Atlantica - 01.06.2001, Síða 84

82 A T L A N T I C A
i-site NIGHTLIFE❍
Still the Same
Time for a quiz. What popular Icelandic pub was the basis for the award-
winning novel (and film) 101 Reykjavík? Here’s another clue. Blur’s front-
man, Damon Albarn, owns a portion of this watering hole.
The answer: Kaffibarinn, the cosy bar where Reykjavík’s hippest artists,
writers and filmmakers mingle in a scene that, to the untrained eye, looks
like a beer-drinking orgy.
Kaffibarinn is so cool that if you’re not a member of the ‘it crowd’, you can
expect to wait in line if there’s a queue, because regulars have first priori-
ty. But wannabes, do not despair. This summer, management is making
room for us slightly square-pegged people by adding a small dance floor
on the ground level and enlarging the bar.
“I like the pub when it’s cramped and stuffy, so we’re just making it a tiny
bit bigger,” says manager, Björgvin Már Kristinsson. “The look and feel
will be the same.”
Good news for all those regulars who spend so much time at Kaffibarinn
that their mail is forwarded to the pub. EW
Kaffibarinn, Bergstadastræti 1, 101 Reykjavík, tel. (+354) 551-1588.
101 Unplugged
If you’re not averse to a bit of low-key
gigging, you should definitely stop in at
Bravo, at Kaffi Thomsen, every
Thursday night. The proceedings kick
off there around 10.30, with a selection
of live acts, most of them unheard of
outside Reykjavík, but some of them
very promising. When Atlantica hit
Bravo, a great young electronic band
(as yet unnamed) were playing, fol-
lowed by a so-so rock band from
Keflavík. The beer was a bargain, and
the company musically inclined. If you
can dig it, then get down there. JMcC
Bravo at Kaffi Thomsen, Hafnarstræti 17,
101 Reykjavík, tel. (+354) 561-5757.
PHOTO BRIAN SWEENEY
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