Reykjavík Grapevine - 01.09.2018, Side 42

The Reykjavík Grapevine
Best of Reykjavík 2018
42
SALKA VALKA
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EST. ICELAND’S OLDEST RESTAURANT
AN AUTHENTIC ICELANDIC EXPERIENCE
BREAKFAST – LUNCH – DINNER – PASTRIES – COFFEE
GRANDAGARÐI 10, 101 REYKJAVÍK
“You’ll stumble across sun-bleached 7”s, for-
gotten USB-stick releases and rímur compi-
lations in the dusty shelves.”
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 of-
ten remark, the Laugavegur strip
has evolved into an open-topped
puffin mall in recent years. So:
where the cool kids at?
Concerts
Reykjavík’s underground music
scene is thriving. If you enjoy
noisy guitars, shouting, or weird
experiments, try R6013 (In-
gólfsstræti 20). You can “pay what
you want” for their early-doors
concerts, and have some free veg-
an food too. If you’re into more
arty experimental music, check
out Mengi (Óðinsgata 2), where
musicians are encouraged to try
out new and crossover material.
Iðnó (Vonarstræti 3) has been re-
cently reinvented as a vibrant hub
for gigs, art performances, and
shows of all kinds. Sofar Sounds:
Reykjavík is worth checking out—
they put on surprise lineups 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 artists
and experimental collectives. Ek-
kisens (Bergstaðstræti 25b) is a
buzzing basement space located
in a disused apartment. Listasto-
fan (Hringbraut 119) opens an
exhibition every fortnight, also
acting as a studio complex and
social hub for a community of
creative types. Gallery Port (Lau-
gavegur 23) has a rapid turnover
of exhibitions and events, from
a krútt-realist embroidery show
to pop-up art markets. Harbin-
ger (Freyjugata 1) is a white cube
art space with a contemporary
programme and a fascinating li-
brary of independently released
art books in the back. JR
Comics
Nerd culture is always bubbling
under the surface in Reykjavík;
there’s no shortage of nerds, but
establishments 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 novels, Nexus is your
safest bet. Search “NexusIceland”
or “NexusNoobs” on Facebook for
more info. AF
Records
Geisladiskabúð Valda (Laugave-
gur 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 sprawl-
ing range of vinyl; the neat ‘n’
tidy Reykjavík Record Store has
a more manicured selection. 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 Kólaportið 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 sarto-
rial 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 cru-
elty-free hair dying supplies. For
a bold mix of first-hand basics
and design pieces alongside wild
and creative vintage wear, Gyllti
Kötturinn (Austurstræti 8-10) has
a two-floor array of ever-chang-
ing 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