Reykjavík Grapevine - 20.05.2016, Síða 44

Melkorka Sígríður Magnúsdóttir is
in high spirits, bounding into Kex’s
spacious bar with characteristic
fizzing energy. “I've just finished
my exams in school,” she grins. “I
called up Árni in the studio, and
he was mixing our songs. I was so
happy, and asked: ‘Can I come vis-
it?’ But he was like ‘Uh, maybe it’s
not the right time...'”
“We were listening to one weird
little loop, over and over, fixing
a tiny sound,” says Árni Runar
Hlöðversson, Melkorka’s bandmate
and producer. “I was just saving
her from being miserable!”
Together, the two are
Milkywhale, an emerging Icelandic
electronic pop band who stole the
show at Airwaves 2015 with five
stellar performances, from day-
time shows in cafes and hostels to
the big stage of Harpa’s Norðurljós.
Their formula is simple: catchy,
high-energy pop songs, accom-
panied by Melkorka’s joyful, cel-
ebratory dancing. She’s a born
performer, shimmying, posing,
and bounding around as she sings,
enjoying herself so much that it’s
impossible not to be swept along.
Energy loop
“I got so much energy from the
crowd at Airwaves,” says Melkorka.
“I was amazed by the response we
got. I went a little overboard! My
whole body was aching after the
first gig. It’s a little bit like going to
gym. But when you’re on the stage,
the show just takes over.”
“She performs no matter how
many people show up,” smiles Árni.
“I’m used to feeling like the pride
comes from how many people are
there. But if it’s a small show, Mel-
korka does exactly the same show.
I appreciate that so much—being
true to the show, no matter what
kind of crowd it is. Because people
respond to the energy. It becomes a
kind of feedback loop.”
As well as generating a word-
of-mouth buzz, Milkywhale were
one of the two Icelandic bands at
Airwaves who were subsequently
booked to play at the huge Roskil-
de Festival. “They booked us and
Reykjavikurdætur,” says Melkorka,
“so two really performative bands.”
High performance pop
The two met whilst working on
a theatre production, winning a
grant to develop an initial hour-
long show that straddled the line
between theatrical performance
and concert. “When you see a con-
cert that goes outside of the box,
even just a tiny bit, you experience
it in a different way,” says Árni.
“We’re try to keep an element of
that in the show.”
It’s at this point that Melkorka
drops a bombshell: Milkywhale has
a secret third member. “My mom
writes the lyrics,” she smiles, mis-
chievously. “She’s actually an ac-
complished writer. I think she re-
ally enjoys it.”
“I think that’s kind of the key of
this band,” says Árni. “Each one of
us is going a little outside of what
we usually do—like being a pop
star, writing lyrics, or producing
fully-blown pop songs. Each one
of us has a lot of fun with it.” Mel-
korka agrees, beaming broadly, and
finishing: “It’s so much fun. The
most fun thing I’ve done.”
See Milkywhale live at the Grapevine
Happening, Húrra on June 3rd.
LISTEN AND SHARE: gpv.is/milk
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“One of the most beautiful
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“When you’re on the stage, the show just takes
over. It’s the most fun thing I’ve done.”
Milkywhale
Breach The Surface
Words JOHN ROGERS Photos ART BICNICK
44The Reykjavík GrapevineIssue 6 — 2016
Rúrí : Time —Telling
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