Reykjavík Grapevine - 01.06.2018, Page 30

BEST OF REYKJAVÍK
Best Bar
For Live Music
Húrra
Tryggvagata 22
Outside of dedicated concert
halls such as Harpa, Húrra is
truly the best live venue in the
city – and in some ways it even
has them beat! With its mod-
est but spacious stage, fantastic
Function 1 sound-system and
tight, intimate capacity, the bar
holds most of the best gigs in
town on any given week. “The
programming is really open-
minded because they book un-
known local up-and-comers
to huge international names.”
Never is this more apparent
than during Airwaves, but real-
ly you can almost always catch
a great gig and then stay for the
DJ and the party.
Gaukurinn
Tryggvagata 22
Running a close second is Gau-
kurinn’s dark, deep-set, low-
ceilinged stage in their roomy
bar. Hosting a great array of
shows often from the more ec-
centric fringes of culture, it’s
a great place to find the dark-
sided shows and circus of drag
darlings.
Mengi
Óðinsgata 2
With its i mpeccable pro-
gramme of quality concerts,
Mengi hosts talented artists
who often fall within the ter-
ritory of experimental, avant-
garde, singer-songwriter and
electronica. Their sleek, gal-
lery-like space is acoustically
and visually lovely, but capac-
ity is limited, so arrive early. A
members card softens the blow
of the 2,000 ISK standard cover
charge.
CITY GUIDE
The Reykjavík
Underground
No U-bahn, but plenty of goths
Words: The Grapevine Hipster Dpt.
Photos: Timothée Lambrecq & Art Bicnick
As repeat visitors to Reykjavík often
remark, the Laugavegur strip has
evolved into an open-topped puffin
mall over recent years. So: where the
cool kids at?

Concerts
One of the biggest Icelandic Reyk-
javík’s underground music scene
is thriving. If you enjoy noisy gui-
tars, shouting, or weird experi-
ments, try R6013 (Ingólfsstræti
20). You can “pay what you want”
for their early-doors concerts, and
have some free vegan food too. If
you’re into more arty experimental
music, check out Mengi (Óðinsgata
2), where musicians are encour-
aged to try out new and crossover
material. Iðnó (Vonarstræti 3) has
been recently reinvented as a vi-
brant hub for gigs, art performanc-
es, and shows of all kinds. Sofar
Sounds: Reykjavík is worth check-
ing out—they put on surprise line-
ups in cosy local living-rooms, for
those who RSVP fast enough. PW.
Art
Reykjavík has a bunch of grass-
roots and artist-run galleries dot-
ted around the downtown area,
showing work by emerging art-
ists and experimental collectives.
Ekkisens (Bergstaðstræti 25b) is a
buzzing basement space located in
a disused apartment. Listastofan
(Hringbraut 119) opens an exhibi-
tion every fortnight, also acting
as a studio complex and social hub
for a community of creative types.
Gallery Port (Laugavegur 23) has
a rapid turnover of exhibitions and
events, from a krútt-realist embroi-
dery show to pop-up art markets.
Harbinger (Freyjugata 1) is a white
cube art space with a contempo-
rary programme and a fascinating
library of independently released
art books in the back. JR

Comics
Nerd culture is always bubbling un-
der the surface in Reykjavík; there’s
no shortage of nerds, but establish-
ments catering to them tend to be
highly centralised. For this reason,
Nexus (Nóatún 17) is pretty much
your one-stop shop for comics, role-
playing games, and all things geek.
They even have a regular meetup,
called Nexus Noobs, which as the
name suggests is a place for people
new to this culture to dig into some
Warhammer or D&D. So whether
you need a Rick & Morty coffee cup,
some polyhedron dice, or you just
want to browse some graphic nov-
els, Nexus is your safest bet. Search
“NexusIceland” or “NexusNoobs” on
Facebook for more info. PF

Records
Geisladiskabúð Valda (Laugavegur
64) is an Aladdin’s cave of vinyl,
games and merch that’s so old it
feels second-hand, even if it isn’t.
Lucky Records (Rauðarárstígur
10) has a sprawling range of vinyl;
the neat ‘n’ tidy Reykjavík Record
Store has a more manicured selec-
tion. 12 Tónar (Skólavörðustigur 15)
and Smekkleysa (Laugavegur 35)
run labels alongside their stores,
so you may stumble across sun-
bleached 7”s, forgotten USB-stick
releases and rímur compilations
lurking in their dusty shelves. Fi-
nally, the Kolaportið flea market
(Tryggvagata 19) is worth a punt,
but be warned—you could leave
with some weird blue eggs, a VHS
tape of The Lost Boys and a duffle
coat. JR
Apparel
Gothy souls of all genders can
conjure up their dark apparel at
Rokk & Rómantík (Laugavegur
62), a recently opened boutique
filling a ghoulish gap in sartorial
choices. Their mother store Kjólar
& Konfekt (just two blocks up at
Laugavegur 92) offers a wide array
of delightfully whimsical dresses
and accessories for little kids and
grown adults, as well as top-line
cosmetics and cruelty-free hair
dying supplies. For a bold mix of
first-hand basics and design pieces
alongside wild and creative vintage
wear, Gyllti Kötturinn (Austur-
stræti 8-10) has a two-floor array
of ever-changing supplies, as well
as their mascot cat Baktus. And for
real deal second-hand, you can’t go
wrong with the Salvation Army’s
Hertex store (Garðastræti 6), with
fair prices and fresh deals all the
time. RX
30The Reykjavík Grapevine
Issue 09 — 2018Best of Reykjavík
Witchy goings-on at the Ekkisens arts space
Open 11:30-22:00
saegreif inn. is
Geirsgata 8 • 101 Reykjavík • Tel. 553 1500 • seabaron8@gmail.com
An absolute
must-try!
Saegreifinn restaurant (Sea Baron) is like none other
in Iceland; a world famous lobster soup and a diverse
fish selection.