Reykjavík Grapevine - nóv. 2019, Blaðsíða 14

The R
eykjavík G
rapevine
Iceland A
irw
aves Special 20
19
14
Orville Peck has a lot of thoughts
about identity, which you might
consider odd coming from a
masked, pseudonym-adopting
country musician, who nev-
er plans on revealing his. The
masks—somewhere between
Zorro and The Lone Ranger with
a significant hint of BDSM and
long, colourful fringing—are
handmade by Orville himself. In
addition to the ubiquitous mask,
the musician is always carefully
turned out in a variety of cowboy
motifs; light wash denim jeans,
calf-skin waistcoats, intricate-
ly-decorated suits in bright, jew-
el colours. And of course a wide-
brimmed stetson, under which
Orville’s piercing blue eyes, the
only really identifiable part of his
person, peer out. 
It’s not hard to see why many
people have described his look,
name, and overall act as a stage
‘persona’. But this idea is one that
Orville strongly rejects:
“I don’t really think of it as a
persona because the music is all
personal and all sincere,” He says.
“Everything I sing about is based
on my past or things I’ve experi-
enced or things I go through.” 
The unavoidable
loneliness of living
The music behind the man is just
as important in drawing in fans
and is as rich in intrigue and im-
agery as his visual presentation.
Orville’s voice is deep and mel-
lifluous. Such is the timbre and
resonance of his singing style, it
has been compared to that of the
iconic Elvis Presley on numerous
occasions. But it’s the artist’s
songwriting and lyrical prowess
that seem to be the most addict-
ing to his fans. Orville’s songs are
vulnerable, full of longing, hope
and hopelessness, love lost and
never gained in the first place.
The universal theme of the un-
avoidable loneliness of living is
one that speaks to a huge number
of people who find themselves
touched by Orville’s music.
Camp technicolour
glory
Orville Peck has only very recent-
ly burst onto the scene in all his
technicolour, camp, glory. His
debut album, Pony, released in
January, has already garnered
him a huge following, with Or-
ville being able to count Iggy Pop,
k.d. lang, Paris Hilton and Trix-
ie Mattel as part of his diverse
and rapidly expanding fan base.
Along with this explosive success
has come bookings for many ma-
jor festivals, including Iceland’s
own Airwaves festival held in
November this year. Already this
year, Orville has performed at the
Calgary Stampede, had a feature
in Vogue magazine and played to
thousands of (self-named) ‘Peck
Heads’ at sold out shows across
the US and Canada.
Music for the
lost generation
It doesn’t come as a surprise to
Orville Peck that country music
is making a sudden comeback.
Alongside his recent popularity
there has been the success of ‘Old
Town Road’ by Lil Nas X, which,
at time of writing, has held the
number one position in the
American charts for a consecu-
tive 14 weeks. For Orville, there is
a clear reason why the music that
many previous generations of
young people had deemed passé
is finding a somewhat spiritual
revival in the current day and
age.
“I think [country music is]
taking things like loneliness
or anxiety or feeling unsettled
or not really having a purpose
where you are—I think it’s taking
on those kinds of things which
are hugely millennial dilemmas,
you know what I mean? Our gen-
eration goes through those ques-
tions all the time but it’s kind of
taking those and flipping it and
finding the adventure and the
freedom in it. I just think it’s ex-
citing. It’s kind of like reclaiming
the power within that.”
Orville Peck
WED 6th 22:10, Reykjavík Art Museum
“[Country music] takes
on those kinds of things
which are hugely millennial
dilemmas.”
The
Unknown
Ranger
Cowboy Orville Peck is keeping the mystery alive
Words: Josie Gaitens Photo: Courtesy of Orville Peck
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