Reykjavík Grapevine - 03.06.2011, Qupperneq 23

23
The Reykjavík Grapevine
Issue 7 — 2011
Glacier Walks
Accommodation
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Bankastræti 2 - Downtown
Scan QR code to locate ITM
Tel: +354 522 4979
itm@itm.is - www.itm.is
Open 9 - 19, Summer 8 - 21
Step into
the Viking Age
Experience Viking-Age Reykja­vík a­t the
new Settlement Exhibition. The focus of the
exhibition is a­n exca­va­ted longhouse site which
da­tes from the 10th century ad. It includes
relics of huma­n ha­bita­tion from a­bout 871, the
oldest such site found in Icela­nd.

Multimedia­ techniques bring Reykja­vík’s
pa­st to life, providing visitors with insights
into how people lived in the Viking Age, a­nd
wha­t the Reykja­vík environment looked like
to the first settlers.
The exhibition a­nd
museum shop a­re open
da­ily 10–17
Aða­lstræti 16
101 Reykja­vík / Icela­nd
Phone +(354) 411 6370
www.reykja­vikmuseum.is
Another day, another slice of grim
apocalyptic action that is life in Iceland.
While Grímsvötn’s eruption took a firm
grip of the country by the balls and the
airport was closed, one casualty of this
was the cancellation of the long await-
ed Caribou gig at NASA on Sunday May
22. Ticketholders were generally devas-
tated upon learning about the cancella-
tion, as it was a highly anticipated show.
So why was it that I then felt a sense
of relief when I found out it was can-
celled?
Don’t get me wrong. I like Caribou’s
music and was hyped on the idea of
seeing them play. But that was un-
til I realised the show was supposed
to start at 22:00. “Oh great [resigned
groan] another fucking late gig”.
You see, ‘school night’ concerts in
Reykjavík have become a drag because
of the ludicrous times they start. In
most cities in the civilised world, a con-
cert during the week will usually start
between 19:00 and 20:00 and you’d be
out and eating your kebab by eleven.
But Reykjavík has to be different. With
a 22:00 start and the usual delays a gig
will easily run until the venue closes at
1am. For most regular people that have
to do boring things (you know, like get
up for work, or take care of their kids)
this is a major ball ache. And heaven
forbid if you live outside 101, because
public transport closes at 23:00, mean-
ing you either get a taxi or have a friend
drive you home. So frankly, you start to
see gig going as something that’s not
really worth the bother.
Bemoaning this state of affairs to
my friend Gylfi, he had an interesting
explanation for it all. The thing was, he
explained, that many moons ago when
Gaukur á stöng (now Bakkus/Sódóma)
was the main live venue in town, it had
to have a restaurant license for it to be
open till 01:00. This meant that it was
supposed to ‘serve meals’ til 22:00,
whereupon it would then start showing
live music till closing time at one. This,
he reasoned, was why gigs now start so
late during the week.
But are bands and musicians must
be happy playing into the wee small
hours? Apparently not, it seems. Just
about every musician I’ve talked to
about this, especially those who’ve
played outside of Iceland, hates having
to play so late. Not surprisingly, many
musicians also have day jobs and fami-
lies too.
So, if bands hate playing so late, just
start earlier you say. And herein lies the
crux of the problem. They can’t, they
say. If you start at 20:00, people won’t
turn up until later. It seems that people
are ‘used’ to the late openings and
won’t turn up early.
Forgive me if I’m wrong, but that
just feels that we’re just pandering to
a minority who think it’s cool to be still
sucking away on a beer on a Tuesday at
01:15. If a band like Agent Fresco, Retro
Stefson or FM Belfast played at NASA
at 22:00, are you saying nobody will
turn up? Of course not, the place will
be full to the rafters.
But I really think venue organis-
ers and bands need to start banding
together on changing this mindset.
Because right now we’re effectively
are almost creating a form of cultural
apartheid, where live music is but the
sole reserve of a chosen few who deign
to live in 101 Reykjavík and don’t have
stuff to do with their lives, while the
unfortunate sods who live out there in
the real world, either make do with the
scraps or pay through the nose for the
same experience. And for a city that
supposedly prides and ‘inspires’ itself
on the quality of their live music, that’s
totally nonsensical.
Now excuse me, I have an early start
tomorrow...
Music | Bob Cluness
Gig Long, Party Hard!
(But not too late, I have to get up early)
BOB CLUNESS
RUSSEL JAMES SMITH