Reykjavík Grapevine - 01.11.2018, Qupperneq 26

The R
eykjavík G
rapevine
Iceland A
irw
aves Special 20
18
26 which she titled “Sæla.” It’s a
classically tinged version of the
ballad that’ll no doubt move you,
and make you move. HJC
Kjartan Holm
A musician who you might recog-
nise as a touring member of Sig-
ur Rós’s backing band, or from
his own post-rock collaboration
For A Minor Reflection, Kjartan
Holm is emerging this year as a
solo artist. Expect soundscapes,
experimentation and a sense of
sonic adventure. JR
KUL
The music of KUL is elusive—
they’ve released nothing, and
have no media presence. That
said, some of them were in clas-
sic Icelandic rock band
Botnleðja, and they’re
supposedly releasing
some material that they
recorded this summer
any day now. We’re
wait ing w ith bated
breath. HJC
Ljósfari
Ljósfari vaguely fits
into the singer/song-
writer/folk/indie folk
category, but mixes
that with catchiness
a nd hu mou r. A f ter
making a splash at this
years Músíktilraunir
contest, they’re at Air-
waves hoping for more
of the same. HJC
Madonna + Child
Theatrical, murder-
ous lo-fi goth-pop duo
Madonna + Child are a
kind of evil-kawaii vibes project.
Performing in masks and with
all kinds of onstage accoutre-
ments like religious statues and
ceremonial knives, their short,
sharp performances are hella
creepy, but absolutely hypnotic.
JR
Matthildur
A singer, songwriter and produc-
er from Reykjavík, Matthildur
only recently started releasing
material under her own name.
Her wonderfully soothing debut
song, “Wonder,” came out just
last month. With her seductive,
Mariah Carey-ish voice, Mat-
thildur’s pop sound has already
caught the ears of locals, and
propelled her onto the Airwaves
lineup. CES
Mókrókar
Mókrókar serves up experimen-
tal and improvisational music
based on funk and jazz vibes. The
band has an unusual sound that’s
almost unclassifiable; a product
of their lineup, which features
artists with backgrounds rang-
ing from classical music to black
metal. So they’re basically the
best type of musical melting pot,
if you’re into that. HJC
Ragga Holm
A member of Reykjavíkurdætur,
Ragga is a female rapper fighting
to rebel against the patriarchy.
Now debuting her work as a solo
artist, she’ll perform some orig-
inal pirate material at Airwaves.
CES
Rock Paper Sisters
Rock Paper Sisters’ first live
show was at Laugardallshöllin,
where they opened up for Billy
Idol. Holy shit, right? The band
serves up an early 2000s tone in
the vein of At The Drive In or The
Mars Volta—relaxing melodic
bro-rock. So grab a beer and your
buddies, and come headbang for
a minute. HJC
Shakes
Do you believe no one plays
rock’n’roll like in the good ol’
days and the world is now de-
void of real drums and good
melodies? If you said yes, Shakes
agree completely with you. Their
album, Red Motel, comprises six
songs about sex and drugs to re-
vive the real tunes of rock’n’roll.
CES
Sprite Zero Clan
The fact that Sprite Zero Clan is
playing at Airwaves shows that
some people still have a sense
of humour, or that the world-
wide IQ really has dropped. The
only comic rap group in Iceland,
Sprite Zero Clan explore such
topics like being at the wrong
bus stop or wearing sunglasses
on a sunny day. Their humour
will definitely be lost on those
who don’t speak Icelandic, but
their stage show will probably
still be entertaining. HJC
SURA
Þura Stína or SURA is one of Rey-
kjavík’s resident hip-hop queens.
This ain’t her first Airwaves ro-
deo—she’s actually performed
prev iously w ith Cyber and
Reykjavíkurdætur. This time,
though, she’s solo and serving
up her own pop music. While her
tunes don’t necessarily reinvent
the wheel, they’re chill and en-
joyable. It’ll be a fun gig. HJC
Sycamore Tree
Unapologetically romantic, the
songs of Sycamore Tree give
off a nostalgic vibe. Ágústa Eva
Erlendsdóttir’s beautiful voice
compliments Gunnar Hilmars-
son’s calming guitar, and to-
gether they create a
dreamlike and delicate
musical world. Their
sound has brought suc-
cess—since forming in
2017 they’ve reaching
the top 20 on the Nordic
chart five times. CES
Tara Mobee
I f you’re a f a n of
those inspirationa l
soundtracks from teen
movies—like the songs
they play when the
main character realis-
es their mistakes and
fixes them—don’t miss
Tara Mobee. She’s inno-
cent, idealistic, sweet
and an escape from the
seriousness of many of
the other acts. HJC
Yung Nigo Drippin
If you like party music, Yung
Nigo Drippin will not disappoint.
With lyrics that revolve around
selling dope, hooking up with
girls, partying, and other typi-
cal cloud rap topics, it’s probably
the only Airwaves concert where
sipping cough syrup is not only
accepted, but encouraged. HJC
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Madonna + Child
Tara Mobee
Ragga Holm