Reykjavík Grapevine - 02.02.2018, Page 32

Music
Sónar Reykjavík, which
takes place March 16-17th,
has added a raft of new
names to the 2018 lineup. Iconic UK duo
Underworld join an impressive lineup
that includes Danny Brown, Bjarki,
Nadia Rose, Jlin, Lena Willikens and
more. Also announced are Lindstrøm,
LA R’n’B producer TOKiMONSTA, feminist
hip-hop collective Reykjavíkurdætur,
and Icelandic artists Flóni, Joey Christ
and Blissful. Australian Íslandsvinur
and electronic/noise music star Ben
Frost also joins the lineup. Ben’s last
album, ‘The Centre Cannot Hold,’ is a
monolithic work—and his last two
Iceland shows were both cancelled. So,
here’s hoping this one works out.

Dance music veterans Gus Gus are
back in action for 2018. Currently
operating as a duo comprising singer
Daníel Águst and producer Biggi Veira,
their tenth studio album, entitled ‘Lies
Are More Flexible,’ comes out February
23rd. The first taste of the album is the
single ‘Featherlight,’ which suggests a
continuation of the pop-techno direc-
tion the band have pursued in recent
years. A remix EP will drop on Febru-
ary 9th, with versions by Johannes
Brecht, Alex Banks, Metodi Hristov and
Attmoss.

Some Icelandic bands have announced
international tours for 2018. Slick
electronic pop trio Vök will tour the UK
in March, between the 19th-27th. Folkie
crooner Ásgeir has announced three
dates in Australia—he’ll play Sydney
on April 1st, then Melbourne on the
4th and 5th. Björk has announced that
she's playing several summer festivals,
including All Points East in the UK and
Primavera Sound in Spain. Björk is
also up for a BRIT award; if she wins, it
would be her sixth.
MUSIC
NEWS
Killing It
Masked duo Madonna + Child on cats, socks,
Megas, and their second album
Words: Alexaner Jean de Fontenay Photo: Art Bicnick

Madonna + Child
live at Húrra on February 8th
In a packed Reykjavík alehouse two
black-clad, masked figures appear
onstage with a minimal setup of a
computer, a keyboard, and a couple
of mics. This equipment is accompa-
nied by a tableau of props including
knives, scissors and small animal
figurines. The music that follows
is raw, unruly and experimental,
backed by a minimalistic but steady
electronic beat. The pair occasion-
ally flash secretive hand gestures,
covering their eyes as they sing about
killing, cutting, death and sorrow.
They are Madonna + Child, a myste-
rious duo known for their alternative
approach to music and performance.
The horror
The duo behind Madonna + Child
insist on remaining anonymous.
“Faces don’t matter,” they de-
clare. “And they shouldn’t. We are
both Madonna, and both Child.”
When asked why they make mu-
sic, they say: “Because why not?”
Music is Madonna + Child’s way of
welcoming people into their world.
Before each gig, they drink coffee to-
gether before collecting the things
needed for the concert. “Everything
is always lost,” they say. “We’re usu-
ally running around
the city for hours be-
fore our gigs.” They
mournfully reminisce
about having to fetch
windchimes in Breiðholt an hour
before a soundcheck, and comb-
ing through Reykjavík for match-
ing socks. “Nobody sold the socks
we wanted,” they say, with a grin.
“We ended up in a horrible place
called Kringlan. Oh, the horror.”
A productive year
Madonna + Child had a notewor-
thy performance last January sup-
porting Panos From Komodo’s at
Rauða Ljónið, a tucked-away pub at
the Eiðistorg mall. They wore vi-
sion-obscuring cat masks, and were
joined by a cat dancer for “Kisu-
lagið,” their kind-hearted ode to an
undisciplined cat. “We kept bump-
ing into the walls, each other and
nearly everything else,” they smile.
"It made it hard to play the keyboard."
This offbeat approach has gained
them a cult following. In July of last
year, a cassette release of their debut
album ‘All Around You’ quickly sold-
out. After some Airwaves off-ven-
ues, they opened for Icelandic music
legend Megas at a sold out show in
December. “One half of the people
were very confused and didn’t un-
derstand what was going on, while
the other seemed to like it,” they re-
call. Perhaps Megas himself received
a similar reaction, back in the day.
Black hole future
The masked duo are planning
to bolster their live performanc-
es by adding visuals to their set-
up. “We’re working on a choreo-
graphed dance, which we will reveal
this year,” they eagerly announce.
Plans for a Japanese release of
their debut album are in the works,
and a new vinyl/cassette entitled
‘Sisters’ is due this summer on
Lady Boy Records. On February 8th,
they’ll play a con-
cert at Húrra with
a black hole theme,
sharing the stage
with Andi, dj. flug-
vél og geimskip, Harry Knuckles
and Sveimur. “We’re also planning
an album based on the German
children’s book ‘Der Struwwel-
peter’,” they say. “It demonstrates
the disastrous consequences of
misbehaviour to naughty children.”
With all these plans, and a song
on the recent MYRKFÆLNI mag-
azine compilation, it appears that
Madonna + Child’s cult congre-
gation is set to grow and grow.
Gaukurinn
bar & live venue
TRYGGVAGATA 22
...and all of these other events:
2/2: "A Nightful of Wonda" - Wonda Starr's
leaving (drag) show
3/2: LEGEND album release concert
4/2: Singer/songwriter night
7/2: Don Joey farewell concert
8/2: Scotch on Ice comedy festival
9/2: Nexion album release concert, with
Dynfari, CXVIII and 0
10/2: Nordic Folk Music and Rune magic:
Læknishljómar, Seiðkonur Hjartans,
Tanya
11/2: Poetry & Prose night
14/2: The Golden Mic (open-mic standup)
15/2: Blúsbrot annual concert
16/2: Drag-Súgur queer variety show
17/2: Soundgarden tribute
21/2: The Golden Mic (open-mic standup)
22/2: Drag-Súgur DRAG LAB
23/2: Saktmóðigur, DDT Skordýraeitur
24/2: Nordjevel (NO), Avslut (SWE), Nyrst,
Örmagna
28/2: The Golden Mic (open-mic standup)
www.gaukurinn.is
STANDUP COMEDY
in English every Monday
KARAOKE PARTY
every Tuesday
Free entry and starts at 21 both nights
We are very queer
friendly, open and
diverse. And we have
Vegan cocktails.
HAPPY HOUR
every day
from 14 to 21
gpv.is/music
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From the left; Madonna/Child, Child/Madonna (or vice versa)