to be at Iceland Airwaves and you want to reserve your copy to be picked up during the festival, or you want to pre-order your copy for the US Release, you can go ahead and do it here.
So here’s to adding another chapter with the help of a fantastic band.
It’s almost time, and tickets are almost gone, so I would suggest getting off your duffer and getting them. Iceland Airwaves 2014 is around the corner, and of the 215 or so bands performing this year, 145 of them are Icelandic.
I’ve sorted the musicians loosely by genres, very loosely. Don’t judge, there are a lot of bands that walk the line between categories, but I think I’ve done an alright job of making it easy for you to find something you’ll dig. Clicking on the band name will take you either to a blog post I’ve done on the musician, or to a page with their music or more info. To see the full international list of all artists at the festival and for more info, check out the Iceland Airwaves website. And you can purchases packages for the festival here, at Iceland Air.
Last year’s band list is located here, and if you are new to Airwaves and want to learn more, here is a list of my previous posts on the festival. Here, you will find my recap posts of last years festival as well.
So here are the Icelandic bands so far:
Electronic / Dance / DJ
Experimental / Atmospheric / Non-dance Electronic
| Auxpan | Einarlndra | Gervisykur | Good Moon Deer |
| Kiasmos | Krakkkbot | Octal | Reptilicus |
| T.V.Thoranna Björnsdóttir & Valtýr Björn Thors | Vindva Mei | Yagya |
Indie Rock / Rock / Disco
Jazz / Folk / Reggae / Singer/songwriter
Punk / Metal / Hardcore
Hip Hop / Rap
| Alvia Islandia | CELL7 | Emmsjé Gauti | Epic Rain |
| Gísli Pálmi | IntroBeats | Lord Pusswhip | Reykjavíkurdætur |
| Shades of Reykjavik | Úlfur Úlfur | Young Karen |
Other stuffs or really hard to classify
| Ásta F Sigurðardóttir – Poet | Eiríkur Örn Norðdahl – Poet | Icelandic Symphony Orchestra |
| Inferno-5 | Kira Kira – Musician | Óbó – Musician |
| Sigurbjörg Þrastardóttir – Poet | Sjón -Poet |
The Soundcloud playlist for Iceland Airwaves 2014:
Another chunk o’bands have been released. This brings the announced total to 124, 63 of which are Icelandic. A lot of Icelandic veterans playing this year such as Sóley, Prins Póló, For a Minor Reflection and Validmar, and there are even more newbies that I look forward to hearing.
As the list is getting bigger, I am going to break down my Iceland Airwaves reference page into a few more categories hopefully later today, definitely by the end of the weekend.
You can see the full line up On the Iceland Airwaves site. And you can see the broad genre breakdown of the Icelandic artists on my Iceland Airwaves 2014 page. You can read all my posts on Iceland Airwaves here, and see my photos from 2013 here.
I have a few hopeful Icelandic bands I am still holding out for such as Knife Fights, Ghostigital and Boogie trouble, but I am really enjoying the roster so far.
So get your tickets, it always sells out, and the longer you wait, the less options you will have for hotels and housing, it definitely is one festival where the more of an early bird you are, the better your choices are.
Júlía from Oyama’s green fingers dancing away
Woo-a-hoo. Another chunk O’ bands have been announced for Airwaves 2014. And I’m extremely pleased as there are a lot of Icelandic bands I haven’t heard yet, and the ones I have are classic. So far, there are 61 bands that have been announced, 40 of which are Icelandic.
Non Icelandic bands include Future Islands, Farao, Emilie Nicolas, and The War on Drugs will be closing the festival with the Flaming lips. Also, Zhala, Spray Paint, and King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard will be there.
This round of bands goes to the Icelanders though. There are so many good bands coming, Oyama will be there. And Rökkurró as well. Þórir Georg, Kaleo, Endless Dark, Kippi Kaninus, Brain Police, Beneath, Fufanu, Epic Rain, Skurken, AMFJ, Kontinuum, Ophidian I, Var, Atónal Blús, Mafama, Vio, Lucy in Blue and Conflictions as well.
Links to all the Icelandic bands music will be on my Iceland Airwaves page, and you can learn more about the festival here as well as see the entire line up on the Iceland Airwaves official website. The festival is definitely going to be another goodun!
And I leave you with Þórir Georg’s cover of Heya but Outkast. It’s an oldie, but I love it:
And so it begins, the steady, slow, and suspenseful drip of revealed artists for Iceland Airwaves 2014 has begun. Yes the festival is nearly still on the other side of the sun but names have been released and tickets are available.
Just like last year, I will be doing blog posts on the Icelandic bands involved, as well as maintaining a page with links to all the Icelandic bands music. You can see the 150 Icelandic bands that played last year here.
Iceland Airwaves is my favorite music festival of the year. Instead of having a field or pit with 
competing outdoor stages, the gigs are in actual venues spread throughout Reykjavik. You are surrounded by musical choices from early afternoon to the early morning of the next day, in cozy joints like the Kex hostel, underground bars such as Bar 11, and of course larger event halls such as Harpa. Yet you can stop to relax and take in the beautiful country you’re in at any time. And while you may think going to a music festival in Iceland is cost prohibitive, Icelandair nicely wraps up package deals with prices ranging from the budget minded to the luxury seeking.
So, the first 17 bands that have been announced, The Icelandic bands announced are: Mammút, Samaris, Grísalappalísa, Muck, Snorri Helgason, Tonik, Vök, Just Another Snake Cult and Highlands. Bands from other parts of the world are: East Inda Youth, Jungle, La Femme, Jaakko Eino Kalevi, Tiny Ruins, John Wizards, and Blaenavon.
According to the Iceland Airwaves website, there are two, yes TWO headlining bands. The Flaming lips have been revealed, but we’re all going to have to wait on baited breath for the reveal of the other. Typically band announcements get better and better as the year goes on, so starting off with this band really makes one wonder what the festival has up its sleeve.
If you want to see my photos from last year’s festival you can go here. And if you would like to read all of my blog posts from last year’s festival go here.
Ragnaar's Icelandic Music Blog 