One of the more exciting aspects of Iceland Airwaves 2015, now just over 2 weeks away, is the return of the iconic Reykjavík venue, NASA. It’s going to be a real treat to get back in there having had more than a handful of incredible nights there in the past. I was always likely to […]
It feels like it has been a bit of a year for music comebacks. Blur are back with a new album which, in places, sounds beautifully like Modern Life Is rubbish. The Bluetones are coming back around again later in the year. Most excitingly of all, Nineties champs, the mighty Collapsed Lung have a couple […]
Just as 2 years ago, I couldn’t resist the late temptation to pay a quick visit to Reykjavík for the Sonar festival. The festival represents a very nice opportunity to see a good number of local favourites over the course of three days (actually, pretty much over 2 days, as there were very few local […]
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 […]
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 […]