It’s only natural that an island country that has both monumental glaciers AND fiery volcanic activity would produce an absurdly awesome and diverse amount of music. Therefore team ICM was in full force at the 10th annual Iceland Airwaves– proving that yes, we will go ANYWHERE to rock out. The lineup promised acts ranging from Vampire Weekend, Florence and the Machine, The Mae Shi and Yelle to Crystal Castles and Nico Muhly. Yet the real stars of the show were the local Icelandic acts, which straight up stole our hearts (and shout out to Matthias and Einar)! Add to the formula that just days before our arrival the economy cratered- we had no idea what to expect. However every single member of Airwaves rallied in the face of tragic uncertainty. As the lead singer of native outfit Agent Fresco put it, ‘We’ve got nothing to lose at this point.’ Bands gigged and people danced like the sun wasn’t going to rise the next day. Moments of the fest were straight up transcendent- take for instance Gus Gus‘s epic 7 minute rendition of ‘Moss’ (complete with an epic flurry of faux snow that drenched us all) at the Art Museum. People were borderline weeping with joy. We’ll never be the same after FM Belfast‘s closing of the festival with ‘Underwear’ (and around 30 of their nearest and dearest friends onstage) too. Did I mention that you can get waffles and hot dogs from stands into the wee hours of the morning? Yes. Yes you can. This was all every bit as awesome as it sounds and more. I’m going to try and put it in words:
DAY 1 OCTOBER 15TH
Venue: Tunglith
Now I went into this situation absolutely convinced, out of respect to Iceland’s massive output of music, that I could avoid using Bjork as a reference point. This was smashed to pieces with the first band of the festival but for good reason. I only caught the last 30 seconds of Hellvar‘s set at Tunglith during the Kimi Records showcase, but that’s all I needed. The lead singer unleashed vocal stylings courtesy of Bjork crammed into the chick from Paramore. Orange jumpsuit included. Amazing.
Morthingjarnir – 3 chords and a bridge garage outfit along the lines of any given night of the last years at CBGB… Save for the amazing attitude, reciprocated crowd love and cool f-ing guitar decoupage.
Borko– Swelling instrumentals that pick up momentum over a very long period of time, and then when you’re about to go crazy they unleash the vocals, layered with looping pedals. It’s quite beautiful. Department of Eagle-y at times.
Benni Hemm Hemm– Like Borko, they’re in the ‘Safe Zone’ of Icelandic bands and can do no wrong by anyone. Their live set seemed even more down tempo than the songs I’ve listened to over the years which caught me slightly off guard. The Richard Hawley-esque ‘I Can Love You in a Wheelchair Baby’ was a giant sing-along with everyone in the crowd, but left me with a bit of a downer. It took ages to make it out the door onto the sidewalk- they’re the sort of group that people hang around after the show, rather than evacuate for a sidewalk cigarette.
here’s a link to the video but it’s totally snooze worthy (but the ENTIRE VENUE was LOVING IT, such an alienating feeling):
Venue: Nasa
Agent Fresco- native winner of this year’s Battle of the Bands. Notorious for their live set, this one was pretty cathartic for audience and band alike thanks to the lead singer’s rallying the audience to keep it together.
Biffy Clyro – People either like this threesome or they don’t. These Glaswegians are as far away from the safety of Benni Hemm Hemm as you can get, and I found it pretty refreshing.
Venue: Tunglith
Reykjavik!– Back for our favorite metalcore heroes’ headlining set at the Kimi Records party. It was phenomenal to see Reykjavik! (please note the exclamation point) embraced by their hometown crowd on the very day that their new album dropped. These boys have been total diplomats over the past few years repping the Iceland music scene, to seeing them here was priceless. Perfect end to the first night.
DAY 2 OCTOBER 16TH
I’m a big believer in everything happening for a reason, so when there was a conference pass mix-up I grabbed 3 other journos and headed to Oskjuhlith State Park, home of the Saga Museum, aka home of the life sized Viking dioramas. For reals, one of them even ‘breathes.’ You’re not going to find a more graphic way to learn the history of the settlement of Iceland. Needless to say the gift shop is beyond description. So we missed the afternoon instore gigs, but braced ourselves for a night full of awesome.
