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Icelandic Music 101: Ghostigital

How abstract can they get?

Ghostigital is the current project of Sugarcubes ranter rapper, Einar Örn, who, together with producer/programmer/genius Curver, manages to transform the inside of tazmanian devil’s head whilst having a seizure, into something audible.

Somewhat loved and respected, with remixes by other artists left, right and centre, they can be a bit confusing slash terrifying for someone not used to having a cactus brutally rammed in their ears. See this clip from a live performance at Nasa in Reykjavík.

Ghostigital: Official site | Myspace

Previously on Icelandic Music 101: GusGus, Jeff Who?, Amiina, and múm.

29 October 2006 – 14:57 | By kitty | Posted in Ghostigital, Icelandic bands, icelandic music | Comments (3)

12 Tónar: The nicest men in Icelandic show business

At the best little record store in Reykjavík, indie doesn’t necessarily mean small t-shirts. Just great coffee, impeccable manners, and the occasional autographed Lionel Ritchie album.

There no business like show business

If you’re looking for some fine Icelandic music, a selection of Icelandic presidential portraits, some damn fine coffee, or simply capitalism with a human face, go to directly to the 12 Tónar record store on Skólavörðustígur in Reykjavík.

Owned by Jóhannes Ágústsson and some guy who looks like Schostakovich (pictured here, having just caught a shoplifter), 12 Tónar is probably the best indie record store in Reykjavík — proving that indie isn’t just shorthand for really small t-shirts.

(Another record store-slash-label of note would be Smekkleysa, run by a former member of the Sugarcubes, who makes up for not being as nice by having been more famous.)

At 12 Tónar you can find all those lovely Icelandic artists and bands you love so much, and others you haven’t heard of yet, but will learn to love eventually. And we don’t just mean you can find their records there — some of them actually work in the store.

In addition to the music, the espresso, the free internet, the highly presentable staff, and an actual cabinet of curiosities, they have free in-store shows every other Friday afternoon, featuring local talent that’s not even employed there and some actual free booze (sometimes).

But they don’t just sell the stuff, they produce it too (the music that is, not the booze). On their 12 Tónar label are people like Apparat Organ Quartet, Eivør Pálsdóttir, The Funerals, Jakobínarína, Singapore Sling, Trabant, and Stórsveit Nix Noltes.

And to top it all, they just opened a branch in Copenhagen too.

Who said nice guys finish last?

12 Tónar: Official Site | MySpace | 43 Places | Flickr | Wikipedia | Grapevine

27 October 2006 – 16:01 | By valgeir | Posted in 101, 12 tónar, concerts, iceland, Icelandic bands, icelandic music, people, shopping | Comments (1)

Something for the Weekend: Post-Airwaves Depression Edition

A roundup of things to do in Reykjavík this weekend, prepared by your very, very tired editors.

  • They are very tired after AirwavesThe city is fairly quiet this weekend, and in recovery after that festival thing. Maybe this would be a good chance to chillax with it and soak a bit in one of those lovely warm swimming pools. We know we will.
  • Ending this weekend, Sequences, a visual arts festival that feels like it’s been going on for weeks. Especially intriguing in our opionon is the Dwarf Gallery with daily performances. Check the schedule for what’s on where, with whom, and why.
  • “Free of charge” is something you don’t hear often in Iceland, so grab the chance and go for some serious historical culture at the the Free Entrance Weekend at the, um, Culture House, where they’re showing, amongst other things, the Skarðsbók. Written around 1360 AD, it’s a manuscript recounting the wacky adventures of eleven apostles — people that you, dear reader, might do well to emulate this weekend.
  • Or not: 101 club Barinn has Icelandic house DJ Tommi White hitting the decks on Friday night, to assist you in shaking your moneymaker.

And hey — let’s be careful out there.

