Reykjavík Grapevine - des. 2021, Blaðsíða 18

Íslands In A
Stream
Live From Reykjavík !ives Icelandic artists
a !lobal platform
Words: John Pearson Photo: Yael Bar Cohen
Live From Reykjavík—Iceland’s
newest live music event—had its
second annual outing last month.
It’s a hybrid affair: a live stream to
bring the music to an internation-
al audience, with a few hundred
people present at the event’s four
venues to bring an intimate vibe.
The festival presented 16 of
Iceland’s best musical acts, and
highlights of the stream are still
available to watch. But to give you
a flavour of the event, we’ve sharp-
ened our focus on four sets by
emerging artists—spanning jazz,
folk, bouncy house and agitprop-
pop—which we know you’ll love.
Laufey
Laufey Lin really came into her
own during lockdown. The clas-
sically trained multi-instrumen-
talist made good use of her time at
home, creating a healthy YouTube
fanbase by posting simple clips
of her singing and playing cello,
piano and guitar.
This is Laufey ’s f irst ever
hometown gig, and the location of
Fríkirkjan—a serene old Lutheran
church by Reykjavík’s duck pond—
is poignant for her, as it’s where
she used to perform classical mu-
sic as a youngster. Tonight how-
ever she’s left her cello at home,
and after kicking off with a couple
of tunes at the grand piano, she
moves centre-stage to coax warm
diminished chords from her lovely
red Gibson guitar.
Buoyed by the rich reverb of the
church space, Laufey’s mellifluous
voice sits perfectly in the tradi-
tional groove created by the likes
of Billie Holiday. Her lyrical top-
ics—often reflecting lost loves and
longing, which belie her youth—
are exemplified in set highlight
“Dear Soulmate”, a song already
written for the perfect partner she
has yet to meet. But we’re pretty
sure we’ve just found our ideal jazz
artist for the 2020s.
Árn! Margrét
Taking the church stage before
Laufey—but coming from folksy
rather than jazzy roots—is Árn!
Margrét, a 20-year-old singer-
songwriter from the Westfjords.
Since taking up the guitar six years
ago she has been honing her craft,
quietly producing increasingly ac-
complished musical creations.
Árn! appears diminutive on
stage, performing alone beneath
an imposing portrait of Christ, (an
unavoidable feature of the stage set
in Fríkirkjan). But Árn! prepared
for this—her biggest show yet—by
making it her fifth gig in four days,
and she remains unintimidated.
Exuding a quiet confidence she
delivers a flawless finger-picked
guitar performance, accompanied
by a voice somehow reminiscent of
Jeff Buckley. “Cold Aired Breeze”,
an ode to the raw natural charms
of her Ísafjördur home, is a defi-
nite set highlight. Wonderful gen-
tle folk, in every sense.
Inspector Spacetime
Across town from the church, in
the black-walled rock ‘n’ roll venue
of Gaukurinn, three young MCs
bound onstage with more energy
than Iceland’s entire geothermal
power system.
Inspector Spacetime raise a
buzz despite the room not being
packed; COVID restrictions still
dictate audience sizes. But the
sparse crowd soon follow the trio’s
example, and bounce so hard that
the TV cameras capturing the ac-
tion jump in sympathy.
However, Inspector Spacetime
are more than mere youthful en-
thusiasm. Set highlight “Dansa Og
Bánsa”, (which translates, unsur-
prisingly, as “Dance And Bounce”),
is equalled in accomplishment by
the more subtle “Hitta Mig”—a
track that draws on two-step, a
form of UK garage which had come
and gone before any of Inspector
Spacetime were born. These musi-
cal waters run deeper than might
appear.
BSÍ
Julius and Silla—who comprise
pop-punk powerhouse BSÍ—create
challenging, vital, vibrant music
that wears its heart permanently
on its sleeve. The title of their al-
bum, ‘Sometimes Depressed… But
Always Antifascist’, openly reflects
the band’s self-doubt, while em-
phasising their vehemence about
their principles.
And their show at Gaukurinn
is truly in the DIY spirit of punk.
Julius plays bass, but also uses
his feet to control floor-mounted
samplers and keys—performing
in his socks to remain nimble-
of-toe throughout the show. Silla
sings while she drums; or screams,
whichever is most appropriate to
the moment.
Their set highlight has to be the
surf-soaked “Vesturbæjar Beach”,
delivered tight, bright and jangly.
But standout moments also ar-
rive in the shape of “Boo On You”,
where BSÍ make a stand against
the deportation of refugees from
Iceland. And then there’s Silla’s re-
action to the somewhat shambolic
run-through of an as-yet untitled
new song. “Needs a little practice
still. Oh well!” she shrugs. What’s
not to love about BSÍ?
Info: “You can catch highlights of
these Live From Reykjavík perfor-
mances—and exclusive artist inter-
views—on the Reykjavík Grapevine’s
YouTube channel.”
18The Reykjavík Grapevine
Issue 12— 2021
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