Venue: Reykjavik Art Museum
The Moshi Moshi Showcase took place at the Reykjavik Art Museum, which either looks like an abandoned airplane hangar or Alcatraz depending on your attitude. Whatever the case it is an imaginative venue. The art is displayed in galleries that flank a giant rectangular space which held that stage, and the acoustics are AMAZING. This is what Terminal 5 aspires to be. A word to the wise though- the words ‘Reykjavik Art Museum’ are nowhere to be found on the side of the building. Keep an eye peeled for ‘Listasafn Reykjavikur’, that’s where you want to go. I made my way in through the foyer to the sounds of chest cavity thumping drum and base making a mental note that I hadn’t heard those beats properly dropped since the 90s. Little did I know what was in store for the night.
Biogen– the purveyor of the aforementioned jungle set was legendary Biogen, who is featured prominently in Arnar Jonasson’s new documentary Electronica Reykjavik.
The Mae Shi– played like they had nothing to lose and it was a beautiful sight, because they won over the crowd 100 percent. The chances of a Los Angeles based terminal party gig collective connecting with Gus Gus fans is no small task. When I saw each band member measuring the distance from the stage to the barrier (there would be no Klaxon stage diving accident tonight), and then literally put their legs up on the barrier to stretch, I knew something was in store. Granted the stage itself was massive and couldn’t have been more different than the Todd P environments they usually grace, but thanks to their enthusiasm- and a giant parachute that the audience grabbed and held over their heads from the front to the back of the venue- they pulled it off.
Florence and the Machine– drop dead fantastic. Frankly when she came out on stage with untamed red hair, sequined tap pants and a tuxedo shirt I had flashes of Mayim Bialik. Then she started to spin and twirl and I noticed she had no shoes- but when she opened her mouth it was like a lightning bolt. This is Kate Nash without the chav-talk. Homegirl can SING.
Fk Buttons– the fact that an instrumental act can hold my attention for an hour- this Brit duo are completely and utterly effing awesome. Part robot, part zebra- and combined they sound like a solar eclipse. Best experienced live.
(no video here because the material was new and they wanted to keep in under wraps, maybe i can post it in a few months)
Gus Gus- We knew Gus Gus were going to be good, but we didn’t realize that they were going to be THAT good. We’re talking better than many of Underworld gigs good. I’m going to electro-hell for that one, but when your country’s economy bottoms out dancing like the sun isn’t going to rise will sure as hell take your mind off of things. ‘Moss’ was a seven minute long peak complete with snow, mayhem, and even some tears that no photo or video footage can come close to conveying. We walked out of there with 2 cameras that had stopped working and hair that hasn’t seen foam party tangles like that since 1997. Needless to say when faced with the line for FM Belfast at Tunglith we decided to save them for another night.
DAY 3 OCTOBER 17TH
Venue: Organ
Dyrthin– having rallied the troops for Planning to Rock we squeezed in just in time to see Dyrthin, the most power pop group I had the pleasure of seeing at the festival. With two pixie vocalists, songs about spiderwebs and what appeared to be someone’s dad on the drums (Mystery Jets style!) these kids can’t lose. All they need now is their own cartoon.
Planning to Rock– I was pretty psyched to catch James Murphy endorsed Planning to Rock in an intimate setting, after seeing her climb over chairs choreographed in time to surreal projections at Bowery Ballroom 1.5 years ago. She didn’t disappoint, but we bounced after a few songs to get into the Bedroom Community showcase.
Venue: Ithno
Hoping to see Amiina we tried slipping in the front, back and sides of the venue to no avail. Bedroom Community can do no wrong in these parts, and not even our magic badges could wedge us into a space with a decent view in the theatre. Not to be dissuaded I started climbing the plush red carpeted stairs only to learn that the venue is without a balcony. However if you take a wrong turn and stumble up another flight into the attic, you might find two witches in residence doing tarot readings. They’re from Canada, and an art film featuring ninjas and witches in Venice (you cannot make this stuff up) was looping on a flat screen tv. The low ceilinged garret was covered in a giant spider web made of black brassiers hooked together. The props bordered on hysterically Hallmark-ian, but the witches were solemn enough that we felt whipping out a camera would be too disrespectful. Even more confused we headed back downstairs into the cold, but psyched for an excuse to see These New Puritans yet again. Turns out Nico Muhly did not actually show up to the Bedroom Community showcase- the Nico Muhly band played underneath a projection- so that helped our disappointment a bit. No Final Fantasy though. Sad face.
