Reykjavík Grapevine - 16.06.2017, Page 33

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The secret Icelandic acts at the Solstice festival
Words: Hannah Jane Cohen & Elías Þórsson
Photo: Matthew Eisman
Secret Solstice, the biggest mu-
sic festival in Iceland, returns
this weekend. If you’re dropping
in from abroad, you’ll know Foo
Fighters and The Prodigy already,
but maybe not the local acts who
really give the festival its person-
ality. Here are a few must-see lo-
cal stars to ring on your schedule.
Þórunn Antonia
Thursday - 18:15 - Valhöll
Þórunn Antonia is one of the
few music artists around who
c a n s e r i o u s l y
rock a jumpsuit.
If you’re skepti-
cal, go watch her
iconic dance video
“ Too Late.” Þó -
runn has been in
the Icelandic mu-
sic scene for ages,
but a lso worked
i n L on d on a n d
Los Angeles, and
her show is the
one to go to if you
want to smile and
dance with your
girl pals. Þórunn
makes infectious
p o p e a r w o r m s
you’l l find yourself humming
long after she walks off stage,
and if you’re STILL skeptical—or
not a fan of jumpsuits—she also
collaborated with Beck.
SSSól
Thursday - 19:00 - Valhöll
Why should you see a band that
was formed in 1987 and probably
hasn’t been relevant for years?
Well, because they are probably
the best insight you can get into
“real” Iceland. A society where no-
body writes books, and everyone
travels to the Canaries once a year
and dreams of owning a Range
Rover. SSSól makes generic pop
music at its best, and the Icelan-
dic flair is unmistakable. Their
biggest song is also called “Ég
verð að fá að skjóta þig” (“I have
to shoot you”)—a love song about
gun violence in relationships.
The Vintage Caravan
Friday - 17:00 - Valhöll
The Vintage Caravan mix classic
rock with psychedelic and stoner
influences, ultimately produc-
ing a weird energetic bluesy vibe.
Imagine taking mushrooms at
a L ed Z epp el i n
concert—it’s like
that. Thei r l ive
perfor ma nce i s
a l s o i nc re d ibly
seasoned, prob-
ably due to an ex-
tensive tours of
Europe and South
A m e r i c a . T h i s
show w i l l k ic k
off their summer
touring season,
w h ic h w i l l s e e
them play at sev-
en international
meta l festiva ls.
Not a fan of rock
or metal? Go any-
way. It might, as the band would
say, “expand your mind.”
Marteinn aka BNGRBOY
Friday - 17:30 - Fenrir
If you’re one of those 24/7 trap
people, BNGRBOY (aka Marteinn)
is your guy. The next-next-next-
level producer of Icelandic hip-
hop, he’s the go-to for experi-
mental-eerie-electronic-melodic
you-name-it shit. Still scratching
your head? You’ve probably heard
him on his collabs with artists
like GKR, Tiny, Lord Pusswhip,
and Dadykewl, so give him the re-
spect he deserves by showing up
at his Solstice performance. Seri-
ously, this is the guy you want to
see before he goes international
with this shit. Don’t miss it.
Gísli Pálmi
Friday - 18:50 - Gimli (Glacier Mafia)
Sunday - 17:30 - Valhöll (Gísli Pálmi)
If in some Book of Job situation,
God said you could only go to
ONE performance at Secret Sol-
stice, well, the lord has certainly
giveth. Gísli Pálmi, the undis-
puted (okay, obviously one could
argue about this) king of Icelan-
dic rap, is the one not to miss.
Every show of his gets crazy, so
get ready to see everyone from
downtown cool kids to baby-car-
rying adults scream loudly about
Subutex and Tutankhamun. And
if God grants you one more show,
that should be his other project
Glacier Mafia, where he per-
forms weirder unreleased stuff.
Birnir
Friday - 21:00 - Fernir
Iceland has a very vibrant rap scene
and recently many rising stars
have been popping up and catch-
ing the ears of the more watchful
of the public. One of the most ex-
citing is Birnir, an up-and-comer
who makes smooth hip-hop. So
far he’s only made two songs,
which might make the concert...
interesting. But both of them
are fucking great, so who cares?
Hrnnr & Smjörvi
Saturday - 13:00 - Fenrir
“Roll up in my Prius. I'm a star.
Walk into the club. You probably
wanted someone else. Hamburg-
er in one hand, fries in the other.
I'm a star.” If you relate to this
sentiment, don’t miss Hrnnr &
Smjörvi's debut Solstice perfor-
mance. The two Mosfellsbær kids
burst onto the scene a little more
than a year ago and have been
making waves ever since. Their
standout performance at Sónar
included light sabres and desert
visuals, and every track they’ve
dropped since has been innova-
Culture Feature
“Get ready to see everyone from
downtown cool kids to baby-car-
rying adults scream loudly about
Subutex and Tutankhamun.”
“If you want
to be a smart
ass at parties
and say “Björk?
I’ve seen the
band that
kickstarted
her career,”
then you need
to check them
out.”
THE HOUSE AT EYRARBAKKI

Opening hours: May 1st - September 30th daily 11.00-18.00 or by an agreement
Tel: +354 483 1504 & +354 483 1082 | husid@husid.com | www.husid.com
Árnessýsla folk museum is located in Húsið,
the House, historical home of the Danish
merchants built in 1765. Húsið is one of the
oldest houses in Iceland and a beautiful
monument of Eyrarbakki´s time as the
biggest trading place on the south coast.
Today one can enjoy exhibitions about the
story and culture of the region, famous piano,
shawl made out of human hair and the kings
pot, are among items. Húsið prides itself with
warm and homelike atmosphere.
The House at Eyrarbakki
SKAFTFELL –
Center for Visual Art
Seyðisfjörður, East Iceland
Edge
Effects
17.06.–24.09.2017
Kati Gausmann
Ráðhildur Ingadóttir
Richard Skelton
EXHIBITION
skaftfell.is • frontiersinretreat.org
Wednesdays
12.00-20.00
Open Daily
12.00-18.00
GALLERY –