26 October 2006 – 18:15 | By kitty | Posted in 101, Bars in Iceland, clubs, DJs, Festivals, iceland, reykjavik, swimming pools | Comments (1)

We’ll always have Paris. And Oslo, Bergen, Billund, Basel and Eindhoven

Línurnar skýrastIntroducing six more places from which to get to Reykjavík, fast and cheap.

From 14 CET (1pm British Time) today, Tuesday 24 October, Iceland Express is opening for sale flights to Iceland from fourteen places in Europe next summer.

That’s right — you’ll be able to fly to Iceland from London Stansted in the UK, Copenhagen and Billund in Denmark, Stockholm and Gothenburg in Sweden, Oslo and Bergen in Norway, Paris Orly in France, Alicante in Spain, Berlin, Frankfurt Hahn, and Friedrichshafen in Germany, Basel in Switzerland, and Eindhoven in the Netherlands!

We feel so grown up!

Anyway. You can book a flight to Iceland next summer from these places after 14 CET today. The exact flight period can vary from place to place, but the summer schedule is in effect from 15 May to 15 September 2007.

Ready, set, go!

Update at 14 CET: Summer 2007 is now open for sale. Go, go, go!

Update at 22 CET: We’re sorry, but the Billund route is not open for sale yet. We’re working on it though!

Update on 22 November: Well, the Billund route is finally open for sale, but unfortunately we’ve had to cancel Bergen. Undskyld!

24 October 2006 – 0:58 | By valgeir | Posted in cheap flights to iceland, iceland | Comments (70)

With our new Icebreaker fares, you can have it both ways

Break the wind, uh, the iceFrom London to Iceland—and back—for £144 with our new and improved Icebreaker.

We interrupt our programme for this short commercial break:

On sale from today, our new Icebreaker fares from London Stansted to Reykjavík.

What is it, you ask? Well, the Icebreaker is a fixed-price return flight thing where you get a return flight from London to Reykjavík for £144, including taxes and charges. No TV or nasty airline food, just the flight.

With our daily flights from London Stansted to Reykjavík, we think this might be a good option for Brits who want to come and get smashed do some serious birdwatching.

So break the ice, have it both ways, and book a cheap return flight to Reykjavík.

23 October 2006 – 14:29 | By valgeir | Posted in cheap flights to iceland, iceland | Comments (2)

Iceland Airwaves:
Sunday’s Top 5

Such a thoughtful young manOfficial Hangover Day.

Thankfully, the official schedule has almost nothing in store for us today, but if you’re still alive, there are some off-venue gigs.

  • In the highly unlikely event that you’re feel fresh, you could start at The Naked Ape, a colourful design store at the corner where Skólavörðustígur meets Laugavegur. There you can see a certain Johnny Sexual strut his stuff.
  • If all those colours are too much for your eyes, walk up to noir-bar Dillon for sweet young things Lay Low at 20.00. Good for fragile brains.
  • Stay longer for the soothing acoustic sounds of Pétur Ben (pictured here dozing off). Better than asprin.
  • At half past nine, Buff, the only Icelandic band not on MySpace, start singing their novelty songs at Gaukurinn. Maybe you’ll get some of the jokes. Maybe not.
  • At the end, just go back to Dillon, okay? There, National Radio DJ slash grandmother of Icelandic rock Andrea Jónsdóttir spins records into the night.

Iceland Airwaves: Sunday Schedule

    22 October 2006 – 16:26 | By Margrét | Posted in 101, Bars in Iceland, concerts, DJs, drinking, events, Festivals, iceland, iceland airwaves, Icelandic bands, icelandic music, reykjavik | Comments (0)

