Iceland Airwaves, Reykjavik – pageant evaluate

Iceland Airwaves 2022
Reykjavik, Iceland
2–6 November 2022

Iceland’s annual celebration of music zooms in on the native scene.

The darkish basement of Smekkleysa report retailer is mysteriously quiet. Sitting on a concrete ground, the guests maintain their breath for a particular DJ set to start out. Beside the other wall, a dark-haired younger artist, wearing outsized industrial workwear, is fixing her mini jack cable. The sound popping out of the speaker is a bit low and murky. Feeling scorching in her thick waterproof garments, the DJ takes off the higher a part of the coverall, exposing a brilliant pink layer of what seems to be like health club garments. The debut set by Ísadóra Bjarkadóttir Barney has components of efficiency artwork. Whereas attending to grips on technical points, the artist performs charming mellifluous bits of self-penned music that conjure up Ísadóra’s vocal contributions to her mom Björk’s newest album, Fossora.

A way of genius loci pervades the pageant’s programme and organisation. Interesting to vacationers from totally different components of the world, Iceland Airwaves has its info centre fittingly squeezed between buying and selling areas of the Kolaportið flea market. The opening ceremony kicks off on the Grund care residence, the place songwriter Júníus Meyvant warmheartedly introduces the aged to the Nordic interpretation of soul music. With few exceptions, off-venues, holding free occasions through the pageant, purpose to showcase solely Icelandic acts. In line with a supply that most popular to stay nameless, the pageant’s coverage imposes sure guidelines on associate public areas, together with their selection of performers – oddly, overseas musicians couldn’t participate within the free programme. KEXP legend Okayevin Cole and Mengi artist-in-residence Cécile Lacharme are the one non-local names on the listing of the acts performing past the official schedule.

Though Iceland Airwaves has run since 1999, some bits of its historical past are forgotten (or conveniently omitted) by these concerned. An occasion at Hallgrímskirkja, the place Kristján Hrannar performs the organ model of Daft Punk, is launched as the primary gig ever hosted by the Lutheran church throughout Airwaves. How a couple of particular programme that includes artists from the Bed room Neighborhood label 9 years in the past – a shocking efficiency at Hallgrímskirkja that began the pageant version in 2013?

Since 2018, when the IA model was purchased by Icelandic occasion manufacturing firm Sena, the historical past of the pageant has been rewritten, and never simply relating to details and figures. What has been deemed important is now handled as extra. Therefore, the variety of off-venues being lower off considerably in favour of the official programme and combined with so-called associate occasions for which guests can buy additional tickets. Understandably, the pageant group has been coping with the aftermath of the pandemic and a few monetary points that hadn’t been absolutely resolved by the earlier house owners. But, the celebratory spirit related to the earlier incarnation has been overshadowed by determined makes an attempt to recoup the funding.

Fortunately, the music programme of Iceland Airwaves nonetheless reveals gems that in any other case would stay hidden for newcomers. Historically, off-venues spotlight new acts. At Stúdentakjallarinn, the line-up options freshers, Ólafur Kram. 5 members of the band seem like impersonations of teenage characters from the Icelandic coming-of-age movie Órói. Playful multilingual dialogues (“Voulez-vous coucher avec moi, ce soir?” “Nei!”) and cheerful harmonising are embedded into the bubbling sonic texture. If The Raincoats had been artier and French, that will be the closest analogy.

Some new formations characteristic well-known native names. Lottó is a supergroup, shaped by Ólafur Daði Eggertsson from Bjartar Sveiflur, bassist Ása Dýradóttir (Mámmut), and guitarist Dagur Sævarsson from Sudden Climate Change. With two extra gamers on keyboards and drums, the 5 create an impeccable sound, balancing between the indie aesthetics of The Pastels and the Britpop sensibility of Pulp. Certainly, playful track titles equivalent to I’d Die To Be His Spouse and Name Me may very well be featured on a Jarvis Cocker report. However there isn’t any sense of ennui. The thought is to have a good time and benefit from the music which, within the case of Lottó, is catchy and exhausting to withstand.

Bar Gaukurinn, a darkish cave-like on-venue, showcases an edgier slice of Icelandic music. Right here, younger punks Sucks To Be You, Nigel train in heavier genres, producing an avalanche of stoner on the finish of their set. The sonic maelstrom nearly seamlessly bleeds into the efficiency of Finnish accordion participant Antti Paalanen, whose eccentric presence entails growling vocals and stomping techno. If performed outdoor or in an even bigger house with a correct dancefloor, this might be digested higher.

Whereas Paalanen appears to be not an ideal match for the venue, Dr. Gunni is a lacking piece of the puzzle. The band’s title can also be the moniker of their frontman – music historian and veteran of the native unbiased scene Gunnar Larus Hjalmarsson. Gunni and co play guitar-led and melody-driven songs, offering a metaphorical balm to sore areas of the soul (and ears). They’re all the time a pure pleasure to take heed to dwell.

It’s exhausting to get grips with some units of the official programme, notably, the pageant headliners Metronomy. The overall queue to the doorway of internet hosting Reykjavik Artwork Museum is sort of 300 meters lengthy, with no separate queue for the press – as an alternative, a combined line for plus one wristband holders and business representatives has been organised. Total, it takes practically 25 minutes to get into the venue, by which era the band has performed practically half of their set. As soon as inside, these from the precedence queue are directed upstairs to the balcony with a (very) distant view of the stage. Accommodating practically 1500 individuals, the venue exceeds this restrict and is choc-a-block; not the most effective place capacity-wise to place a global act of such scale. Nonetheless, listening to them taking part in one of many earlier hits, The Look, is gratifying.

Pageant frenzy and organisation points apart, Iceland Airwaves nonetheless triggers a superb previous endorphin launch. It additionally offers an opportunity to expertise issues in another way. The place else can one see animated and charming psychedelic pop band Pale Moon and Mercury Prize winner Arlo Parks taking part in at venues twenty meters away from one another. Hopefully, there will likely be a capability to make it extra fulfilling and celebratory subsequent 12 months.

Extra details about Iceland Airwaves is on the official web site of the pageant.

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Photographs: Florian Trykowski (Metronomy, Dr. Gunni), Ásgeir Helgi (Arlo Parks)

Phrases by Irina Shtreis, you’ll find extra of her writing right here.