Reykjavík Grapevine - 02.07.2010, Page 49

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Joyful knitwear from Iceland
Enjoy the Moment
32
The Reykjavík Grapevine
Issue 09 — 2010
They’re Always Glad You Came
Standing high and proud on the
slope of Bergstaðastræti right above
Laugavegur, Kaffibarinn is one of the
oldest bars in Reykjavík. And it has con-
sistently stood the test of time which is,
well, unusual for Reykjavík bars. First
opened as a coffee house—the name
translates simply as “The Coffee Bar”—
Kaffibarinn has evolved into being a
well-reputed party spot amongst locals
and visitors alike. Touted in all the guide
books as the go-to bar for the drinking-
minded folk, this is still a place based in
a strong family feel and a sense of real
Reykjavík nightlife.
After successfully opening the
clothing shop Frikki & Dýrið, Dýrleif
Örlygsdóttir and Friðrik Weisshap-
pel teamed up with their good friend
Andrés Magnússon in 1993 to open
up Kaffibarinn. After a few years, the
place morphed into a bar and certain
elements changed. The place was ex-
panded, the kitchen was closed down,
they changed their opening hours and
started having DJs spinning tracks, but
the general feel stayed true.
“The family, the party atmosphere
that was formed in the first year has
more or less stayed the same,” we are
told by a friendly staff member who
wished to remain anonymous. Damon
Albarn also owned a small stake in the
bar for a short time, although our Kaf-
fibarinn staffer tells us this was more
ceremonial than anything else. “He
had 1% for sure,” says the staffer, “It’s
probably one of the cheapest, most ac-
cidental and successful international
marketing campaigns of all time.”
This little bit of folklore, as well as
the well-travelled flick ‘101 Reykjavík,’
may have contributed to the popularity
the bar has gotten internationally, but
here at home their consistency has just
been about maintaining a good atmo-
sphere and providing a good time for
all. That and selling shitloads of beer,
the most popular of all beverages, our
staffer says.
Asking what sets them apart from
the rest, they boil it down to a rather
simple formula. “We try to stay a warm,
friendly and fun place for our group of
regulars while also being a welcoming
to newcomers,” they say, “It’s about
generations of good staff and fun cus-
tomers and top DJs who all know each
other.” Indeed, whether it’s your first
time or hundredth time there, it really
feels like everybody knows your name.
Kaffibarinn
Bergstaðastræti 2, 101
RebeCCA loudeR
Jói KJARTAns
special | Best Of Reykjavík
Kaffibarinn still keeps kids of all ages happy
Comic | Hugleikur Dagsson
Music | Album Reviews
To my knowledge, the only notable
thing to have come from Dalvík
recently is Friðrik Ómar, a poisoned
pop dwarf whose music is the
equivalent of a dozen Care Bears
vomiting onto the face of a small child.
But for every Ying, there must be a
Yang. And that stinking monolith of
Yang has arrived in the form of Daði.
His music is a sparse, acoustic affair
along the lines of Leonard Cohen
and Current 93 circa “All The Pretty
Little Horses.” So far, so folksy. But it´s
the lyrics that get you. While Ólafur
Arnalds is melancholy and Hank &
Tank is downbeat, this is midnight at
the beach at Vik, bottle of vodka in
one hand, sleeping pills in the other,
with Radiohead’s “Exit music” on the
car stereo. It´s THAT depressing! And
song titles like My Misery, Just Like
Suicide and Goodbye Cruel World
leave you in no doubt of its bleakness.
But that doesn´t mean it´s depressing
to listen to. In fact, I’d rather prefer
this acoustic honesty than 85% of
the smiley happy joy joy bollocks that
passes for singer songwriting any day.
- bob Cluness
daði
Self Portrait
dathi
Is there a bleaker album around this
year? Answers on a postcard ...
Art | Fart
We know that something brilliant is about to
happen in this city: artFart.
This year’s programme is being pencilled in as
I type, and the ever-familiar feeling of enthu-
siasm is infectious, as the artFart team scan
their eyes across the wealth of ambitious,
innovative and adventurous work being of-
fered up by both Icelandic and international
artists—all now destined to form the building
blocks for the 2010 artFart programme.
However, artists and their marvellous creativ-
ity is one thing—audiences are another. As
the old saying goes—a tree that falls without
being heard, does not make a sound—i.e. it is
all very well and good that we are making a
programme, but people need to know about
it—and feel excited enough to get involved. In
this light, we at artFart must do more than just
marvel at the endless reams of talent running
astray—we must give it a home, feed it well
and make the news of artFart’s fifth arrival in
Reykjavík hit the headlines.
This has got the creative minds of artFart
inspired, as we seek to design some shame-
lessly attention-grabbing actions that will
serve to put this year’s festival in view. Ideas
that have surfaced so far include: The Na-
ked Billboard—a naked man or woman tak-
ing a stroll down Laugavegur each day—with
that day’s schedule scrawled across their
bare parts; The Balloon Canvas—an activity
that involves taking the festival’s logo (a bi-
cycle given flight by a bunch of balloons) and
transforming it into reality, as we tie balloons
to all of Reykjavík’s major city landmarks in
the hope that we can make them fly; Forehead
tattoos—an activity that involves convincing
as many people in Reykjavík as possible to get
‘artFart’ tattooed on their face; flash mobs;
door knocking; writing a pop song (thank you
Best Party); hostage taking; setting off the
volcano; stopping the volcano; faking death.
There have been more, but frighteningly, it
has to be said, these were our best. So, we
have some work to do, but you must keep
your eyes and ears peeled. You will know that
our brainstorms did not develop any further if
you see someone naked promoting this year’s
artFart.
FESTIVAL NEWSFLASH: artFart’s Reykjavík
Public Space Programme is offering three
Iceland-based artists the opportunity to take
part in a PAID residency here in Iceland. For
three weeks in August three artists will ex-
plore different possibilities for contemporary
performance taking place in Public Spaces.
This unique and one-off opportunity is open
to everyone and should not be missed.
Alexander Roberts
artFart Farts on