Reykjavík Grapevine - 24.06.2005, Side 41

41
While the Beatles were poppin’ all over the world
in the sixties, Keflavík was the home of rock
in Iceland. But now these old bands, Hljómar
(Chords), Flowers and most of their followers
are long gone. Some are dead, some are making
radio-friendly music and others have simply
grown too old for all this rocking and rolling. Still,
Keflavík is still producing music that matters.
Today the state-of-the-art is bull-rock
(tuddarokk) and punk with a touch of politics.
The toughest band in the place is probably
TommyGun Preachers, lead by the man in leather
(no, it’s not Bruce Dickinson, it’s that other guy).
If you want to see blood, sweat and even some
tears you’d want to go see them live, because
not only does the guitarist end up with bleeding
fingers after some heavy solos, even the bassist
bleeds. How tough is that?
If you liked purrkur pillnikk—Of Rokk í
Reykjavík fame-- you should check Æla (puke)
out. They are lead by Halli Valli who some say
is even cooler then Einar Örn. They play terribly
happy punk and show their happiness on stage
when they, instead of sitting, stand on the chairs
and/or throw them off the stage.
The third interesting band is Sex Division.
The name indicates their influences and if you
didn’t know any better you just might think they
came straight from Manchester. Mature dance-
punk with red lyrics about the ugly side of our
pretty little Iceland. The word on the street says
that a record is in the making and should be out
any month now.
On the other hand, if you want to have
an easy evening with a little cup of coffee and
comfortable music, you should see the Aftan-
festival which is held in Sandgerði--next to
Keflavík-- the first Thursday of every month.
There you’ll witness bands like Tabula-rasa,
Hálftíma-Gangur and Fríða & Dýrið who remind
us of how to relax and how the blues is done.
Recommended Keflavík Music Clubs: Paddy’s,
Keflavík ;Frumleikhúsið, Keflavík, and Traffic,
Hafnargata 30, Keflavík, 421-8885.
Live M
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find out what’s going on at www.pravda.is
If you liked purrkur pillnikk -Of Rokk í Reykjavík
fame- you should check Æla (puke) out.
G
úndi
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