Iceland review - 2015, Side 19

ICELAND REVIEW 17
7. you Recently StaRted hoSting a new televi-
Sion Show, Hæpið. tell uS about the idea behind
the pRogRam and what SoRtS of iSSueS you’ve
been coveRing.
For the last ten years there hasn’t really
been anything for under-30s and when
there has been something it’s usually for
15-year-olds so you can’t really talk about
serious issues. Our first show was about sex
and dating, which some people were quite
shocked about. and then we did a show
about nightlife and then the third show,
which was really popular, was about preju-
dice and racism.
8. you’ve been vocal about the cloSing down
of live muSic venueS to make way foR hotelS in
Reykjavík in Recent yeaRS. how haS the gRowth
in touRiSm affected the local muSic Scene?

Well, all of a sudden there are no venues
to have a decent concert. Very few. Why
would a tourist come to Reykjavík? They
are mostly here for the culture, I think,
so why would they come here if there is
nothing to see really, except other tour-
ists?
9. what makeS icelandic muSic diffeRent oR
Special, in youR opinion?
The music scene here is really small. It was
always very easy to get this thing or that
thing borrowed because everyone knows
each other. also the radio is shitty anyway
so no one is releasing music towards get-
ting played on the radio. No one is trying
to please everyone and we don’t have these
huge record labels here.
10. what’S happening with RetRo StefSon?
We will start recording new stuff early next
year [2015] but I’m not sure we will be as
active in terms of touring. When we were
touring a lot we were in our early 20s. I was
sleeping in the same bed as my brother six
months of the year—it was totally crazy and
no one was getting paid. and now everyone
has rent to pay and you know so we have to
think more in logistical terms... but I hope
we can still play festivals. *
mUSiC