A late night with Útidúr

I loved seeing Útidúr last year. It was one of those great late nights at Airwaves, the plan I had made for the night had disappeared hours earlier, I admit I wasn’t sure which band’s show I had walked into at first, but Útidúr were absolutely perfect. They were surprising, engaging and fun and clearly had some big fans in the audience. It was the perfect end to another perfect Airwaves evening, and I’ve been a keen follower ever since.

So have a listen to “Þín Augu Mig Dreymir” – the first song from the next record and have read of my chat with Gunnar from the band…

Hello! Where are you right now? And what are you doing?

Halló, right now we are all staying in RVK and studying or working. We are currently finishing our second LP that will be out this year hopefully, so we've been spending a lot of time in the studio and working on the album.

There are quite a lot of you. Who is in the band?

Right now we are 7 playing in the band:

Gunnar Örn Egilsson – Vocal, Guitar and Synth

Kristinn Roach Gunnarsson – Keyboard and Saxophone 

Úlfur Alexander Einarsson – Guitar

Hildur Margrét Jóhannsdóttir – Violin and Vocals

Sólveig Anna Aradóttir – Vocal, Accordion and Keyboard

Óskar Kjartansson – Drums

Örn Ýmir Arason – Bass (he's been playing with us but could not do airwaves so we got Daníel Helgason to play with us at Airwaves)

When I saw you play last year, it was late at night. It struck me then that you are kind of perfect as an 'end of the night' band. Do you agree?

Yes and no, it maybe depends on the bands we are playing with. Our new album is much more up-beat than the first album so I guess now we have much more power, volume and attitude than before.

Should I come and see you no matter what the time is?

Well I don't know. We try to play at places and with a time that suits us. But it's always a good show if everybody in the band is in a good or having nice day, then it does not matter I think. And also the audience are a big factor of the concert they can also control the gig in a way.

But I prefer to play inside in a dark space where people only come for the music. I think we all agree on that.

So, for newcomers, what should we expect from your shows? And why should people choose it over everything else that will be going on at the same time?

I guess it's because of the all the wood we have. We have a lot of would and also a bit of why. Irony is our passion and no one can stand with his emotions the whole concert. Kind of like being. 

Back in June, your website proudly announced that new material was on the way. So will there be any new songs on your setlist this year? Or even a new record available?

Yebbsí Pepsí! 3 new catastrophic songs on our set list but the album will not be ready.

Have you had a good look at the Airwaves schedule? What else are you really excited to see?

I am excited and scared to see the audience and also i'd like to see the poet Sjón perform with his words and maybe The Knife but I have not checked out the program with full consciousness. I'll do that as soon as possible.

Finally, can you give some advice for people attending Iceland Airwaves and visiting Iceland for the first time?

Yes, there are a lot of places in Reykjavík that tourists don't know about and are not advertised like Geysir, Gullfoss and the Blue Lagoon. But one of the greatest places in Reykjavík is Skeifan. I think people are not used to that idea right now but it is one of the most romantic places in the the country. I guess some people would not agree but this place is a centre point of Icelandic culture. Everybody goes to Skeifan, all sorts of people and that is the cold reality of Reykjavík. I don't know any Icelander that hasn't been to Skeifan. Everybody hates Skeifan by the way, but there is so much passion in hating this place. We love to hate Skeifan which makes it so romantic.

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Útidúr play one show at Iceland Airwaves 2014.

Thursday 6^th, Reykjavík Art Museum @ 20:00