Reykjavík Grapevine - Jan 2022, Page 19

19The Reykjavík Grapevine
Issue 01— 2022
Event Picks
The annual Kraumur Awards
were announced in Decem-
ber. The list is a good indica-
tor of what’s on the rise in Iceland’s
grassroots music scene, and we have
to say that some really good stuff is
emerging. Reykjavík Grapevine’s cover-
star for December, Skrattar, scored an
award for their rock album, 'Hellraiser
IV'. The complete list of award recipi-
ents is so varied that Icelanders should
be rejoicing that the local music
scene is so healthy. Making the cut
is everything from electro artist like
Eva808, to indie rock like BSÍ, to metal
like Ekdikésis and punk like Sucks To
Be You, Nigel, who also scored a One
to Watch accolade in the Grapevine
Awards. And then there is the party
band Inspector Spacetime, who also
won our Artist of the Year award. And
finally The Kraumers recognised jazz
artist Tumi Árnason. The future is truly
bright in every category. VG
Remember the early noughties? Barely,
right? But it was a weird time in Icelan-
dic music. On one hand, we had brilliant
bands like Sigur Rós and Múm ruling
the international indie scene, but back
home, youngsters were obsessed with
bands like Nylon and Skítamórall (shitty
morals). These bands were called
sveitaballahljómsveitir (country bands)
by Icelanders. Nylon was a girl band
inspired by all the girl bands in England
at the time and had more or less the
same impact in Icelandic culture. That
is, none. But one of the band members
from Nylon, Alma Goodman, kept on
and now lives in Los Angeles, where
she has harnessed her pop talents to
become something of a hit machine.
She wrote the song “When I’m Gone”,
performed by none other than Katy
Perry, (the one who has a beef with
Taylor Swift), and it’s a pretty nice pop
song. Before that, Alma also wrote
music for K-Pop heartthrob Baekhyun.
In short, Alma is becoming Iceland’s
biggest international pop writer. So,
suck on that, Sweden VG
And to the bad news. The Compos-
ers’ Rights Society of Iceland (STEF)
reported that the Icelandic music
scene has lost 87% of it’s earnings
since the beginning of COVID. These
numbers are downright shocking, and
show just how brutally the pandemic
has impacted the music industry. The
chairman of STEF is urging politicians to
roll out more support for the industry,
and points out that other Scandina-
vian governments have stepped up
to bolster hard-hit cultural industries
throughout the pandemic. Meanwhile
the mentality in Iceland has been that
artists should simply quit, and find a
day job. VG
MUSIC
NEWS
Marria!e Bliss
Jan 15th - 20:00 - Si!urjón Ólafsson
Museum - 3000 to 4500 ISK
The Sei!la music festival was creat-
ed by the Icelandic Schumann So-
ciety to celebrate 19th century Ge-
man composer Robert Schumann.
Marria!e Bliss, (Hjónabandssæla in
Icelandic), is an event in which so-
prano Hlín Pétursdóttir Behrens and
pianist Erna Vala Arnardóttir explore
pieces connected to Schumann’s
home life and his relationship with
his wife, Clara. JP

Knittin! Evenin!
January 19th - 20:00 - Kex Hostel -
Free Admission
Drop into this knitter’s circle and see
what you can create, given a little
wool and a pair of needles. Everyone
is welcome—from beginners to
experts—and naturally the event is
inclusive, so crocheters are also very
welcome. Bring your own tools and
yarn, and enjoy a crafty discount at
the bar. JP
Dark Music Days Festival
Jan 23rd to 29th - Multiple locations and prices
Dark Music Days, a
festival which has been
celebrated in Reykjavík
for the past 40 years,
returns this month.
As usual it features
an eclectic line-up of
performers, from the
Iceland Symphony
Orchestra to Sóley,
and from Aulos Flute
Ensemble to former
Gusgus mainstay
President Bongo.
This year promises
premiere outings of
work by composers
from Iceland, Norway,
Sweden, Great Britain
and Japan, performed
across a range of
Reykjavík venues
which include Harpa,
Hallgrímskirkja, the
Nordic House and
Landakotskirkja. But
Dark Music Days is not
just about musical
performance. This
year organisers have
organised a seminar on
the position of women
in composition, and a
lecture series called
‘Podium’ in which artistic
directors present their
recent music projects.
JP
Music and Events
Upcomin! Events
Events are currently subject to pandemic restrictions,
and may chan!e at short notice. Please check with the
venue before travellin!.
Send upcomin! event details to: events@!rapevine.is
Friday January 7th
Pulp Fiction - Party Screenin!
21:00 Bíó Paradís
Pétur Kristjáns Memorial Concert
20:00 Bæjarbíó
Power Paladin
20:00 Gaukurinn
Cir culei!ht featurin! the music of
Hö!ni E!ilsson
12:00 Harpa
Iceland Symphony Orchestra -
Vienna Concert
19:30 Harpa
Jóel Pálsson Kvartett
20:00 Sku!!abaldur
Saturday January 8th
Iceland Symphony Orchestra -
Vienna Concert
16:00 & 19:30 Harpa
Óskar Gu"jónsson Move Quartet
20:00 Sku!!abaldur
Sunday January 9th
Dance For Children - Da!draumer
15:00 Bor!arleikhúsi"
Reykjavík Bi! Band -
The Golden A!e of Swin!
