Reykjavík Grapevine - 16.06.2017, Blaðsíða 32

Joey Christ, a member of Sturla Atlas
and local style icon, recently released
his first solo joint, titled “Joey Cypher,”
with an accompanying video. It’s a
posse cut, and the guests are no mean
feat—Herra Hnetusmjör is one of the
most technically advanced rappers in
Iceland and kills it in the first verse.
Joey himself is hilarious, opening his
verse with: “Friends of mine do crime/
Not me, I just like the vibe.” Newcomer
Birnir is amped up beyond recogni-
tion, sounding like he’s drugged out
of his mind and free-styling the verse.
And finally, we get to hear everyone’s
favourite AutoTune crooner—Aron
Can—really rap. He murders the last
verse. The video is set in the newly
opened Costco in Garðabær, and every-
one involved just sounds like they’re
having a lot of fun doing the track.

As we write this, we’re just home
from the first ever Boiler Room event
in Iceland, hosted by Jamie xx at the
Petersen Suite. For those who haven’t
been there, it has huge balconies with
an awesome view over the harbour
and downtown area. The show started
with JFDR, the solo act of Jófríður from
Samaris, who laid down some beau-
tiful ethereal tunes. Then there was
Kelsey Lu, whom we had never heard
of before—she brought her cello and
force-of-nature voice to the midnight-
sunny balconies. There was beauty in
her performance that we can’t find
the words to describe any further, but
it was there, and it was felt. The lovely
DJs from the Plútó collective kept the
good vibes flowing before Jamie xx
turned up at the decks, and conquered
them. He played a really varied set,
including some remixes of The xx, but
they weren’t the main focus. He went
from 70s funk to acid house in the
course of ten minutes, and it all flowed
like water from a tap. It was joy and
dance-alongs and there was sunshine
and rain at the same time on the bal-
conies, and the moments just seemed
to burst with euphoric, endless energy.
We were there and we were glad to be
alive. It was an amazing set—bravura
to all those involved in organising it.
Finally, the filthiest rock band in Ice-
land—Pink Street Boys—released a
new song and video that’s way wor-
thy of your time and attention. It’s
only two minutes long, so you really
aren’t giving that much up to check
it out. Entitled “Wet,” it’s a devious
little Ramones-y punk romp with a
video set in a sewer. You don’t need to
hear any more from us. Just look it up.
Slamma-
geddon
Reykjavík’s poets battle on
stage
Disenfranchised youth need an out-
let, and for many it takes an unex-
pected form. Slam poetry, a move-
ment which swept the States just
decades ago, now arrives in Iceland
for interpretation. The slam com-
bines traditional verse with elements
of rhythm, rap and performance.
Much as in a rap battle,
contestants fight it out
on stage to be crowned
the winner.
Slam poems often
echo the news agenda,
or even life’s darkest
moments. “I find slam
to be the most emo-
tiona l form of art,”
says Hannah Jane Co-
hen, who will be per-
forming on the night.
“I think it ’s the only
way that I’ve been able to describe
my emotions and share them in a
meaningful way. My poems usually
explore topics like addiction, past
relationships and bipolar disorder.
Past relationships with shitty men is
kind of my forte actually.”

King and queens of prose
This month, nine poets will head
to Rosenberg to spill their souls on
stage. Three poets will progress to
the final round at the end of the eve-
ning. Like in every performance, the
audience is everything.
“One of the best things about slam
poetry is that the audience is the
critic. Participation really helps to
keep it real, if you know what I mean?
You can’t just go on stage and do lofty
poetr y about some-
thing that nobody will
understand because
no one can relate,” ex-
plains Ólöf Benedikts-
dóttir, who set up the
competition with fel-
low MC Jón Magnús.
T he pa i r got t o
know each other last
year, and decided to
channel their passion
for poetry by encour-
aging others to do the
same. “The more I get to know slam
poetry, the more I find it interest-
ing. If you come to our night, you can
expect be wowed and overwhelmed.
Mix real talk with a little competi-
tive spirit and you have a recipe for a
pretty awesome event,” Ólöf adds.

The lineup is already confirmed, but
if you’re interested in taking part in
future events, email olof benedikts@
mail.com. For more about the event,
check out https://www.facebook.com/
nirali.thumar.
Words:
Óli Dóri &
Davíð Roach
Share:
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straumur
Straumur,
Iceland's
premier indie
music radio
show, airs on
X977, Mon. at
23:00. Daily
music news
in Icelandic at
straum.is
Words:
Anisha Chandar
Photos:
Katarzyna Walek
and Sunia Ibanez
31
Views From The Sewer
And The Boiler Room
Straumur
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“You can’t just
go on stage and
do lofty poetry
about some-
thing that no-
body will under-
stand.”
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Full culture coverage
Jón Magnús Ólöf Benediktsdóttir
Hæ, hó, Jibbí, Jei og, Jei!
Icelandic National Day
June 17, 10:15, Downtown Reykjavík
Also known as the rainiest day of
the year, Icelandic National Day
leaves you mildly wet but never
disappointed. Give your yearly
salute to the circus folks and the
vintage car show, then run down
to a skater party and end the af-
ternoon with an Emmsjé Gauti
performance. Only choice? Beer or
candyfloss. Why? It’s traditional
to end the day with a sugar-in-
duced stomachache. AD
Sweater-core
LungA Launch: Daði Freyr
22 June, 22:00, Oddsson, Free!
He may not have graced the stage
at Eurovision with his geek-chic
electro-pop, but you can catch Daði
Freyr as part of LungA festival cel-
ebrations at Oddsson. Brush off
your keytar and put on your most
ridiculous sweater for not only a
great concert but also some kara-
oke to transform you into a euro
sensation. Spin the lucky wheel to
win entry to the LungA arts festi-
val, then dance into the night with
DJ Thelma and Louise. AC
Es Are Good
God I Feel So Bad / Woman In E
17 June - 3 Sept., 16:00, Reykjavík Art
Museum Hafnarhús, 1.600 ISK
Ragnar Kjartansson’s blockbust-
er retrospective at Hafnarhúsið
kicked off in style this month,
with a discombobulating live
work featuring four pianists and
four opera singers playing simul-
taneously. Two weeks later, a new
music-based performance begins:
a presentation in which a glamor-
ously staged female guitarist end-
lessly strums the chord e-minor.
That’s not to mention the treasure
trove of other multimedia works
on display, all laden with humour,
joy and ennui. JR