    Iceland Airwaves:
    Saturday’s Top 5

    • It's okay, they're a doctorAt Gaukurinn, the all-star band Sometime starts at 22.15. You know, provided the drummer holds his drink.
    • At midnight in Iðnó, the old theatre by the lake, Stórsveit Nix Noltes (Nick Nolte’s Big Band) will make you sweat like a gypsy.
    • Two options at 01.00. Either go back to Gaukurinn to see the Hairdoctor, a band of two hairdressers. It’s okay — they’re doctors too.
    • Or, you go to Nasa for Hermigervill, a DJ that does it all. Yes, he scratches, plugs in a guitar and performs a solo, plays the drums with one hand and an electric piano with the other. And while doing that he somewho manages to take his shirt off. Now that’s talent.
    • Also at Nasa, at 01.45, please enjoy the courtesy and looks of Dr. Mister & Mr. Handsome (pictured above, doing something we don’t want to know). Their tunes are simple, but catchy: half a minute into a song and you know the lyrics: Dance like a maniac. In the danceroom. Like the girlies.
    • And hey — don’t forget the noon-to-midnight off-venue thing at Hljómalind. Moo!

    Iceland Airwaves: Saturday Schedule

    21 October 2006 – 14:15 | By Margrét | Posted in 101, Bars in Iceland, clubs, concerts, DJs, drinking, drummers, iceland, iceland airwaves, Icelandic bands, icelandic music, nightlife, reykjavik | Comments (0)

    Iceland Airwaves:
    Friday’s Top 5

    Back to the stone age

    Here we go again.

    • So, by now you know where the Reykjavik Art Museum is, eh? Well, we’ll start there. At 20.45 Benni Hemm Hemm starts playing with his big band of 18 people. Get your money’s worth.
    • Two options for 22.15 and 23.00. First choice: stay at the Art Museum. First up (assuming that Kraftwerk’s lawyers don’t get them first), electro-veterans Apparat Organ Quartet They are a quartet! With five people! And organs! Exciting! Then Jakobínarína, who — despite being so young that they still break up with girls on Messenger — have already toured the US and warmed up for The White Stripes. Try and pronounce their name.
    • The other option: walk across the street to Gaukurinn for Mammút and Jeff Who? (hmm, sounds familiar). Mammút (pictured here, looking all pretty) won the battle of the bands a couple of years ago and Jeff Who?’s first album is taking Iceland by storm. Ah, the young and the restless.
    • After that too much is happening. We cannae push her any faster Captain — she’s gonna blow!

    Iceland Airwaves: Friday Schedule.

    20 October 2006 – 16:02 | By Margrét | Posted in 101, Bars in Iceland, clubs, concerts, DJs, drinking, events, Festivals, iceland, iceland airwaves, Icelandic bands, jeff who?, music, nightlife | Comments (0)

    Iceland Airwaves:
    Thursday’s Top 5

    • Son of MugiTonight starts at 19.00 with Ske at the Reykjavík Art Museum. They go through front(wo)men faster than other bands go through groupies. Everyone is excited to see their line-up this year.
    • For you cutie pie lovers, Skakkamanage and Þórir are playing at Gaukurinn, back to back. Skakkamanage starts at 20.45 and Þórir at 21.30. Decide for yourself who is sweeter and cuter.
    • At Nasa, a band named after the Most Amazing Capital in the Known Universe starts at 22.15.
    • At the very appropriately named club The National Theatre Basement, troubadour Helgi Valur starts playing at 22.45. Listen to his charming pronounciation.
    • And we end where we took off, back at the Reykjavík Art Museum for the rugged, but oh, so sweet Mugison at 23.00. Go Ísafjörður!

    Iceland Airwaves: Schedule for Thursday

    19 October 2006 – 18:50 | By Margrét | Posted in 101, Bars in Iceland, clubs, concerts, Festivals, iceland, iceland airwaves, Icelandic bands, icelandic music, nightlife, Reykjavík Art Museum, reykjavik, Skakkamanage | Comments (2)

