Reykjavík Grapevine - 18.05.2018, Page 32

Music

The Bræðslan festival,
which takes place an-
nually in a fish factory
in the remote East Iceland town of
Bakkagerði in Borgarfjörður Eystri,
has announced its 2018 lineup. Home
to just 100 people, the festival sees
visitors descend from all over Iceland;
this year, they’ll see shows by hip
young gunslingers Stjórnin, emotional
rock band Agent Fresco, rock-rapper
Emmsjé Gauti, Eurovision almost-was
Daði Freyr, Westfjord folk-pop teens
Between Mountains, and rock ‘n’ roll
quintet Atomstation. Tickets are on
sale now priced 9,300 ISK—check
braedslan.is for more info. JR

A new cultural event appeared on
the horizon this spring when an open
call was issued to take part in the
inaugural Reykjavík Fringe Festival.
The idea first came in late 2016 during
a conversation between organisers
Jón Magnús Arnarsson, Nanna Gun-
nars and Sindri Þór Sigríðarson, who
immediately set about creating the
event. You can see the fruits of their
labours between 4th-8th of July, when
the festival—which promises elements
of music, multimedia performance,
comedy, art and more—will take place
in downtown Reykjavík. Check out
rvkfringe.is for more information. JR
JR.

12 Tónar, a legendary record shop and
label on Skólavörðustigur in downtown
Reykjavik, will be celebrating itas twen-
tieth anniversary this year of its open-
ing with a fundraising campaign and
anniversary event. 12 Tónar is reaching
out to friends and followers to support
the store in its future endeavours by
offering exclusive merchandise, first-
time vinyl releases of rare Icelandic
classics, and “super rare items” from
12 Tónar’s exclusive private collec-
tion. The date of the event will be
announced once the fundraising goal
has been reached. Join the campaign
at pledgemusic.com. JW
MUSIC
NEWS
Dreifing In
Bagdad
The sunny nostalgia of the bagdad brothers
Words: Kinga Kozłowska Photo: Timothée Lambrecq
Concert & Album
Release party: Húrra, May 24th
With their warm, flowing, mel-
low sound, bagdad brothers are a
unique addition to the ever-blos-
soming Reykjavík music scene.
They describe themselves as a pop
band, but when you listen to their
first album (‘Jazz Kid's Summer
Project,’ released last autumn), you
can hear for yourself that this is
some catchy indie pop music, with
an experimental twist. It brings
back faded but colourful memo-
ries of chilled-out summer nights.
Bjarni and Sigurpáll have known
each other since they were kids,
and they’d been making music to-
gether for quite some time before
the bagdad brothers project was
born. From ambient improvisa-
tions to a post-rock/shoegaze band
called Váru, they kept themselves
busy with experimentation. Yet at
some point, they decided that it was
high time to explore new territo-
ries and bring some light and hu-
mour to their musical endeavours.
Pop classics and poetry
They noticed that the independ-
ent music scene in
Reykjavík tends to
be leaning to the
darker side with its
plethora of gloomy
electronic artists and black met-
al bands, so they came up with an
idea to offer some alternative to that
murky, heavy current. Inspired both
by Icelandic pop music from the 70s
(they are really fond of the legendary
Magnús Eiríksson, as well as classic
bands like Stuðmenn and Brunal-
iðið) and the more contemporary in-
die pop from Europe and the States,
musically they switched to a more
lightweight and upbeat approach,
while keeping some of the intrica-
cies and fuzziness of their previous
projects present in the background.
Lyrically, the band take cues from
Icelandic poetry, citing Ísak Harðar-
son and Gyrðir as influences, as well
as situations from their everyday life.
The lyrics are sometimes bittersweet
and full of nostalgia, sometimes
funny and absurd plays on words.
Their newest song accompanied by
a video (“malar í kassanum”) that
tells an awkward love story, where
two people feeling a mutual interest
in each other don’t have the courage
to show it and lose the chance for a
happy ending. The video is an out-
come of a collaboration between the
band and a group of their friends—
all somehow connected via a col-
lective known as “post-dreifing.”
Power in collaboration
It’s impossible to talk about the band
without mentioning “post-dreifing,”
a recently formed independent and
non-profit creative community
working in the fields of music and
art. In March they released a com-
pilation album named ‘Drullumall,’
which serves as an introduction to
the alternative scene that’s happen-
ing right now in the city. Apart from
bagdad brothers, bands
like GRÓA, Korter í flog
and K.óla (to name a
few) are also a part
of this community.
“The current music situation in
Reykjavík is very promising,” says
Bjarni. “We are always trying to
push forward with our post-dreif-
ing ideas, but it’s not about reaching
new markets or selling things. Our
main principle is to gain self-suf-
ficiency for the whole group, so
everyone can have an equal chance
to create stuff if they enjoy that.”
The energy seems to be oscillating
wildly: go out and hear it for yourself.
Gaukurinn
bar & live venue
TRYGGVAGATA 22
...and all these events:
20/5
23/5
24/5
25/5
26/5
27/5
30/5
31/5
...for more info check our website:
xGADDAVÍRx, Dauðyflin,
ROHT, Great Grief
Open Mic standup comedy in English
Premiere of documentary “Artist Run”
Then concert: Skaði, Mighty Bear,
Retro Mutants
Adore//Repel (UK), Casio Fatso
Standup comedy show: K-von feat.
Aaron Zarabi, hosted by Gísli Jóhann
Then concert: Alvia, Elli Grill
Singer/Songwriter night
Sólveig Matthildur
Drag-Súgur Drag Lab
(experimental drag show)
17/5 – 19/5 Reykjavík Deathfest 2018
www.gaukurinn.is
We are very queer,
open and diverse. We
have gender neutral
restrooms and an
all-Vegan bar!
HAPPY HOUR
every day
from 14 to 21
STANDUP COMEDY
in English every Monday
KARAOKE PARTY
every Tuesday
Free entry and starts at 21 both nights
gpv.is/music
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Bjarni and Sigurpáll, shredding