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.
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.
Why go all the way to a continent straddling island for a music fest? Perhaps because it’s at the old NATO base Ásbrú, perhaps because Iceland is really beautiful in the summer, and/or perhaps the fact that Portishead, Slowdive, Shellac, Interpol and Fuck Buttons, and all the other goody bands listed in the graphic above will be there.
This is the second ATP Iceland and combine it’s newness with their already selective process for music and you get a festival made just for music lovers. Neil Young and Ólafur Arnalds will be doing ATP Takeover events near the city on days leading up to the festival, and the long weekend of the festival looks to be chocked full of music and mayhem.
There are movies, DJ sets, as well as the concerts, so if you get bored that’s your own fault. The Icelandic music blog Rok Musik has a great post on the festival, and the folks over at Grapevine did a little Q&A with some of the artists coming up. Get yer tix and we’ll see you there.
I have to put in a special plug, as not only is Pharmakon from Sacred Bones Records playing, but the guru of Sacred Bones himself, Caleb is DJ’ing a set in the DJ tent. They are not Icelanders, but one of my favorite labels out of NY.
**All pics pilfered via google image search
As this is an Icelandic music blog, or at least tries to be, I’ll forego my crushes and gushes for some of the non-Icelandic acts (Shell-Fukkin-Ac) and focus my admirations and infatuations on the Icelanders involved.
I put together a playlist on Soundcloud of the Icelandic bands playing, and I put videos down below for bands not really represented on Soundcloud.
HAM:
Singapore Sling:
It’s a mix of metal and electronics, all somewhat enjoyably on the heavy side. Epic metal veterans HAM will be there, as well as Icelandic music 101 staples, For a Minor Reflection, MAMMÚT, Singapore Sling. and self described “dynamite rockers” Náttfari are performing.
Sóley is back from the time she took off for her family, and it wouldn’t be an Icelandic gig without Sin Fang doing something for the crowd. The sweethearts of Pascal Pinon and Samaris are also doing a set, and one of the founders of the Bedroom community, Ben Frost, will be performing. Captain Fufanu has nixed the Captain, so Fufanu will be entertaining the masses, and adding another artist to the list of musicians I haven’t seen previously, Kría Brekkan (formerly, like 8 years and a musical lifetime ago formerly, of múm) will also be there.
So yes, you should be in Iceland mid July for this awesome festival, I will be. Learn more about it here.
This is the Playlist for all the bands, foreign and native alike:
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.
I plan on reviewing and aggregating information on all the Icelandic bands that will be playing Airwaves 2013. Just click one of the bands below and you will go to the post. If I have not completed a post on the band, clicking on the link will lead you to their Gogoyoko profile, their webpage, a soundcloud page, or their Facebook page. You can also click here and listen to my playlist, which will have all artists on Gogoyoko.com that are playing the festival. Membership to Gogoyoko is free, and you can stream all the music absolutely free. Also, if you do choose to buy, the artist gets 90% of the sale, that is why I love to use them.
To find an up-to-date list of all the bands playing Airwaves 2013 click here.
Iceland Airwaves has become my favorite music festival. 4 days of music on a small Island straddling two continents. It began in 1999 at an airport hangar, and has now become a web of pubs, concert halls, discotheques and coffee shops sprawled out over the city of Reykjavik. Unlike most festivals, where you have stages competing for sound. Airwaves utilizes multiple venues, granting you the ability to actually see the band you’re listening to in person, not just on a massive screen. During the day you get to see acts play smaller gigs around town in Hostels, coffee bars, bookstores. And last year there was even a small little shack in the town center for a cozy kind of experience. After the festival there are plenty of after parties where bands continue until 6-7 in the morning. It truly is, 4 days of non-stop music.
You can always check the website for more information, and book all-inclusive festival packages here. They also have a playlist on Soundcloud of all the artists, not just the Icelandic ones.
,
and here is their Spotify playlist:
Take a coupla shots of Reyka and go here. I’ll see you there, I’ll be the one with the triple vodka tonic listening away.
The lovely German pioneers of electronic music, Kraftwerk are closing out Airwaves this year. And for you gits that think a band can’t still bring it after 40 some odd years of playing, they just did their entire catalog over 8 days at the Tate Modern to rave reviews. For me, this is a great addition to the Airwaves festival. As always, you can find the entire line-up here. And you can purchase hotel/flight/festival packages here. To learn more about Airwaves you can visit their website. And you can find them on Facebook as well.
It’s really tough to describe a Kraftwerk show, and finding video of it can be difficult as well. So I am going to suggest that you check out the photos on their website, and I’ll leave you with Das Model, because, well… the video always cracks me up.
If you care to, you can always follow my blog, I plan on doing write ups on most, if not all the Icelandic bands that will be attending Airwaves, as well as other Icelandic bands.
Airwaves is looking great, still one of my favorite parties of the year.
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.
Ragnaar's Icelandic Music Blog 