Reykjavík Grapevine - 10.10.2014, Blaðsíða 64

T H E R E Y K J A V Í K G R A P E V I N E I C E L A N D A I R W A V E S S P E C I A L12
Seven New
“Airwaves is a showcase festival, so it’s all
about highlighting bands that have fresh
material and are relevant in today’s music
scene,” explains Kamilla Ingibergsdóttir,
the festival’s PR and marketing manager.
“We get bigger and more established
bands that help sell tickets, but letting
new acts into the limelight has always
been important to the festival.”
This year, 41 Icelandic bands are
playing Airwaves for the first time.
Technically, though, a lot of them have
played before under different names, as
they are new projects from otherwise
well-known musicians. We’ve compiled
a list of seven who you may not have
heard of and should keep an ear out for.
Döpur
Krummi Björgvinsson’s accolades in-
clude playing in punk band Mínus,
gothic industrial powerhouse Legend,
and rock supergroup Esja. The man truly
knows how to make good music, and
his newest one-man melancholic noise
project Döpur (“Sadness”) shows exactly
that. Watching him tear through his set
list never fails to give us goose bumps.
Harpa Kaldalón, Nov 7, 20:50-21:20
Kiasmos
BAFTA-winning composer Ólafur Ar-
nalds and Byrta member Janus Ras-
mussen have come together to make
Kiasmos, a band that combines Ólafur’s
acoustic sensibilities and Janus’s elec-
tronic prowess. The two have an upcom-
ing album that includes a live drummer,
string quartet, and Ólafur performing on
the grand piano, making Harpa’s grand
Norðurljós hall one of the few stages
large enough to accommodate the full
performance.
Harpa Norðurljós, Nov 8, 00:30-01:30
M-Band
Multi-instrumentalist Hörður Bjarna-
son of Tonik and Nolo fame released his
first solo album ‘Haust’ (“Autumn”) ear-
lier this year and it perfectly captures
the changing seasons bringing everyone
down these days. Channelling house
beats and synth fury, Hörður’s music is
delightfully danceable.
Gamla Bíó, Nov 7, 20:00-20:40
Harpa Kaldalón, Nov 8, 23:20-00:00
Uni Stefson
Retro Stefson’s frontman Unnsteinn
Manuel Stefánsson has recently started
his own solo project, and it is well worth
following. His first release, “Enginn
Grætur,” is a thoughtful rendition of
celebrated Icelandic independence hero
Jónas Hallgrímsson’s poem, in which
Unnsteinn dazzles everyone with his
keen musical mind and gentle voice.
Húrra, Nov 8, 20:40-21:10
Young Karin
This avant garde hip hop-inspired pop
band is composed of Karin Sveinsdóttir
and Logi Pedro Stefánsson of Retro Stef-
son fame. They stepped onto the scene
this winter, put out their ‘Hearts’ EP, and
have been busy touring ever since, win-
ning the hearts and minds of the popu-
lace by playing at pretty much every Ice-
landic festival this year.
Gamla Bíó, Nov 7, 22:00-22:40
Þjóðleikhúskjallarinn, Nov 9, 01:10-
01:50
Lily the Kid
This duo consists of siblings Snjókal-
dur K. Svarfdal and Lilja K. Jónsdóttir,
who you might recognise as the former
frontwoman of Bloodgroup. They just
released their first single "Pedro" in Au-
gust, and it has been steadily climbing
the Icelandic music charts. With an off-
beat synth-driven sound, Lily the Kid's
first song has us waiting patiently for
their upcoming album.
Gamla Bíó, Nov 8, 20:00-20:40
Húrra, Nov 9, 22:00-22:40
FURA
This refined three-piece electronic pop
collaboration features Björt Sigfinnsdót-
tir's haunting and hypnotic voice, and
great composition by Hallur Jónsson and
Janus Rasmussen of Bloodgroup, as can
be heard on their 2013 single "Demons."
Expect FURA to pull on all of your heart-
strings with their melancholic lyrics and
dramatic arrangements.
Iðnó, Nov 6, 20:50-21:20
Each Iceland Airwaves festival features a gobsmackingly large
number of bands, and this year is no exception with 220 in the
lineup. It’s not everyone and their grandmothers playing, mind
you. Festival organisers have put a lot of energy into vetting the
bands, and turned down 200 local and 700 international acts.

Projects To Catch
This Airwaves
WORDS BY TÓMAS GABRÍEL BENJAMIN