Reykjavík Grapevine - 07.04.2006, Qupperneq 21
Issue 04, 2006 8 Page Listings Section in Your Pocket
it’s
free
The third annual Aldrei Fór Ég Suður music festival will
return to the remote town of Ísafjörður, Saturday the
15th of April. The festival’s name, which translates to ‘I
Never Went South’ is borrowed from a song title by Bubbi
Morthens, a former migrant worker (however far he might
be removed from those days), and refers to the increasing
urbanisation of Icelandic society.
A celebration of local talent and rural heritage, the
festival is the brainchild of Ísafjörður’s own, and one of
Iceland’s more celebrated artists, Mugison. He claims that
the idea behind it was born one night when he and his
father were drinking beer and talking about how cool it
would be to put together a festival where the stars would
take a back seat to local talent, and the real attraction
would just be the company of the decent and down-to-
earth people of Ísafjörður.
“I started talking to people about it and everybody
was really open to the idea. Before we realised it, we had
recruited more than 20 bands, and we did not even have
a venue, much less the money to pay for flights and ac-
commodations. But we really couldn’t back out of it, so we
went down on our knees to beg for money and support,” he
told the Grapevine. “We’ve always intended for this to be a
non-profit event. Everyone is giving their work, and there
is no entrance fee. We just try to make it fun and entertain
the audience and ourselves.”
Much in line with the festival’s ideals, special atten-
tion is given to lesser-known local artists such as Jón Kr
Ólafsson from Bíldudalur and the West Fjords Accordion
Society. Mugison says he is especially excited to see the
performance by the Accordion Society.
“They have gathered around 25 old geezers who play
the accordion from all over the West Fjords and they have
been rehearsing an act especially for this event. They will
be playing a bunch of Deep Purple songs with the main
song being Sweet Child in Time.”
Now that’s entertainment.
Other notable acts include the reunion of KAN, Her-
bert Guðmundsson’s (a cult figure in Icelandic music) first
band. The festival also features several representatives of
the Reykjavík scene, including the punk outfit Rass.
“I am really looking forward to seeing them play Burt Með
Kvótann (End the Quota) in Ísafjörður,” Mugison says,
referring to the Icelandic fishing quota system, which has
been wildly unpopular in the West Fjords.
As of publication, the confirmed full line-up includes
the following: The Hafdís Bjarna Band, Hermigervill,
Mugison with Rassi Prump, Rúnar Þórisson, Baggalútur,
Mr. Silla, Benni Hemm Hemm, Rass, 701, Reykjavík!,
NineElevens, Kristinn Níelsson, Þröstur Jóhannesson, The
West Fjords Accordion Society, KAN, Jón Kr Ólafsson,
Borkó, Ísafjörður’s Secondary School Boys Choir, Hair-
doctor, Ghostigital and Jet Black Joe.
The Aldrei Fór Ég Suður festival is free, and takes place Satur-
day, April 15th in Ísafjörður. For more information, log on to
www.skidavikan.is/festival.
By Paul F. Nikolov
Aldrei Fór Ég Suður