Venue: Nasa
Retro Stefson– Someone told me that this is Iceland’s youngest band. Seems like the youngest member here is the bassist at the ripe old age of 15 so I’m not going to commit to the fact. Although, they might just be the youngest band I have ever seen with their sht this together. Think the Spinto Band, and just a touch of Los Campesinos… and so much more. We expect great things from these kids.
These New Puritans-one of the strongest sets I’ve ever seen These New Puritans unleash, it was also incredibly appreciated. People were SLAM DANCING.
White Denim– another solid set that left a very impressed audience, but was surreal because the last time I saw them was in Texas. They were amazing.
Venue: Reykjavik Art Museum
Seabear– People were going CRAZY for Seabear, and I get the feeling Sub Pop and Barsuk are about to start a bidding war in 3…2…1… NOW.
Venue: Hresso
Vicky– Vicky, a 5 piece girl band from a suburb of Reykjavik, have the top selling album at the Skifan record chain. No small feat, and these pocket sized Heart devotees- one wears a fake moustache, another wears a real mohawk- have a massive following. The attitude of the Donnas is gloriously absent.
Venue: Tunglith
Resigned to the fact that the bottle necked fire trap of Tunglith was having some of the best showcases, we went back in to see the last bit of Sweden’s Familjen. Actually it was the tops of their heads, but once we got up front there were still girls busting past security to climb on stage and get a picture with them.
Gus Gus- two members of the Gus Gus collective did an instrumental set and people danced just as hard as the night before.
Simian Mobile Disco– sadly their billing was downgraded from a live gig to a DJ slot just weeks before the fest. Turns out it was only one half of them that showed up to DJ too! Jaz kicked it off with SMD’s own ‘Sleep Deprivation’ but massive technical difficulties cast a shadow over the set . He’s a pro though and I don’t think many other people noticed. He was on for 2 hours before Kasper Bjorke would take the stage around 5 AM, so we rolled next door to Organ for another Reykjavik! gig and called it a night.
DAY 4 OCTOBER 18TH
Venue: 22
Prince Valium– a live solo electronic act. Very Massive Attack dreamscape. I’ll admit it, I showed up because of the name, but left like I had taken one too many.
Venue: Hresso
Borko- We decided to peek in on Borko again on the way to another venue, and there were just as many, if not more, adoring locals there, many of them in other bands. The support system within the music community here is ridiculously close knit and awesome to witness. This set was exponentially tighter than their prior one at Tunglith.
Venue: Reykjavik Art Museum
Jan Mayen– Jan Mayen is a band, not just a person, and people were freaking out over them even more than Seabear. Their set had a less folk, a lot more swagger, and as my friend put it- ‘I liked them better when they were called the Strokes.’ They also had a whopping dose of Interpol re-verb, but ‘the Mini-Strokes’ is too good of a name to pass up.
Venue: Nasa
Singapore Sling– Speaking of ‘mini’ bands, these guys must worship Kevin Fields because it was like walking onto a tarmac during a jet takeoff when I walked in the venue. Pocket sized MBVs if you will. Their sound is as tight as their trousers.
Boy Crisis– Frankly I don’t even know where to start. I was excited to see someone from NYC, but they’re like…. the oversexed little brothers of Tiger City on a joyride with no brakes- most definitely a hot mess. Looking at the glazed over eyes of the adoring fans at any one of their gigs though, they’re going to go far whether you like it or not. Repeated listening of ‘Dressed to Digress’ has worn me down. They rhyme ‘Woodrow Wilson’ with ‘Carry my children’ and ‘Exit the Building’ followed by a chorus of ‘You’re the sht girl!’ in case you aren’t familiar with their repertoire.
Venue: Reykjavik Art Museum
After that song I bolted to catch another boy band, in fact entitled ‘Boys In a Band.’ Along with Ghost, these guys are the hottest things on the Faroese music scene and were on everyone’s must-see lists this year. However the line for CSS (the next band on the lineup) went for several blocks, and even press had to wait to gain entry. There were a lot of elbows being thrown, it was a definitely a low point. Like, I had wanted to introduce myself to the editor of the NME, but not by being body checked into her boobs. By the time we got in and up front, CSS’s sound people were taping the set lists to the monitors and I had completely missed Boys in a Band.
