Where do I start? I’ve promised myself this won’t be too long, but I saw 56 shows across 4 days. I must admit that 13 of those were in the same hour and a bit in one of those wonderful Airwaves daytime rushes around town seeing just how many bands it is possible to see […]
There is no Icelandic act that I have seen live more times than Mugison (at least, I think that’s true). That’s due to a few reasons; firstly he’s been active all the way back to my first time at Iceland Airwaves in 2004 (where he played on an exceptional bill in the beloved Nasa venue), […]
Mammút are always one of the hardest working (and best!) bands at Iceland Airwaves. This must be their 8th or 9th festival but they somehow still feel like a newish band. They were already a popular choice for a lot of people year after year but then, last year, they released the magnificent record “Komdu […]
Boogie Trouble were an important part of my Iceland Airwaves 2013. My wife was in town but did not have a festival pass and the only show we saw together was their show downstairs at Bar 11 off-venue and they gave us an excellent time. It was the first time I had seen the band, […]
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 […]
Grísalappalísa arrived in summer 2013 and went on to play one of the very best shows of Airwaves last year, and since then have released a fantastic second record and been named best live band by the Grapevine newspaper. That’s already a lot of reasons to check them out if you get the chance next […]
There’s more of this in the interview below but at my first Airwaves in 2004, Þórir Georg was working at the excellent 12 Tonar store and sold me his debut album (I picked it up independently and didn't work that out until later). Since then I think I have seen him play every year, I […]
The Pink Street Boys just might be THE new band of Iceland Airwaves this year. Seemingly they have arrived from nowhere over the last six months and are getting rave reviews and praise all over the place. Over the summer they released a debut album, led by the thrilling single, Sleazus, on limited edition cassette […]
Oyama have been growing in stature over the last few years (and indeed the last few Airwaves festivals). Last year they released and excellent six-track record featuring excellent songs such as Wasted. Any day now they will be unleashing a new album ready for all those excellent music-hungry visitors, especially those who like their shoegaze […]
Fufanu are a band on the up and a key band to watch at this year’s Iceland Airwaves. At some point in the last year they lost the first half of their name (Captain) and have transformed from techno into a different kind of band. One of their latest releases, Circus Life, reminds me of […]