Reykjavík Grapevine - ágú. 2023, Blaðsíða 26

The Reykjavík Grapevine 11 / 23 26Music
Music Article The Humans Will
Turn Into Slime
The MBS collective highlights Akureyri talent with their DIY festival
WORDS Arnar Freyr Frostason
IMAGE Art Bicnick
I’m note sure how it is with other
music genres, but people nowa-
days usually only need the service
of a rapper for around 30 minutes.
That’s like the sweet spot for both
the audience and performer, and
something that my body has gotten
used to after more than a decade in
the rapping biz. I barely sweat and
that’s nice.
Every so often though, there’s
a time and place for something
more. That was the case tonight.
We were booked at Græni Hattur-
inn in Akureyri and when at Græni,
nothing less than two hours will do.
That’s just how it goes over there.
It’s ingrained in the venue’s culture.
For a 30-minute gig we have seven
songs that we heavily rely on and I
could perform in a vegetative state.
But two hours is a lot of songs. In our
case, that’s 25 Úlfur Úlfur songs, so
before the show I was force feeding
my brain lyrics I wrote in what felt
like another life, driving around town
singing my own songs like a mad
man.
I had to forget some valuable in-
formation to find room for all those
words but it was worth it because
I was reciting rhymes like a super-
computer. We started the set with
the first song Úlfur Úlfur released
in 2011 and from there we took the
crowd on a journey to the album
we’re releasing next fall. We were the
captains of a boat sailing through
time and when we arrived back on
Earth two hours later I was soaking.
People were cheering and we were
smiling and dying but so alive. Then
I hugged my bud Helgi and we had a
few beers wearing nothing but fresh
underwear. It was great.
What happened
last night? Arnar Úlfur,
Rapper
Sweating rhymes in Akureyri’s Græni Hat-
turinn
WORDS Jóhannes Bjarkason
IMAGE Torfi Þór Tryggvason
Akureyri is Iceland’s only major
township outside of the Reykjavík
capital area. Just like the Reykjavík
music scene, that of the so-called
“capital of the north” is facing big
challenges – including a lack of
venues where aspiring and up-and-
coming artists can take the stage.

Countering this development is the
grassroots, DIY-focused festival
Mannfólkið Breytist í Slím (The Hu-
mans Turn To Slime), which focuses
on highlighting the musical talent
that Akureyri offers.

Jón Haukur Unnarsson is a mem-
ber of the underground Mannfólkið
Breytist í Slím (MBS) collective, the
group responsible for the festival.
Jón, who has been involved since
the group’s inception in 2010, is one
of the festival’s forerunners and
bears the distinctive North-Icelandic
pronunciation of accentuating his
Ks and Ts.

A FESTIVAL IN A
SHIP-BUILDING FACTORY

Since its initial beginnings as a
group of teenagers with similar
interests and access to a rehearsal
space – called Kleppur, Jón says –
MBS has hosted informal shows and
performances, and even functions
as a record label, MBS Skífur. “It’s
directly linked to the experience of
being in a band from Akureyri. It’s
difficult to make a name for your-
self,” says Jón. “All of the action
happens in Reykjavík. If you wanted
to do something, you had to seek
out alternative ways. And that’s
where the idea came to establish a
record label.”

Over the last two years, the group
has taken over a former ship-build-
ing factory in Akureyri, where they
host their festival. Back in 2018, the
festival lasted a single day and was
located behind MBS’ headquarters,
Gúlagið. “We started very small,
with only eight acts, and called it ‘An
Open Day in the Gulag.’ We emp-
tied everything from the building so
we could make room for the bands.
Only our friends showed up, plus
some passengers from the docked
cruise ships,” Jón reminisces.

Even more so than Reykjavík, there
is a dearth of venues in Akureyri
for grassroots acts to perform and
introduce themselves to locals.
This lack is what led to the festival’s
current form, while also serving as
a feature of its uniqueness – MBS’
organisation team is adamant about
fostering the event “outside tradi-
tional music venues,” in Jón’s words.
Hence the unconventional choice of
hosting Mannfólkið Breytist í Slím in
a ship-building factory in Akureyri’s
Óseyri industrial park.

FOCUSING ON LOCAL ACTS

MBS’ main focus is on elevating
local artists in the area, devoting
two-thirds of the lineup to bands
and musicians from the community.
“When we did the 2020 and 2021
versions of the festival, I thought we
went through every underground
band in Akureyri,” Jón says about
the perceived challenge of finding
fresh talent to perform. “But there
are more bands in Akureyri than we
can accommodate at the festival
and a lot of growth happening in the
grassroots scene.”
Among the Akureyri artists perform-
ing are Á geigsgötum; Poets, Bullets,
Society; and Hugarró, to name a few.
Making the trek from Reykjavík are
Kælan Mikla, Madonna & Child, and
cult favourites Graveslime, who are
playing their first post-reunion gig.

With its thriving underground scene,
Akureyri has the potential to be
a cradle of musical innovation in
Iceland. However, if not for MBS,
there would be no other platform
showcasing northern talent. “I think
it’s important to create something
like this in Akureyri, which is a fairly
conservative community. If you look
at other festivals in the country-
side – LungA, Norðanpaunk, Aldrei
fór ég suður – all of them happen in
smaller towns than Akureyri,” says
Jón, “but Akureyri hasn’t reached
the same level of cultural signifi-
cance,” he continues, wondering
about Akureyri’s cultural ballast to
Reykjavík’s dominance in the music
sector.
The House at Eyrarbakki
Opening hours:
May 1st - Sept. 30th daily 10 - 17
or by an agreement
Tel: +354 483 1504
info@byggdasafn.is
byggdasafn.is
Árnessýsla Heritage Museum is located in Húsið, the
House, historical home of merchants built in 1765. Húsið
is one of the oldest houses in Iceland and a beautiful
monument of Eyrarbakki ś time as the biggest trading
place on the south coast. Today one can enjoy exhibitions
about the story and culture of the region. Húsið prides
itself with warm and homelike atmosphere.
Only our friends showed up.
And some of the passengers
from the docked cruise ships.