CSS- People were going crazy over my fave Brazilian export which was nice to see. I’m just still getting accustomed to the sophomore album material, and the more restrained performance by Lovefoxxx leaves me with mixed feelings. She did jump onstage in a black unitard with a black fringed jacked covered with pom poms (straight out of a Miyazaki film, like what a witch would wear) that was uber Bjork-like. She stayed on stage (not even jumping into the photopit) for the entire performance, except for the very last song. She tried to crowdsurf but the kids dropped her soon thereafter. Ask anyone else and they’ll say it was a perfect set… the photogs were getting so overzealous we got kicked out of the pit early. I’m just glad I saw them at Pianos. It sucked missing the Handsome Furs’ set too.
Vampire Weekend– as I suspected, the massive line outside of the museum wasn’t only for CSS. Vampire Weekend, the consummate gentlemen professionals, continued playing even when Ezra’s guitar copped out 3 songs into the set. Yes, kids knew every word of their songs. Wow.
Venue: Tunglith
Crystal Castles- and here is when it gets metaphysical. I usually get to Crystal Castles 3-5 hours before the gig because I know how fanatic the crowd gets. (Yes, you, the guy with the boner at the 2nd to the last Studio B show that kept rubbing up behind the girls and saying it wasn’t your fault because Alice is hot.) They were midset by the time I made it into the club, and by the grace of God busted my way to stage right as Alice took a swan dive off the barrier into the crowd. Watching her interact with kids is fascinating because she strikes me as the praying mantis type that would bite your head off after mating. Here’s the thing- Ethan and the drummer were there in full force and Alice had two mics but we barely heard ANY vocals. She was rolling around on the floor most of the time if she wasn’t yelling into the crowd. It was pitch black, no strobes, so you could only see the band when kids would pop a flash. At the end of the set when the other two had left the stage, she proceeded to pick up the largest pieces of the house drum kit and hurl them into the audience. When she ignored the security guards’ requests to cut it out, they actually had to restrain her. I’m over it.
Yelle- Therefore when Yelle bounded onstage 10 minutes later it was literally a breath of fresh air. Backed as usual by GrandMarnier and that phenomenal drummer she got the entire venue jazzercising. This was phenomenal, but we had to bounce our way through the crowd to get to the next destination.
Venue: Nasa
FM Belfast- if there was one native pop band that I had to see it was FM Belfast. Everywhere you turned people would be singing their praises. The general consensus was that they’re the Icelandic version of Chromeo, so imagine my delight when a female member showed up in Ana Matronic mode… followed by 20 of their closest friends (including the singer of Retro Stefson crowdsurfing in a bear suit). After explaining that they were NOT going to talk about the economy, and that they were NOT going to talk about the Prime Minister, they proceeded to brake out into song clips- everything from Easy Lover (in Icelandic) to Primal Scream and Technotronic. So the official equation = Scissor Sisters + United State of Electronica + the spiritual rallying of the Polyphonic Spree = FM Belfast. J’ADORE.
DAY 4 OCTOBER 18TH (After Party)
Venue: Nasa
Boys in a Band- thank goodness for after parties, because we finally got to see these Faroe Islands wonder kids. Halfway in between Iceland and Denmark, you really have to hand it to a band that rocks out this much with hair to match.
IN CONCLUSION:
Worth the trip a billion times over, and the exported music is a force to be reckoned with. Pick up a copy of Reykjavik!’s new album The Blood, and keep an eye peeled for FM Belfast dates in the US this spring. Other awesome factoids: bars are open ’til 6 AM on the weekends, they posses the aforementioned life size Viking Diorama museum and they make the world’s best sub sandwiches except they’re called ‘Boats.’ Pitch perfect sound and lighting at every single venue no matter how large or small- and everything starts on time! It’s the best city wide music marathon I’ve ever had the honor of attending. Do what you need to do to insure you can get there next year, and here’s hoping Ice Cream Man himself can represent. Can you imagine being able to sling cream without worrying about everything melting? AMAZING.
Additional Icelandic bands to watch:
Ultra Mega Technobandith Stefan
all video by Abbey Braden
