Reykjavík Grapevine - 20.10.2017, Side 32

Music
The all-chick, all-crap, highly
creative, fuck-you-that’s-
who, rap group Cyber just
dropped their first album ‘HORROR’ this
month. It’s a rough and reckless debut
featuring some of Iceland’s most note-
worthy rappers, and the mysterious
band Hatari. They are so much cooler
than you. Also, go check out the video
for ‘PSYCHO’ feat. Countess Malaise.
Then get beat up by drag queens. EÞ
Of Monsters and Men recently an-
nounced that they’re the first Icelandic
band to pass one billion plays on Spo-
tify. The band has 4.4 million monthly
listeners on the streaming service,
leaving many other notable Icelandic
artists in the dust. By comparison,
other major Icelandic acts had the
following monthly listeners: Björk, 1.5
million; Ásgeir, 1.3 million; Sigur Rós,
909,000; Gísli Pálmi, 16,000. In fact,
the only Icelandic act that edges out
OMAM for most monthly listeners are
country-rockers Kaleo, who blare
through the headphones and stereos
of 4.6 million people each month.
OMAM are working on their next album,
so we’ll tell you when they break the 2
billion mark. EÞ
To celebrate Airwaves this year, we at
Grapevine are throwing a couple of
special events. First, we’ll be hosting
a fancy exhibition of our favourite
Iceland Airwaves covers, from over
the years. It’ll be held at Gallery
Port, an independent art space at
Laugavegur 23. From Samaris to Sin
Fang, Sprengjuhöllin, Ólafur Arnalds,
Skúli Sverisson, Retro Stefson and Æla,
it’s going to be a visual feast showing
off many of the country’s top bands
from over the years. There’ll be off-
venue concerts in the gallery with beer
provided for all-comers—or at least
early-arrivers—by Einstök. JR
MUSIC
NEWS
Winning
FM Belfast give all their power’
Words: Rex Beckett Photo: Íris Dögg Einarsdóttir
‘Island Broadcast’
out November 3rd
Lóa Hjálmtýsdóttir stops everything
when it’s brought to her attention that
season nine of RuPaul’s Drag Race is
now on Netflix. Although I attempt
to continue the flow of the conversa-
tion, she is determined to fact-check
that I am not lying to her. She ex-
claims a great sigh of relief upon see-
ing that it’s true. “You have just made
my life so much better, and Árni’s
life so much worse!” she laughs.
She is of course referring to
her long-time partner in life, mu-
sic, sports and crime, Árni Rúnar
Hlöðversson. Together the two com-
prise the nucleus of Iceland’s untouch-
able ultimate party band FM Belfast,
whose fourth album ‘Island Broad-
cast’ comes out on November 3rd.
Stinking raisin-sized
ego
Lóa has graciously welcomed me
into her home, ostensibly, to talk
about the album. But
the laughter-filled
conversation veers
between topics in-
cluding STDs, first
a l b u m s ( B u b b i
Morthens and Bryan
Adams), outsider-
ism, My So-Called
Life, and a peek into
Lóa’s supposedly “rai-
sin-sized shrivelled little ego that
stinks.” This self-effacing statement
seems to speak a comical truth that
comes with age—know thyself.
“We are releasing and manufac-
turing the new album
ourselves, and I’m
panicking,” she re-
veals. “I had to meet
someone at the manufacturer and
I was imagining that he doesn’t like
me, and all these horrible things.
It’s not a good job for me. I probably
couldn’t do any job without being
down. I worry about being unem-
ployable.”
Although she is candid in sharing
her deep anxieties, her mischievous
grin reflects the same joyful exu-
berance that comes from seeing FM
Belfast play live. Their shows are a
blur of bouncing bodies, lights,
rainbows, streamers, confetti, and
so much glitter. “I go to Partýbúðin
a lot,” she says, referring to a par-
ty supply store in Reykjavík’s Skei-
fan district. “Everything that we
do starts out as a joke or a random
thing and becomes part of a ceremo-
ny and a ritual. We approach it both
as a sport and a ceremony. If we’re
playing at a festival and some band
is being rude, we’re always like, ‘Let’s
win.’ Mostly as a joke, but it’s a fun
mindset.”
Destructively
competitive
This glistening joy is fully present on
their new album. Written, recorded
and produced over the course of sev-
eral years, the songs are bouncy and
exciting, yet polished and mature. “I
don’t take criticism well and I final-
ly realised that. That was a break-
through,” confesses Lóa, referring
to the process of growth that came
about through the al-
bum. “I am destruc-
tively competitive,
which is why I can’t
play sports. I once
beat Árni with a flap-
py little shoe during
a game of basketball.”
When they were
considering the title
for the album, one
option was to name it after the track
‘Fearless Youth,’ but the matching
cover concept brought up Lóa’s fears
about appearing delusional on the
subject of aging. The lyrics of the
song, however, re-
flect the passage of
time that the band
has seen. For now,
they are embracing their age and
their exuberance as they head to-
wards Airwaves. After that they
will tour their new album, and Lóa
is looking forward to losing herself
in that experience. “When I play I get
to dance and forget who I am for an
hour so that’s very good for me,” she
says, laughing. “I have a lot of energy
made with my little anxiety motor!”
Gaukurinn
bar & live venue
TRYGGVAGATA 22
20/10 (Fri): DRAG-SÚGUR
Queer Variety show - 2500 ISK
21/10 (Sat): Queens of the Stone Age
tribute concert - 2500 ISK
25/10 (Wed): Drag-Súgur and the Pink
Ribbon - Donations
26/10 (Thu): Drag-Súgur DRAG LAB –
1500 ISK
27/10 (Fri): Icelandic Metal Assault
II: RÁN, Devine Defilement,
Exile, Óværa - 1000 ISK
28/10 (Sat): HALLOWEEN ICELAND
costume party – 1500 ISK
31/10 (Tue): At 20: Kublai Khan (USA),
Pink Street Boys, Great Grief,
World Narcosis, xGADDAVÍRx,
Snowed In, Phlegm - 1000 ISK
At 23: KARAOKE PARTY - Free entry
www.gaukurinn.is
STANDUP COMEDY
in English every Monday
KARAOKE PARTY
every Tuesday
Free entry both nights
We are very queer
friendly, open and
diverse. And we have
Vegan cocktails.
HAPPY HOUR
every day
from 14 to 21
Huge variety of CONCERTS,
DRAG SHOWS twice a month
and all sorts of other events!
gpv.is/music
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Lóa runs a store from her studio at Hafnarstræti 15, open all Airwaves
“I once beat
Árni with a
flappy little
shoe during
a game of
basketball.”