    Something for the Weekend: the (Almost) Non-Airwaves Edition

    • Mister MisterYeah, yeah. Iceland Airwaves, blah, blah, blah. We get it. Just check their website, ok?
    • On Saturday, check out the noon-to-midnight off-venue Airwaves concert at Hljómalind on Laugavegur. Pardon us while we abuse our position and encourage you to check out super-cutie Mr. Silla (pictured above, pretending to be tough) and her new best friend, Mongoose, playing at 16.00. Best of all: you don’t need a wristband or a single krona to attend. Get thee to it.
    • If you’re sick of music, go to Gallerí Gel on Hverfisgata, where Hulda Helgadóttir just opened We choose to be Androids, an exhibit where she apparently “takes one step further and creates an imaginary world of two individuals combined in one.” Oh, my. Anyway, it’s all a part of Sequences, an art festival that is not Airwaves.
    • Also not Airwaves, the new Icelandic DNA-Thriller Mýrin premières on Saturday. You probably won’t understand a word they’re saying. Click here to check.

    And hey — let’s be careful out there.

    19 October 2006 – 18:02 | By kitty | Posted in 101, concerts, events, Festivals, iceland, iceland airwaves, Icelandic bands, icelandic music, mr silla, nightlife, reykjavik, Visual Arts | Comments (0)

    Iceland Airwaves: Wednesday’s Top 5

    • Finally, a drummer!Cynic Guru play poppy, alternative rock at Gaukurinn at 20.15 (that’s a quarter past eight for civilians and Brits). You may be interested to hear that frontman Roland Hartwell plays the violin with the Iceland Symphony Orchestra. He also plays guitar with the band. And sings. Like the old lady said to the other old lady when they heard Leonard Bernstein was bisexual: Is there nothing that man can’t do?
    • Two options at 21.00. First option: Stay at Gaukurinn for The Telepathetics, a fairly new Icelandic band with, like, a totally foreign and cool sounding name. Their first album, Ambulance, is best heard in concert, especially for the audience participation in Last Song.
    • The other nine o’clock option: Going for a three minute walk up to Grand rokk, to see Retro Stefsson, eight talented teenagers who play soul/latin/surf music. We wonder if the whole band fits on the tiny stage at Grandrokk, but the attempt alone should be worth seeing.
    • Meanwhile, back at Gaukurinn one of the headliners, We Are Scientists start playing around 22.30. They play indie rock, but listen to their myspace songs if you’re in doubt.
    • Following them is Dikta, one of Iceland’s most popular rock bands, hot on the heels of their well reviewed “difficult second album.” Please join us in encouraging the drummer to take his shirt off, by shouting: “Úr að ofan!” (phonetic spelling: OOr ath ovan!) It is so worth it.

    Iceland Airwaves: Schedule for Wednesday

    18 October 2006 – 18:01 | By Margrét | Posted in 101, Bars in Iceland, clubs, concerts, drinking, drummers, events, Festivals, iceland, iceland airwaves, Icelandic bands, icelandic music, nightlife, reykjavik | Comments (0)

    Hipsters of the world unite at Iceland Airwaves

    The international hipster community prepares for a difficult weekend by donning wristbands, as the most important music festival in the solar system begins in Reykjavík tonight.

    That hat is so 2005Unless you’ve had more important things to think about, you’ll know that the annual Iceland Airwaves music festival starts in Reykjavík today, and continues through to Sunday.

    Beginning in 1999, what started as a little side–project for our nemeses competitors at Icelandair has grown into, uh, a big side–project for Icelandair, bringing thousands of hipsters from all over the world to our shores for a few days of quiet introspective music appreciation. Or, as it happens, not so quiet.

    Among the over 180 acts performing this year are local heroes Mugison, Mínus, Jakobínarína, Jeff Who?, Benni Hemm Hemm, Apparat Organ Quartet (pictured below, in full regalia), Ghostigital, Leaves, Stillusteypa, Mammút, Daníel Ágúst, Jagúar, Stórsveit Nix Noltes, Seabear, Sign, My Summer as a Salvation Soldier and Pétur Ben. (Also playing: lots of foreign bands that we honestly don’t care about. Just kidding!) Click here for the programme.

