Reykjavíkurdætur have been very hard to ignore over the last two or three years. An all-female collective with the sound and beats to easily get past the early novelty value, they will be high up on a lot of must-see lists for Airwaves again. I’ve been hoping to chat to them since 2014 so I’m happy that Anna Tara and Bergthora agreed to talk!

Hello! Where are you right now, and what are you doing?

I am in Barcelona learning Spanish and hoping to do a masters in Sexology in Spanish next year.

How many are in the band right now? Do people come and go a little?

There are 13 girls in the band right now plus two dj´s. Yes people absolutely come and go for various reasons, pregnancies, studying abroad and depending on how busy they are.

So how does it work, do you all fight over who does what, or is it a big unified gang?

Haha, there is no need to fight because a lot if it is hard work that needs to be done and we expect everyone to contribute. Our manager Alda has an overview over what projects need to be done and everybody takes responsibility for something. Sometimes we create smaller groups that are responsible for certain projects like recording the album, organising the album release gig, responsibility for certain gigs, recording music videos, organising oversea trips and so on.

When you first appeared 2 years or so ago I guess you were seen as a bit of a novelty. Are you happy that now you are seen first as a music act and less as a spectacle?

I am not sure I feel that we are seen less as a spectacle and more as a music act. I am happy to be seen as a spectacle because it is magical but of course I would like more respect as a musician that I don´t think we always get.

I know you’ve had a very busy year, recording and releasing your debut album and playing festivals all over Europe. What have been the big highlights?

Roskilde Festival for sure because we have never played for ten thousand people before, it is a very unique experience. Special love to the girls who through their knickers at me as soon as I put on the Strap-on.

As part of your crowd funding for your record you offered an all-night party with the daughters. Did anyone take that offer? Are they still alive?

Actually nobody dared to do it. That was maybe for the best.

OK, the big question, one of the English language lyrics on your record claims ‘better than the cream in your Oreo’. Now, seriously, is anything REALLY better than that?

Yes of course. The cream in the Oreos is actually made from stuff which is bad for your body, it’s possible to make way better and healthier creams than that. Plus it’s done by big corporate companies that behave like bullies on the market. So yes.

You’ve already played some pretty legendary Airwaves shows. What should we expect this time? And why should people choose it over everything else that will be going on at the same time?

I think it’s always best to have no expectations so I’m hesitant to make some. Anyway, most definitely we’ll have lots of energy and lots of different styles of flow going on. Our shows are always interesting because there are so many things happening at the same time on the stage. I would describe the show to be multilayered, energetic and powerful but fragile at the same time. I think people should see it because we are 13 girls rapping on stage and we’ve been busy doing it for the last years, so we’re actually good.

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

Oh yes, we’re so excited to see Digable Planets (really a big dream coming true there!), Santigold, Björk of course, Kate Tempest, PJ Harvey, Silvana Imam, The Internet, The Seratones and so many more. Now I’m not even naming the Icelandic bands.

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

Well, just go with the flow. Don’t overplan. Pretty much everything on the program is worth seeing. The weather could be shitty and there might be lines, so show up early and remember there’s always space for grace … the tourist boom has made people very sick of wind jackets.

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Reykjavíkurdætur’s plans for Iceland Airwaves require you to show up at the following times…

Wednesday Nov 2nd, 10:30pm at Harpa Silfurberg

Friday Nov 4th, 9:40pm also in Harpa Silfurberg