5. Of Monsters and Men: Beneath the Skin Beneath the Skin is a much more mature offering than their previous album, My Head Is an Animal. It still sounds like Of Monsters and Men, and still relies heavily on the partnership of Nanna Bryndís Hilmarsdóttir and Ragnar Þórhallsson, but things have changed. Gone are the […]

Thrilled to be featured in the Wenlock Books Christmas gift guide! 👍    

   Sigurlaug Gísladóttir wants to see you blush. Ok, let’s get this out of the way. Mr. Silla is not actually a Mister, but the solo project of Sigurlaug Gísladóttir, who has performed with nearly every Icelandic act you can think of including Múm, Low Roar and Snorri Helgason. Quite why she chooses to call […]

Icelanders do this thing on Sundays. They disappear. Saturday night they are everywhere, but on Sunday you’ll do well to find one. Reykjavík 101 was bustling with tourists but not a single Icelander at least before 3pm, when Dunkin Donuts or ice cream shops seem to be the main place to head for. As a […]

I was dreading Reykjavíkurdætur (‘daughters of Reykjavík’) to be honest. Their reviews have been mixed, and I’m not a huge fan of rap with its posturing, but actually I was pleasantly surprised how much I enjoyed myself. Essentially seven girls rapping in Icelandic, it’s huge fun and a good start to the day. It’s impossible […]

I’m not so sure about dj. flugvél og geimskip. Maybe her quirky, discordant lo-fi dance complete with stories of monsters and aliens and squealing elephants sounds better after a few drinks and late at night, because in the cold light of day it all feels a little childish. Svavar Knutúr on the other hand is […]

Soffía Björg is doing the now traditional lunch time slot at Slippbarinn. Despite the early hour, she’s in fine form and accompanied by an all star band. Maybe she should call herself that? Soffía Björg and the All Star Band? Anyway, her country songs sound wonderfully warm, especially compared to the howling wind and lashing […]

Morning Bear start the off-venue day in a gentle way, in the foyer of a cinema with a gaggle of school kids and an overwhelming aroma of coffee. Hailing from Denver, Colorado (“there’s merchandise for sale,” the tell us, “but don’t worry, no weed”) they badge themselves as orchestral indie folk, which isn’t far off. […]

It’s new to me, this idea of ‘pre-Airwaves’ shows. It’s as if the off-venue schedule has run out of venues to invade, so has started to invade the earlier part of the week instead. This year, for example, there is an off-venue line up for both Monday and Tuesday, and yet the festival itself doesn’t […]

Forget the overseas talents of Beach House and Hot Chip (both surely in violation of the ‘you can only play Airwaves once’ policy), the histrionics of Father John Misty, or the London grime of Skepta, Airwaves has the very best home-grown band on show. Here is a list of 15 not-to-be-missed Icelandic bands, in no […]