Reykjavík Grapevine - 05.11.2010, Page 15

would consider the best. I remember all
of the above playing rousing, touching or
simply entertaining concerts.
I guess I liked the Metal Hammer
evening at Sódóma best as a whole pack-
age. This isn't just because I saw a couple
of great concerts there (Gone Postal were
the bomb!)—this evening also offered
the audience a good overview of what’s
going on in the Icelandic hard music
scene. There are so many talented, cre-
ative and awesome bands that play all the
metals and cores you could imagine; it
would be a shame to not give them the
chance to play at Iceland's most popular
international music festival. Also putting
them together at one venue was a good
choice, as it prevented them from playing
shows in front of unappreciative indie
kids.
If it was the melodic screamo of End-
less Dark, the nostalgic death metal of
Angist, Momentum's epic melange of
metal and post-rock or the breathtaking
performance of England's most-loved
hyperactive Rollo Tomassi—as a fan of
hard music this whole evening was the
most interesting and fun one of Airwaves
2010.
Rock Legend Staredown
Bob Cluness
OK, this is a little tough, as there were
several really good performances all
round. But I’m going to give the best per-
formance at Airwaves as a tie between
S.H. Draumur and HAM. They may have
a combined aged of 942 between all of
them, but they showed that PROPER rock
music is often best left to the grownups.
As for the best of the rest, I give props to
Apparat Organ Quartet @ NASA, James
Blake @ Venue (one of the best DJ sets
I’ve heard for a long time) and Ghostigital
@ Tjarnabíó (surrealist power electron-
ics from a city councilman). For the most
improved performance, the Fist Fokkers
at NASA were a complete revelation.
Some wonderful songs with an interest-
ing flourish by adding a nonchalant wind
section.
Momentum Backed It Up
Bogi Bjarnason
My favourite gig at Airwaves was with-
out doubt the Momentum performance.
Since receiving their excellent latest al-
bum, Fixation at Rest, two months ago it
has yet to leave my CD tray. And they back
it up live.
Be it the awesome dynamics, the
powerful vocals or the masterful mu-
sicianship, it all blends together into an
unstoppable feral force that mesmerises
and brutalises, all at the same time.
Although they played to a dismal
crowd, they still projected a total profes-
sional front and the image of a band that
is finally about to go places.
Honourable mentions: The Joy For-
midable—power trio, with an emphasis
on power, Bloodgroup—over-the-fuck-
ing-top, but long winded, Mammút—
more fun than a bag of kittens.
Spleen United Kicked Ass
Sindri Eldon
The best thing I saw was Spleen United,
who in my humble opinion outshone
anything and everyone at the Art Mu-
seum that night, Robyn included. What’s
supposed to be so fucking amazing
about Robyn, anyway? Whatever. Point
is, Spleen United (what a stupid name)
kicked ass. They had a strong pop sensi-
bility imbedded in a base of good, honest,
retro, and played it very inventively, using
live drums and multiple sequencers and
loops, and making excellent use of live
percussion, such as tambourines and hi-
hats. What’s even better is that they man-
aged to do it without coming off like the
preppy, pretentious assholes Hurts look
and sound like… but I don’t know, maybe
Spleen United are assholes and Hurts are
really cool guys who like Star Wars and
bowling. Who knows, right?
I did Not Expect Lazyblood
Kári Tulinius
Lazyblood at Faktorý, first show of Sat-
urday night. I'm there on the recom-
mendation of fellow reviewer Bob Clu-
ness. Other than that, all I know about
Lazyblood is what the Airwaves booklet
says. So when the duo walked onto the
stage I didn't know what to expect. Erna
Ómarsdóttir, who is a modern dancer, a
petite woman with wild hair and muscles
like suspension bridge cables, picked up
a microphone and announced, in a voice
that sounded a bit like Jónsi from Sigur
Rós doing a Björk impression, that the
next song was about "being in love and
laziness." Therefore, I wasn't expecting
when Erna and Valdimar Jóhannsson,
the other member of Lazyblood, a large,
imposing, long-haired man, started
screaming in the deep, guttural manner
of black metal singers, their faces and
bodies contorting.
