Reykjavík Grapevine - 27.07.2018, Blaðsíða 38

Feel The G! Force
G! Festival turns the tiny Faroese town of Gøta
into an eclectic all-in beach party
Words: John Rogers Photo: Timothée Lambrecq
Festival
G! Festival took place in Gøta in the
Faroe Islands July 11-14th
It’s hard to believe, on first sight,
that a music festival could take
place in the location of G! Festi-
val. The 50-minute drive from the
Faroese capital city of Tórshavn
to the tiny village of Gøta crosses
long bridges, mountain passes and
roughly-hewn tunnels through the
fog-shrouded islands, through a
series of progressively smaller
towns. Rounding the final corner
to Gøta, the site is jaw-dropping.
The main stage sits on a grey sand
beach, just a few metres from the
sea, blasting out light, smoke and
music across the rolling waves and
the handful of colourful houses of
the village. It looks like an enthu-
siastic stage diver could plunge
directly into the cold surf of the
Atlantic ocean.
Barn dance
The stage in question—Sandur—
is one of five. There’s Spæliplassið,
a chunky outdoor stage on a square
of grass, set back from the ocean;
Fjósið, an indoor stage in a too-
pungent-for-comfort concrete
barn; and Grundin, a DJ tent lo-
cated in an open-topped space in
the graffitied walls of a crumbling
seaside building.
A fifth, Annað, hosts daytime
and family events. And G! Festival
is nothing if not family friendly. It
feels like the entire village of Gøta
is there in force, from grandmas
in electric wheelchairs to gaggles
of pink-haired alt teens, their cas-
ually hipster parents, and packs of
young kids collecting plastic cups
to trade in for cash
at the exchange.
They mingle in
tangibly high spir-
its along the main
drag of the sea-
side promenade,
munching on fish
a n d c h i p s a n d
knocking back the
festival’s special-
ly-brewed signa-
ture beer. They hop
in and out of the
four specially-in-
stalled hot pots on
the beach, hang out
in hammocks, and
frolic in the surf.
The crowd is cov-
ered in smiles, like
one big welcoming family.
Gøta Cabana
The programming is suitably cel-
ebratory. When we arrive, Ba Cis-
soko is blasting out accomplished,
energetic Guinean tunes that have
the crowd doing a spontaneous
conga line in the rain. The back-
drop for this sun-kissed African
sound is inky, heavy clouds, dis-
tinctly Nordic mountains, and tiny
boats bobbing in the choppy sea.
It’s a surreal and beautiful mo-
ment.
On the Spæliplassið stage, local
musician Eivør Palsdóttir draws
possibly the biggest crowd of the
weekend. Her music draws from
various sources, veering between
Kate Bush-influenced ballads, tra-
ditional folk interludes, and festi-
val-friendly gothic pop songs. The
home crowd makes her feel wel-
come, at times singing every word.
Last party on earth
One of the bigger names at the
festival is Sister Bliss of Faithless,
who delivers a crowd pleasing set
of 80s-in f lected
EDM with a shim-
mering video dis-
play and occasion-
al dramatic blasts
from a battery of
smoke can non s.
T he crowd goes
a b s olut el y w i ld
for it, bouncing,
screaming, waving
Faroese flags, and
dancing like it’s the
last party on earth.
T h e f e s t i v a l
comes to a close
at Gr undin, the
rough and ready
dance-party spot.
Local DJ Dan Helgi
plays out some pop
remixes, house and techno for a
small but fervent crowd that swells
when local producer Sakaris takes
the stage, mashing together dis-
parate styles in an effective and
iconoclastic party set.
As I finally stagger off into the
night, I’m overcome with gratitude
to have experienced this utterly
unique specimen in Europe’s festi-
val ecosystem. G! Festival is clearly
made with love, and every attendee
enjoys it in that spirit; long may it
continue.
Music
The only Faroe Island where you can surf to Afro-beat
“The main
stage is on
the beach, a
few metres
from the sea...
an enthusias-
tic stage diver
could plunge
directly into
the Atlantic
ocean.”
Suðurgata 41
101 Reykjavík
www.thjodminjasafn.is
tel +354 530 22 00
Hverfisgata 15
101 Reykjavík
www.safnahusid.is
tel +354 530 22 10
National Museum of Iceland
The country’s largest
museum of cultural
history from settlement
to present day.
The Culture House
Manuscripts, fine art, natural
specimens, curiosities and
archeaological findings form
the exhibition Points of View.
National
Museum of
Iceland
The
Culture
House
The exhibitions, shops and cafés are open daily 10 - 17 Closed on Mondays 16/9 – 30/4
bergcontemporary.is Klapparstígur 16
101 Reykjavík / Iceland
May 11th — August 3rd 2018
Katrín Elvarsdóttir
The Search for Truth