    In a heroic gesture of investigative journalism we contacted one of our reliable sources, who claims she’s been to the Airwaves festivals from the start: Apparat Organ Quartet: Four men and a lot of synths“It’s fantastic because you get the variety of a major festival but the real magic is that it’s all wrapped up in tiny package. It feels intimate. You’ll recognise and be recognised by other partygoers, artists and locals alike and getting lost is a rare occurrence, dependent on how much Brennivín you consume of course.” Of course.

    If you’re used to going to festivals in the summer, fear not. This is a reasonably civilized affair, with no muddy fields or freezing outdoor concerts. Instead, your festival wristband (a highly visible accessory this time of year) allows you entry to the eight official venues of varying sizes. Add to that a mix of off-venue happenings in shops, cafés, the blue lagoon and just about anywhere imaginable.

    Our (very glamorous and well connected) source continues: “The organizers seem to have a nifty way of catching acts just before they explode [metaphorically, of course]. In fact, new bands from all over the shop have been offering to pimp out their grandmothers if it means they can get a gig. But aside from the great music, the whole city behaves like its Christmas, New Years, and your best friend’s wedding all rolled into one.”

    For more information, just go to the Iceland Airwaves website. (Just do us a favour and pretend not to notice all the Icelandair logos).

    Iceland Airwaves: Official Site | Get your wristband here | Upcoming | Flickr |

    18 October 2006 – 15:38 | By valgeir | Posted in 101, concerts, DJs, events, Festivals, iceland, iceland airwaves, Icelandic bands, icelandic music, nightlife, reykjavik | Comments (2)

    Helga Kvam was here

    Meet Helga Kvam, a one–woman, one–camera tourist board.

    Photo of road in sunset by Helga Kvam

    If you’re looking for pictures of Iceland on Flickr, chances are that sooner than later you’ll run into Helga Kvam, a music teacher living in Svalbarðsströnd, north of Akureyri.

    Why? Because she takes lots and lots of stunningly beautiful photos of Iceland.

    And we’re not the only ones noticing. From her tiny village up north, Helga is starting to do brisk business, selling her photos for use in ads, magazines, and books, to far away places like New York and Australia. It’s hard to believe that she only took up photography about a year and a half ago.

    Personally, we think Helga makes Iceland look almost unnaturally good. And we told her so, when we called her up yesterday. (Yay! Original reporting! We feel almost professional!)

    hkvam-self-500w.jpg

    We: Helga, we love your work. What’s your secret?

    Helga Kvam: Well, I stay away from the old-fashoned post card feel. I’ll shoot in the middle of the night, or maybe in weird lighting conditions, and I try to avoid the most obvious perspective. Also, you could say I try to put a little bit of the moment into the picture.

    Do you have any favourite places to shoot?

    Not really. It changes depending on the season. Reykjanes [in the southwest of Iceland] is fun to shoot because it’s difficult; the simplicity of the landscape makes it very hard to compose a photo.

    hkvam-vegur2-500w.jpg

    You live in the north — any touristy recommendations?

    First of all, don’t be afraid to talk to the locals and get some advice. Second, stay of the beaten track. Don’t just take a bus and sleep in hotels — stay in a tent! And be prepared for all kinds of weather. In the area around Akureyri I would recommend Skíðadalur — it’s close to Akureyri, not crowded, and once you’re there it’s just a short walk up to the Highlands. Also, you should definitely go to Hrísey and Grímsey.

    Do you know how many people have looked at your photos online?

    About 350,000 according to the counter. Sometimes, people who have seen my photos on Flickr contact me when they’re in the area. I think I’m also responsible for at least a few people flying to Iceland. I think Iceland Express should give me a commission! [Laughs.]

    Helga, stop laughing. That’s not funny.

    Helga Kvam: Flickr | Photofront | Personal Site

    18 October 2006 – 2:16 | By valgeir | Posted in Helga Kvam, iceland, nature, northern iceland, people, photography | Comments (10)

    From 14 CET on Tuesday: More cheap flights to Iceland

    Attention shoppers: Iceland Express is releasing 20,000 seats to and from Iceland, for £69 (or €99) including taxes and charges.