It was as if an electro-schmindie
band had been eaten by rampaging mae-
nads. While Valdimar stuck to the stage,
playing music on a laptop and other gad-
gets, Erna twisted and coiled her body, at
times rushing into the crowd, even crawl-
ing around on the floor, pushing audi-
ence members out of her way. This was,
of course, a thoroughly premeditated and
choreographed performance, but in the
moment it felt like being enveloped by a
soft avalanche of human madness. De-
scribing Lazyblood's performance is an
exercise in futility, as their art can almost
be said to be about the limits of what can
be communicated in language. So just go
watch a live video. It's Björk Metal (that's
a good thing).
Efterklang: Energy And
Euporia
Eimear Fitzgerald
Some might see it as a lazy choice to pick
a well established act as my best Airwaves
show, but the experience of standing
amongst the sheer energy and euphoria
that Efterklang brought to the stage of the
Reykjavík Art Museum is a feeling that’s
come back to my mind time and time
again since.
So many people I spoke with before
this gig expected an introverted thought
provoking performance from these Dan-
ish purveyors of lulling, instrumental
electronica. But Efterklang absolutely
superseded all expectations and blew the
entire audience out of the water with a set
that lit the place on fire. The size and aus-
terity of the Art Museum has made it tra-
ditionally the most notoriously difficult
Airwaves venue for bands to master and
a challenge that sometimes even escapes
the most experienced of artists. So there
was something extraordinarily special in
the music and presence of this group that
enabled them to move beyond that and
create an atmosphere of direct engage-
ment with each member of the audience.
It felt like coming from the cold into a big
warm, motherly, musical hug. Wonder-
ful.
But I can’t finish off without giving
special mention to Morðingjarnir, Bernd-
sen and Futuregrapher, my top Airwaves
finds of 2010. Why? Well, although they
span very different musical genres, they
all delivered exciting and engaging sets
that demanded my attention, completely
surpassed expectations and, very impor-
tantly, made me shake my groove thang
until the last song. I hope this year’s Air-
waves provides the launch pad they all
deserve.
Think about life
Anna Andersen
After enjoying a series of Icelandic fa-
vourites on NASA’s Friday night line-up,
I pulled out my programme to remind
myself of who was up next. That’s right,
Think About Life, some indie rockers
from Montreal, Canada. With no idea
what to expect, I certainly didn’t expect
them to put on the best show I would wit-
ness at Iceland Airwaves 2010. But, that’s
exactly what they did.
From the moment they took the
stage, their fresh, feel good vibes put a
fat grin on my face. These interactive per-
formers were on FIRE. Energetic singer
Martin Cesar, who dawned a pair of suave
shades reminiscent of Ray Charles, and
fun-spirited Caila Thompson-Hannant
tantalized the audience. They evidently
also have a good sense of humour. I have
no idea what Martin was doing dancing
around with a Chinese flag, but it was
entertaining, and some lucky soul in the
audience now has that flag.
So, it’s not that I listen to their music
on repeat now, or really at all for that mat-
ter, but it’s just that they played a really
good show with fantastic energy that per-
meated through the crowd. When they
finished playing, I still had a fat grin on
my face.
Hörður Sveinsson, photographer
Efterklang’s concert at Hafnarhús was absolutely fantastic. I was seeing the band perform for the first time and didn’t quite
know what to expect. I’ve also always been rather prejudiced against Danish bands (what’s the deal with crappy Danish
bands anyway?). But Efterklang played with immense joy and fun, and for a while I had to stop shooting, take a break and
watch the band play. Five thumbs up.
Hvalreki, photographer
How can one sum up Airwaves with just one photograph, let alone one from Thursday night at NASA featuring a line up of
Iceland’s heaviest hitters and legendary rockers all in their finest form? The Fist Fokkers opened the night, rocking their
hardest, and setting a tough-act-to-follow tempo. Reykjavík! had the spirit with a stage presence that lit the crowded house
on fire. With their first concert in seventeen years, S.H. Draumur had fans in tears. Finally, the icing on the cake: a most an-
ticipated and rare performance from the legendary HAM. The guitar gods were most certainly smiling on NASA this evening,
need I say more?
páll Hilmarsson, photographer
Teeth played Friday at Venue. I didn’t know anything about them before I entered after having witnessed the rather dull
and not so photogenic Dikta at the Art Museum. Teeth didn’t impress me with their music but they sure were photogenic.
Especially their singer, who I noticed later that night when editing, wasn’t too concerned about hiding her underpants, or
vagina for that matter. But this is their drummer and it’s my favourite from Airwaves because, like so many photographs, it's
a half-truth or even a lie. I bet you think that he's tired or unhappy, right? He isn’t, he's drying the sweat from his brow. It was
hot in there.