Reykjavík Grapevine - 04.05.2007, Page 36

0_REYKJAVÍK_GRAPEVINE_ISSUE 05_007_REVIEWS/MUSIC/LIVE
The tiny non-profit co-op organic-café shop
Hljómalind on Laugavegur has proven to be
an incredibly popular concert venue, espe-
cially within the Reykjavík punk scene, where
the sXe section holds a special affection for
the place. Obviously, as a venue, Hljómalind
has many drawbacks, size perhaps being the
most obvious one, but the cramped close-
ness and the enthusiastic crowd, and the
community feeling always makes a Hljóma-
lind show a positive experience.
Opening the festivities was the confi-
dently named The Best Hardcore Band in the
World. xTxBxHxCxBxIxTxW (probably the lon-
gest acronym in the world), submitted their
own take on a very punkish trashcore. Known
for their raw delivery of PCHC (Paradise City
Hardcore, Reykjavík’s hardcore scene’s semi-
serious attempt to label a genre, such as
NYHC or CTHC), The Best Hardcore Band in
the World opened with a new song: “writ-
ten at practice yesterday,” declared vocalist
Fannar. A few more days of practice certainly
could not have hurt, as the performance was
all over the place, but opening difficulties
aside, the band came away unscathed. But
that is usually what they do, as the quality of
the delivery often seems to take a backseat
to their contagious joy of playing anyway.
Apart from a positively cool name, the
Brat Pack delivered a more traditional two-
chord punk rock. The kind that might have
fitted into the Repo Man score (a cult movie
classic featuring original Brat Pack-er Emilio
Estevez and 80’s punk rock, and actually, tel-
evangelists and aliens, but I digress...) They
did not particularly blow me away musically,
but again, enthusiasm goes a long way.
The schedule called for the punk outfit
Morðingjarnir (The Murderers) to appear
next. However, the band had not arrived yet,
so the headlining act I Adapt took the floor
early. Fresh off a two-week tour of the U.S.
the band was honed to perfection, perform-
ing one of the tightest sets I have seen from
them. My five-year old son, whom I brought
along for the all-ages show, was standing
on a chair behind the crowd when the first
instant-mosh-pit-inducing guitar riffs from
ax-man Ingi spontaneously set the crowd on
fire. He lasted about five seconds standing
on that chair before a flying patron knocked
him down. Lucky for him (and the patron in
question) I was there to catch him. Obvious-
ly, an I Adapt show is no place for children.
While blazing through new material such
as Ape City and Familiar Ghosts, I Adapt’s
powerful performance proved that they are
the best band in Reykjavík most people do
not know about. Hopefully, that will change
with an upcoming album scheduled for re-
lease later this year.
By the time I Adapt finished, Morðing-
jarnir was in place, although the crowd im-
mediately got thinner. Despite the apparent
discomfort of guitarist/vocalist Haukur, suf-
fering from the dreaded day-after syndrome,
the trio maintained the positive vibe with a
forceful set of happy punk, highlighted by
bass player Atli’s singing performance on the
last song.
The Best Band No One Knows
Text by Sveinn Birkir Björnsson Photo by Skari
Who: I Adapt, Morðingjarnir,
Brat Pack, and the Best
Hardcore Band in the World
Where: Hljómalind
When: April 28, 2007 After squeezing through an almost impeni-
trable crowd (receiving pokes and evil eyes as
a reward for my aggression) I finally managed
to get a good view of the stage at the Reykja-
vík Art Museum when Nouvelle Vague was
performing their second song that evening,
Ever Falling in Love, originally recorded by the
Manchester punk-rock group Buzzcocks. For
me, it was hard not to fall in love with the
band at that exact moment.
Founded by the duo Marc Collin and Oli-
vier Libaux, Nouvelle Vague’s name, transla-
ting as new wave in French and bossa nova in
Portuguese, gives a hint on what they set out
to do, making bossa nova versions of classic
new wave hits from the 80s. With great help
from numerous contributing singers they’ve
managed to bring new life to saintly-classics
and by doing so, they’ve gained a huge fol-
lowing among former punks as well as those
who’ve never even heard of the originals.
The show at the Reykjavík Art Museum
attracted a mixed crowd, young and middle-
aged fans who were all there to enjoy the
feel-good music. Two singers wiggled in the
spotlight, dressed in black sexy dresses and
addressing the audience while the founding
members sat quietly in the background, oc-
casionally grinning at the crowd.
Collin and Lidaux are both excellent mu-
sicians, and special praise has to be given to
the drummer that evening, but the stars of
the night were undeniably the two female
singers, Melanie Pain and Phoebe Killdeer,
both incredible songbirds, with very distinct
voices and stage presence. Pain’s innocent,
sometimes childlike voice is a total opposi-
te to Killdeer’s more masculine and powerful
vocals and aggressive attitude. Watching her
swing her long dark hair while twitching and
turning back and forth she reminded me of
an angry beast trying to break loose from
bonds. That harmonized surprisingly well
with Pain’s more polite character.
During the whole show the two di-
vas kept the audience attentive, especially
when performing the Dead Kennedy’s Too
Drunk To Fuck, Joy Division’s Love Will Tear
Us Apart, and The Specials’ Friday Night, Sa-
turday Morning, all leading up to a raucous
sing-along. This was clearly a well-rehearsed
routine, maybe a little too much so at times.
Melanie Pain’s performance of Smith’s
classic Sweet and Tender Hooligan, suppor-
ted only by the guitarist, was wonderfully
emotional, where she almost whispered the
lyrics. Other highlights of the evening inclu-
ded the interpretation of Teenage Kicks ba-
cked by the Brazilian bossa nova beats, and
the perkier Dance with Me and Blondie’s He-
art of Glass.
Overall, the show was a relaxed one-and-
a-half hour entertainment, featuring two
encores and almost all of their most popular
covers, songs that the crowd new all so well.
Although The Art Museum isn’t the greatest
venue for this kind of an event, (I would have
loved to witness the band performing while
sitting in some dark, retro-style Parisian jazz
café with a glass of red wine) it was all just so
freakin’ fabulous and not a dull second pas-
sed, leaving me with no choice but to admire
the band even more.
An Ample Dose of Happiness
Text by Steinunn Jakobsdóttir Photo by Skari
Who: Nouvelle Vague
Where: The Reykjavík Art Museum
When: April 27, 2007
www.bluelagoon.com
Energy for life through forces of nature