Reykjavík Grapevine - 01.11.2018, Qupperneq 22

The R
eykjavík G
rapevine
Iceland A
irw
aves Special 20
18
22 Airwaves
Debutantes
What’s new and who’s who at Airwaves 2018
Words: John Rogers, Christine Engel Snitkjær & Hannah Jane Cohen
Photos: Hörður Sveinsson
Iceland Airwaves built its rep-
utation as a destination festi-
val not by booking loads of big
names, but because it’s the sin-
gle best place to see the fresh-
est faces on the Icelandic mu-
sic scene. This year, 32 bands
will play Airwaves for
the very first time—
here’s our guide to
what’s new and who’s
who amongst this
year’s festival debu-
tantes.
Ari Árelíus
A ri Á relíus’s music
focuses on capturing
the existence of an out-
sider by fusing tunes
from jazz and rock, and
adding a comic Wes An-
derson-esque feel into
the mix. He describes
himself as: “a creator
in a loving relationship
with the moon—for-
mally since last Sep-
tember.” Intrigued? We
certainly are. CES
Arnar Úlfur
You may know Arnar
Úlfur, aka Arnar Freyr
Frostason, from the band Úlfur
Úlfur—but did you know that he
recently released his very own
solo album? Entitled “Hasarlíf-
stíll,” his solo debut has been
very well received by the home-
land media. Expect energetic
autobiographical rap expressing
his life experiences as an Icelan-
dic man. CES
Árni Vil
A bit of a fake news debutante,
this one, as Árni is the former
frontman of everyone’s favourite
legendary glitter-covered krútt-
pop party-starters FM Belfast.
His bluesy solo project, however,
graces the festival for the first
time. Expect more whiskey and
fewer moshpits. JR
Árný
Having spent her youth listening
to Icelandic folk music and fe-
male pop voices on her parent’s
livingroom floor, Árný spent
years trying to imitate their oth-
erworldly sounds. Now writing
and performing her own elec-
troacoustic pop compositions,
Árný has blossomed into an ac-
complished singer whose music
reveals her reflections on life.
CES
Ateria
Ateria were the winners of the
2018 edition of Músiktilraunir,
Iceland’s national battle-of-the-
bands contest. A trio aged—at
the time—between 12 and 17
years, their music is sedate and
lo-fi, so (assuming they manage
to evade venue security and take
the stage) expect a chill and at-
mospheric set of downtempo
songs with keyboard and violin
flourishes. JR
Austurvígstöðvarnar
Austurvígstöðvarnar devote
their music to calling out social
injustice, particularly in relation
to the inefficiencies of the Ice-
landic government. Fed up with
political corruption and abuse of
power in Iceland, the six mem-
bers of the band create lyrics
and songs as a direct response
to political scandals.
Their first rock album,
“Radio Satan,” came out
in June 2018. CES
B1B2
If you’ve been craving
an afro-house DJ duo
named Björk and Bir-
na, boy, have we got
the group for you. Af-
ter playing at various
underground events
in Denmark and Cape
Town, B1B2 are here to
make you groovy and
woozy. HJC
Bagdad Brothers
Now and then a new
band springs up with so
much enthusiasm that
a whole scene seems
to mushroom around
Ateria
Bagdad Brothers
BRÍET