20:00 Harpa
Ólafur Sverrir Traustason Trio
20:00 Sku!!abaldur
Monday January 10th
Mánudjass - Monday Ni!ht Jazz Jam
20:00 Sku!!abaldur
Freysteinn
20:00 Mál o! Mennin!
Tuesday January 11th
Duo Plus Trio
19:30 Salurinn
Rö!nvaldur Bor!#órsson Trio
20:00 Sku!!abaldur
Wednesday January 12th
Si!mar $ór Trio
20:00 Sku!!abaldur
Thursday January 13th
N%dönsk
20:00 Bæjarbíó
Iceland Symphony Orchestra -
Youn! Soloists 2022
19:30 Harpa
HJAL quartet
20:00 Sku!!abaldur
Friday January 14th
N%dönsk
20:00 Bæjarbíó
Sku!!akvartettinn
20:00 Sku!!abaldur
Saturday January 15th
N%dönsk
20:00 Bæjarbíó
Marria!e Bliss
20:00 Si!urjón Ólafsson Museum
Sku!!akvartettinn
20:00 Sku!!abaldu
Sunday January 16th
Scenes From Childhood
14:00 Harpa
Chamber Music Club
16:00 Harpa
How To Become Icelandic In 60
Minutes
19:00 Harpa
Kristjana Stefáns Tríó
20:00 Sku!!abaldur
Monday January 17th
Mánudjass - Monday Ni!ht Jazz Jam
20:00 Sku!!abaldur
Tuesday January 18th
Andrés $ór & Hilmar Jensson
20:00 Sku!!abaldur
Wednesday January 19th
University Welcome Week Festival
22:00 Gaukurinn
Dúó Edda - The World Sta!e
19:30 Harpa
Knittin! Evenin!
20:00 Kex Hostel
Thursday January 20th
Thunder Purple - The Music Of Deep
Purple and Uriah Heep
20:00 Bæjarbíó
Chamber Music Club
16:00 Harpa
Iceland Symphony Orchestra -
Shostakovich and Barber
19:30 Harpa
Sunna Gunnlau!s Quartet
20:00 Sku!!abaldur
Friday January 21st
Los Bomboneros
20:00 Sku!!abaldur
Saturday January 22nd
How To Become Icelandic In 60
Minutes
19:00 Harpa
Out In The Islands - Island Concert
2022
20:00 Harpa
Böss
20:00 Sku!!abaldur
Sunday January 23rd
Dark Music Days Openin! Event
16:00 Ásmundarsalur
Bára Gísladóttir - Víddir
(Dark Music Days)
20:00 Hall!rímskirkja
Katrín Halldóra Sin!s the Son!s of
Jón Múli - Release Concert
20:00 Harpa
Monday January 24th
The Emotional Carpenters -
Just a Closer Walk With Thee
(Dark Music Days)
20:00 Harpa
Podium
(Dark Music Days)
13:00 Nordic House
Mánudjass - Monday Ni!ht Jazz Jam
20:00 Sku!!abaldur
Tuesday January 25th
Art Break - Love Nourishes And Hurts
12:15 Harpa
Podium
(Dark Music Days)
13:00 Nordic House
The Caput Ensemble
(Dark Music Days)
20:00 Harpa
Baroque, Opera, Jazz - Tíbrá Series
19:30 Salurinn
Ólafur Jónsson Trio
20:00 Sku!!abaldur
Wednesday January 26th
Women In Composition
(Dark Music Days)
13:00 Nordic House
Aulos Flute Ensemble - Insi!ht
(Dark Music Days)
17:00 Nordic House
Wako
20:00 Sku!!abaldur
Thursday January 27th
Iceland Symphony Orchestra -
Journey Without Destination
(Dark Music Days)
20:00 Harpa
Crai! Taborn
20:00 Salurinn
Wako
20:00 Sku!!abaldur
Friday January 28th
Iceland Symphony Orchestra -
Bára and Gunnar Andreas
(Dark Music Days)
12:15 Harpa
John McCowan and Matthias
En!ler - The Carto!raphy Of Time
(Dark Music Days)
17:00 Harpa
Hei"a and Tinna - En Núna?
(Dark Music Days)
19:30 Harpa
Nordic A&ect - Surfacin!
(Dark Music Days)
21:130 Harpa
Sku!!amuyndir Frá B%zans
20:00 Sku!!abaldur
Saturday January 29th
Si!ur!eir A!narsson - Nánd
(Dark Music Days)
15:00 Harpa
Sóley - Harmóník
(Dark Music Days)
17:00 Harpa
Reykjavík Chamber Orchestra
(Dark Music Days)
20:00 Harpa
Látún
20:00 Sku!!abaldur
Icelandic Dance Troupe -
Hvíla Sprun!ur
20:00 Bor!arleikhúsi"
Sunday January 30th
Cir culei!ht featurin! the music of
Hö!ni E!ilsson
12:00 Harpa
Thursday February 3rd
Live Music Happy Hour
18:00 Jör!ensen Kitchen & Bar
January 7th — February 3rd