    Calling all carsOn sale from: Tuesday, 17 October, 14 CET (that’s 1 pm British Time), for three days.

    Flight Period:
    18 October to 30 November 2006

    All Iceland Express Routes:
    To Iceland and back, from London Stansted, Copenhagen, Berlin Schönefeld, Frankfurt Hahn and Alicante.

    Price, including taxes and charges:
    £69, €99, or DKK 750.

    Bringing the kids?
    Children under the age of 13, accompanied by adults, travel for a fixed price of £55, €79, or DKK 595, one-way, including taxes and charges. That means you have no excuse not to take them with you. Sorry about that.

    Please Note:
    Selected dates, limited availability. You know the drill.

    Update at 14 CET: The offer is open for sale now. So, look into my eyes, look into my eyes, look into my eyes, and book a cheap flight to Iceland.

    Update at 18 CET on Friday 20 October: Okay folks — fun is over, at least for now. But to get advance notice next time there’s an offer like this you could always sign up for the Iceland Express newsletter.

    16 October 2006 – 21:19 | By valgeir | Posted in cheap flights to iceland, iceland | Comments (5)

    Icelandic Music 101: GusGus

    The grand old men and women of Icelandic dance music apparently still have last night in their bodies.

    Established in 1995 as some kind of multidisciplinary art conglomerate, GusGus have gone through more personnel changes than Fleetwood Mac and Van Halen put together, only to end up better than ever.

    While you wait for their next album, Forever, coming in January 2007, here’s David, from Attention, released in 2002.

    You might also want to keep an eye out for the series of concerts and DJ sessions their new label is sponsoring at Sirkus this autumn, featuring hot shit like Jimi Tenor, Múm, and Jack Schidt, as well as GusGusers Biggi Veira and President Bongo.

    GusGus: MySpace | Pineapple Records | Last.fm | Wikipedia

    Previously on Icelandic Music 101: Jeff Who?, Amiina, and múm.

    16 October 2006 – 14:11 | By Margrét | Posted in 101, concerts, DJs, events, GusGus, Icelandic bands, icelandic music, music, nightlife, reykjavik, sirkus | Comments (6)

    Sirkus: Hold the soleil

    Crowded, chaotic, unpredictable and fun, Sirkus is a Reykjavík bar that’s more than the sum of its dilapidated parts.

    Abandon hope all ye who enter hereSirkus is a rather improbable place. For starters, the fact that it’s still there at all is surprising in itself. This charmingly squalid, colourful and ramshackle little Reykjavík bar looks like it might have collapsed by your next visit. And, in fact, it well might.

    Owned by a couple of charming and well-connected fiftysomething blondes, Sirkus has become the favourite hangout of the cool, the bohemian, the fabulous and the artistic. Or at least, you know, people with cool, bohemian, fabulous and artistic haircuts.

    Which makes sense, seeing as the place is sort of like the bastard child of La Bohème and Studio 54—by which we mean that it’s probably the only bar/club in Reykjavik where riding in naked on a white horse, with tuberculosis, wouldn’t necessarily raise many eyebrows. On the contrary, people might just think it’s a clever way to get past that infernally long line.

    Given the fluid ontological status of the dance floor—sometimes it’s there, sometimes not—Sirkus has become the improbable playground of some of Iceland’s more notable (if not best named) DJs, like DJ Thor, DJ Lazer, Einar, Biggi Veira, President Bongo, and, last but not least, Herb Legowitz, winner of the Sirkus Annual Tom Selleck Moustache Competition.

    Courtesy of these fine gentlemen and others of their ilk, the music can go from melancholy emo-rock to Kraftwerk via the vintage italo disco of Giorgio Moroder, and end up in a thumping mass of techno, all in the space of a few hours.

    Oh, and yes, Sirkus was also the location for Spike Jonze’s video for a certain Icelandic diva, who’s been known to spin a few records there herself when she’s in town.

