Reykjavík Grapevine - 11.09.2015, Síða 39

CHECK OUT THE NEW
REYKJAVÍK CITY MUSEUM
C OM P R I S I N G 5 TO P MU S E UMS:
Árbær Open Air Musem
Viðey Island
Reykjavík Museum of
Photography
Reykjavík Maritime Museum
www.reykjavikcitymuseum.is
The Settlement Exhibition
More information in the
Museums & Galleries section.
Open 11:30-22:00
saegreif inn. is
101 Reykjavík Tel. 553 1500 seabaron8@gmail.com
An absolute
must-try!
Saegreifinn restaurant (Sea Baron) is like none other
in Iceland; a world famous lobster soup and a diverse
fish selection.
Appropriately, Skúli opened the concert,
accompanied with a band (ok, a super-
group). The performance was elegant and
relaxed, well befitting of Skúli's other-
worldly music. For the final song, “Sería,”
from Skúli's self-titled debut, the headlin-
ers’ Amadeo Pace (who co-wrote it with
Skúli) joined the stage. This proved a fit-
ting end to the opening act of a concert
that seemed to place as much importance
on the bond of friendship between the
performers as on the music itself.
After a short interval, Blonde Redhead
took the stage and immediately launched
into the opening notes of “Barragán,” the
opening and title track of their new album,
swiftly following it up with “Lady M,” the
album’s second track. From thereon, the
band surfed through the entirety of their
lush catalogue, regularly throwing in
songs from their latest.
Blonde Redhead played well from the
very first note, and the sound was good
enough to properly enjoy the fact. De-
livering a tight and convincing set, they
rarely paused between songs, serving up
one favourite after another. As the pro-
gramme evolved, the songs got louder,
and the band’s enjoyment became more
pronounced as the crowd began dancing,
everyone clearly having a blast.
Halfway through the set’s purported
closing song, “24,” it became apparent
that the audience was far from done with
Blonde Redhead. As the tune wound
down, the crowd’s rapturous applause
only grew louder, occasionally breaking
out in “ENCORE!” type screams.
Returned to the stage, singer/guitar-
ist Kazu Makino made a short speech
expressing the band's gratitude for being
able to return to Iceland, after playing a
rather disastrous concert here seven years
ago. She then solemnly thanked Skúli for
his continued friendship, before launch-
ing into Blonde Redhead playing a bunch
more rock n’ roll.
Having seen Blonde Redhead per-
form here in Iceland fourteen years ago,
listened to some of their albums in the
meantime, and then attending this con-
cert to renew our acquaintance, I was de-
lighted to observe how they have evolved
from simply being “a good band” into a
far better one. As instrumentalists, broth-
ers Amadeo and Simone Pace both spec-
tacularly engage their instrument in a very
personal fashion, while Makino adds a
certain mystery to the affair, her black hair
covering her face as she belts out Blonde
Redhead classics in a high-pitched voice.
The band's charm is undeniable.
To this day, Iceland’s Baby Boomer
contingent continues to meet at Kring-
lukráin to take in cover bands performing
the hits of their youth. Meanwhile, Reyk-
javík’s punk generation remains dedicated
to the acts they loved as teenagers. Natu-
rally, Blonde Redhead at Gamla Bíó clear-
ly felt like a sort of mini-revival for those
who partook in Reykjavík’s indie rock
scene in the 90s—my own generation.
Over the course of the show, I recognized
several familiar faces from dank, legend-
ary concerts at venues like MH College’s
Norðurkjallarinn, older, perhaps wiser, all
there to enjoy the music they have loved
since their teens—and enjoy they did.
FESTIVAL
JUST GIMME INDIE ROCK, AGAIN
Blonde Redhead have an interesting connection to Reykjavík’s indie scene. Having developed
an ardent local following trough the years, this visit marked the trio’s fifth concert trip to Ice-
land (quite a feat for a foreign band) since they first graced our stages in 2000. Furthermore,
Icelandic composer/bassist Skúli Sverrisson used to play with them in their early days—the
influences they exchanged remain audible, while both parties have developed their own, dis-
tinctive sound.
Photo Alex Weber
Words Páll Ragnar Pálsson
7MUSIC
REVIEWED, SCRUTINIZED, CONTEMPLATED