Reykjavík Grapevine - 17.10.2008, Side 12

The newly-resurrected Organ was never a high-
brow establishment until, that is, a bunch of mag-
nificently arty bands invaded the tiny stage last
night. A ghoulish Steini started the revolution
with some easy-going guitar pop, declaring “I’m
so sexy right now – I feel too good,” despite wear-
ing enough face paint to frighten even the blindest
of suitors. They warmed up noticeably towards the
end of their performance as a f lock of journalists
and industry buffs filled the f loor in advance of
Dýrðin’s slot. Although the stage was only de-
signed to accommodate a band of starving midg-
ets, all seven members of Iceland’s current indie
pop darling shuff led on and, to great applause,
performed more songs than it should be possible
to cover in such a short set. Some frantic drum-
ming and whip-cracking guitar work maintained
the Olympian pace before ‘Bubble Girl’, their last
song, drilled its way through the audience’s collec-
tive minds like a musically-inclined screw-worm.
But it was a wholly welcome parasitic invasion –
once heard, that pop song will never ever leave
your brain. It’s not clear whether Planning To
Rock is a statement of intent or a question, but one
way or another the solo artiste answered the query
with some deft electro and faultless performance
art. Her videos, screened throughout the Brit’s
lengthy set, were both freakish and intricately
produced but the real showpiece was the helmet.
Modelled (possibly) on the Sydney Opera House
and an S&M-inclined medieval knight’s battle
dress, the chrome creation looked like a piece of
sci-fi movie memorabilia and it nearly scraped the
ceiling as she gyrated to a pre-programmed mix
of filthy dance music whilst also dressed in white
bio-hazard overalls. Performance art was never
this much fun at University, neither was the ac-
companying noise. Carrying on the proposition
of shiny things and dancing girls, Dynamo Fog
marked their arrival with a glitter cannon (aimed
precisely over the audience) and two table-dancing
ladies framing the stage. The trio’s lead guitarist
was reminiscent of a young Graham Coxon – be-
spectacled, brooding and energetic – but the bass
player and drummer, who battered his rack of elec-
tronic drum pads expertly, were no less entertain-
ing or obviously talented. Their stylish electro rock
could’ve been carried on until closing time and
not one person in the room would have minded,
especially if the playful Mr. Silla & Mongoose’s
slightly f lat alt folk had been shunted in favour of
something more apt. The second British band of
the night, Half Tiger, took several minutes and
an acapella version of Whitey Houston’s ‘I Wanna
Dance With Somebody’ before they ironed out
some technical issues, but their mellow, dancey
indie-rock was the perfect serenade to midnight.
The final song (“The best one” according to their
energetic female lead singer, a cute-as-pie ‘Santa’
Monica) was ‘The One She Wants’ and it was in-
deed their best effort of a generally perfect per-
formance, augmented with twinkling lights and
plastic f lowers. These adornments might not have
been as grand as Planning To Rock’s headgear, but
Half Tiger, and virtually all of the conveyor belt of
bands on the bill, added a delightful combination
of art and music to what was a fitting re-invention
of Organ. Ben H. murray
Organ
FRi
DAY
Siggi