    By the way, we weren’t joking about the likelihood of the whole place collapsing. The building is slated for demolition by the city authorities. Maybe that’s what inspires the intense loyalty of its regulars: the fear that it will all end too soon.

    Sirkus is on Klapparstígur 30, just around the corner from Laugavegur. Open till 1 in the morning from Sundays to Thursdays and till 5 on Fridays and Saturdays (lingering is considered bad form). Rated PG for noise, smoke, and chaos, but don’t worry—unless you arrive early or know the secret handshake, you’ll probably be spending most of your time in the line anyway.

    See also: Flickr | Grapevine

    15 October 2006 – 1:13 | By valgeir | Posted in 101, Bars in Iceland, clubs, DJs, drinking, nightlife, reykjavik, sirkus | Comments (10)

    Something for the Weekend: Highbrow Edition

    A round up of things to do in Reykjavík this weekend, prepared by your good-looking and oh-so culturally minded editors.

    • They are hereHe’s back! Former General Secretary of the Soviet Communist Party, Nobel Peace Prize winner, and Pizza Hut fan, Mikhail Gorbachev is back in Iceland this weekend. No Ronald Reagan this time, just a lot of people willing to pay between £125 and £235 (€185 to €348) to go to Háskólabíó at 17.00 today and listen to Gorby talk about “leadership.”
    • The Iceland Dance Company premières ‘Við erum komin’ (‘We Have Arrived’) at the Reykjavík City Theatre. We recommend the première tonight — lots of free bubbly during intermission — but you can also catch them on Friday and Sunday. Be a dancing queen.
    • Embarassingly, there’s seems to be nothing worthwhile happening on Friday. Correct us if we’re wrong. Plan B: Go straight to Kaffibarinn, do not pass Go, do not collect $200. Update: The Rocktobeerfest (we kid you not) is on at Gaukurinn, featuring the Telepathetics, Ske, Leaves, Dikta og Wulfgang. They say it starts at 22. Yeah, right. We stand corrected.
    • For your post-Friday hangover (assuming you manage to get one), nothing beats Iceland’s answer to Wagner, Jón Leifs. He’ll be on full blast Saturday, when the Iceland Symphony Orchestra plays his epic Edda I, complete with choir and lots and lots of people banging on things.
    • Of course, if Nordic myth is not your thing, there’s always the lovely Skakkamanage, who are celebrating the release of their lovely new album, Lab of Love, with a concert at Fríkirkjan on Saturday. We’re betting that all the cool kids will be there.

    And hey — let’s be careful out there.

    12 October 2006 – 13:32 | By valgeir | Posted in 101, Bars in Iceland, concerts, events, iceland, Iceland Dance Company, Iceland Symphony Orchestra, Icelandic bands, icelandic music, Jón Leifs, nightlife, Reykjavík City Theatre, Skakkamanage | Comments (0)

    The problem with the northern lights

    Okay, listen. We’re really, really sorry, but we have to tell you something. The northern lights are not really on all the time.

    Light NightsAccording to the dictionary, aurora borealis, a.k.a. the northern lights, is a “luminous display of various forms and colours seen in the night sky, without the aid of alcohol.” (Okay, we made that last bit up.) It’s nice to look at, and said to occur with greatest frequency along a line extending almost directly over Iceland.

    However, there is a slight problem.

    First of all, to see the northern lights, you need a clear sky. When the wind is from the north, they probably won’t be visible because of the clouds. That also means that when they are visible, it will probably be freezing outside.

    And dark, too. If the green squiggly things are bright enough, you can see them through the city lights (when they’re not turned off), but if you want the real show, you’re going to have to drive away from the city for about a half an hour.

    Our source at the Reykjavik Tourist Information Centre tells us that people can get quite mad when the northern lights don’t perform. “Last summer, a couple started yelling at me that they had come to Iceland on their honeymoon to ‘see the bloody things.’ As if I could turn them on or something — the northern lights, I mean.”

