Reykjavík Grapevine - 01.06.2012, Qupperneq 38

38
The Reykjavík Grapevine
Issue 7 — 2012
Reykjavík | Goodbye
R.I.p NASA
Where shall we wear our Gusgus track-suits now?
The day this issue of Grapevine hits
the streets is also the day Nasa
closes its doors for the final time.
Grapevine has followed the story
closely from the announcement
that the venue might be in danger
through to its eventual planned clo-
sure and, as you read this, this hal-
lowed Reykjavík music venue will
be gone for good.
The first time I heard of Nasa was when
an Icelandic friend of mine showed me
a YouTube video of his band Æla play-
ing there, dressed as mummies, nurses
and bridegrooms. They absolutely tore
it up on the big stage, with Halli teeter-
ing dramatically on a tall chair, towering
over the crowd. Based on the strength
of that performance, I said I'd help book
them a UK tour, which turned out to be
an absolute blast. At the end of those
few days, Halli invited me to come to
Reykjavík.
I took up his invitation in 2008 and
flew out for Airwaves. We spent much
of the festival walking between what
was then Tunglið (in typical Reykjavík
style it’s been at least three different
places since then) and Nasa, catching
the spirit of the festival and the cream
of the crop of the young Icelandic
scene.
Nasa particularly stuck with us,
from the mint green townhouse facade,
into the warm, welcoming atmosphere
of the carpeted bar, the well positioned
balcony spaces that allow everyone to
get a good view, down to the hall with
its old fashioned wooden dance floor,
and the prettily framed stage with its
twinkling back-lights. The warmth and
clarity of the sound and the historic feel
of Nasa combine to make it a special
concert hall. Some kind of rare alchemy
can occur here that no freshly-built
space can replicate. Harpa or no Harpa,
if Nasa goes, Reykjavík loses some-
thing unique.
I saw one of the best concerts of my
life there at Airwaves 2009. A long-time
fan of GusGus since ‘Polydistortion,’
I was curious to see them retooled
and reconfigured as a minimal techno
three-piece, fronted once more by
Daníel Agúst. As the lights went down,
the pulsing intro of “Thin Ice” oozed
through the space like tendrils of warm
electronic fog. The bass drum felt like it
was vibrating up through the legs of the
crowd. When the beat kicked in, people
went batshit crazy. The synth stabs at
the start of “Hateful” seemed to make
my bones shake; by the time GusGus
closed with “Add This Song,” every-
one in the room had their hands in the
air, twisting and shaking and whirling
around in euphoria. Daníel gripped the
mic and dropped his head in anticipa-
tion of the crowd-sound just before the
song finished, and then vanished as the
stage lights blinked out in a deafening
roar.
It simply couldn't have been this way
anywhere else. Hundreds and thou-
sands of people have experienced mo-
ments like this at Nasa, which is widely
thought of as more of a cultural centre
than a traditional venue or bar. About
1700 concertgoers (and counting) from
Iceland and around the world signed a
petition to save Nasa, some telling their
own stories and giving emotional ap-
peals to save the space.
Here are a few of our favourites.
"I was a volunteer at the 2010 Iceland
Airwaves. A musician and lover of mu-
sic, I could see that shows at NASA
had the most energy and emotion in
the room. I have some very incredible
memories from there, and want oth-
ers from around the world to be able to
come to Iceland Airwaves, and experi-
ence the pure energy and adrenaline
that runs through the club during per-
formances."
Charles Coy, Boston, USA
"People will never sleep peacefully in
NASA, the energetic ghosts of count-
less legendary concerts will continue to
vibrate the airwaves there for eternity."
L. Shannon
"I've been coming to Iceland for Ice-
land Airwaves since 2007 and enter-
ing NASA for the first time always feels
like coming home. It's beautiful. I would
KILL to have a location like that in Dus-
seldorf and so would everyone I know."
Anonymous
"As the editor of IQ Magazine, which
reports on the international live music
industry, I was shocked and dismayed
to read that NASA is in danger of clo-
sure. Iceland's music community is re-
garded as one of the finest and most
unique in the world and to take away
arguably the best venue on the island
would be a huge step backwards in the
development of the country's music in-
dustry and its ability to attract interna-
tional acts."
Gordon Masson
"The place has been the venue for all
the University parties over many years...
End of exams ball, winter dance, hal-
loween party and so on. Part of my
life is in there, and I cannot bear the
thought of NASA being demolished!" -
Maddalena Tovazzi
"NASA is a cultural landmark in Reyk-
javik, and the city wouldn't be the same
without it. End of story."
Victoria Coady
"I've played there and it is a magnifi-
cient feeling."
Hallur Guðmundsson
"Such heritage is priceless and once
destroyed is gone forever."
Andy Pickering
"I first knew of the Icelandic band "Of
Monsters and Men" in NASA concert
hall. This place definitely holds wonder-
ful memories for me. Would be sad and
disappointed if this venue is no longer
around the next time I visit Iceland." -
Kah Yau Han, Japan
"I love Nasa, it's a big part of my so-
cial life, i would hate for this beautifull
building and space to get torn down."
- Helene Rún Benjamínsdóttir
"NASA is a unique music venue of
worldwide cultural significance."
Doug Higgins
"I am a writer for NME magazine in the
UK, and have visited Iceland twice. I
was impressed not only by the Reykja-
vik music scene but the city's venues,
and NASA stands out particularly in my
memory. We need to preserve live mu-
sic venues."
Emily McKay, NME
"This is a truly wonderful venue, offer-
ing up a rich and varied programme
of art and culture to the residents of
Reykjavik - to lose it would be an abject
shame."
Mischa Pearlman, Kerrang! & Q Maga-
zine
"NASA was one the places I used to
dream to visit one day as a tourist and
music lover... last year i had the oppor-
tunity to visit Reykjavik and watch some
concerts there - it is a very important
venue for music culture."
Bruno Ganato, Brazil
"As a music journalist NASA showed
me the spirit of the culture of Iceland
creativity. Venues like this are very
valuable on not just a local but a world
level."
Joe Shooman, The Fly
"An incredible venue - the place I went
to every night without fail at Iceland
Airwaves Festival. There is no location
like it in Iceland, a unique venue to be
diversified if it does not earn enough
money - not torn down."
Natalie Wills
"I regularly come to Reykjavik sim-
ply because I fell in love with Iceland.
For its culture, not its hotels." - Alexis
Priera, London
Words
John Rogers
photography
Alísa Kalyanova
THE NUMBER 1 MUSIC STORE
IN EUROPE ACCORDING TO
LONELY PLANET
SKÓLAVÖRÐUSTÍG 15, 101 REYKJAVÍK AND HARPA CONCERT HALL