    Northern lights: Somewhere over your head, mostly on clear, cold nights from October to March.

    See also: Wikipedia | Flickr

    Want to see the northern lights in action? Click here to book a flight to Iceland

    12 October 2006 – 1:40 | By Margrét | Posted in iceland, nature, northern lights | Comments (34)

    Here’s Nonni!

    Death gets seriously warmed up as artist slash designer Jón Sæmundur — a.k.a. Nonni — opens Liborius.

    He who fears black will not enjoy NonnabúðIt was a black day, literally, for fashionable neo-goths when the Dead Store closed its doors in Reykjavík a few months ago. More Addams’ Family than the Grateful Dead, Nonnabúð (as it was called in Icelandic) was filled to the brim with skulls, bones, general blackness, not to mention prints with funky pictures of the president of Iceland.

    Ever since it closed, Dead fans have been roaming the streets like zombies, and frankly, we were starting to worry about the imminent shortage of skull-themed clothing and accessories on the market.

    But Dead is back from the dead. Artist, designer, entrepreneur and death incarnate, Jón Sæmundur “Nonni” Auðarson has just opened his new lair, Liborius.

    Deadly atmosphereClose to the old harbour, the location may not quite as central as before, but it probably won’t be long before his new best celebrity friends find him again. You know, people like Kirk Hammett, Brian Molko, Anthony Kiedis, Eli Roth, QT, PJ Harvey, and probably some others we don’t know or care about.

    And even though you’re not into all that dark stuff, you have plenty of reasons to go. The list of designers in stock reads like a who’s who of Hip Young Things: Undercover, Number N(i)ne, 3as four, Jeremy Scott, Bless, Surface2air, Melodie Wolf, Pleasure Principle, Pierre Henri Mattout, Pudle, Velour, Schisser / Kostos, Yoshiko Creations, A’N'D, Licentious, Geoffrey B. Small, Jean Pierre Braganza, Jain and Marc, Wig, the SOS Art Collective, Talking About The Abstraction, April 77, Aftur, and oh my God, Ann fucking Demeulemeester!

    Why, it’s almost like the Dead Store died and went to heaven.

    Liborius: Official Site | MySpace

    10 October 2006 – 17:20 | By Margrét | Posted in 101, designers, iceland, Icelandic clothes, Jón Sæmundur, people, reykjavik, shopping | Comments (2)

    Icelandic Music 101: Jeff Who?

    We think it’s Jeff Goldblum, but what do we know.

    Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome Jeff Who?, a band whose singer and bass player are currently inspiring more Icelandic teen-age crushes than all of Hanson put together. (They never go for the drummer do they?)

    Jeff Who?: Their label | MySpace | Last.fm

    9 October 2006 – 14:48 | By Margrét | Posted in drummers, Icelandic bands, icelandic music, jeff who?, music | Comments (3)

    Coming up, some pretty cheap flights to Iceland

    2.990 seats, coming up

    From 14 CET (1 pm British Time) tomorrow, Monday, Iceland Express is offering 2,990 seats to and from Iceland, from 25 pounds (35 euros) plus taxes and charges.

    On sale from: Monday, 9 October, 12.00 (14 CET, 1 pm British Time)

    Flight Period:
    10 October to 15 December 2006

    Routes:
    All Iceland Express routes.

    Price:
    GBP 25, EUR 35, DKK 255, SEK 315, ISK 2,990, one-way, excl. taxes and charges.

    Bringing the kids?
    Children travel for a fixed price of GBP 55 / EUR 79 / DKK 595 / SEK 749 one-way, including taxes and charges. This applies to all children under the age of 13 accompanied by responsible adults (i.e. you).

    Please Note:
    Selected dates, limited availability. Yada, yada.

    Update at 14 CET: Open for sale now. Click here to book

    Update at 19 CET: We’re pretty much sold out, folks. Back to our regularly scheduled programming.

    8 October 2006 – 19:25 | By valgeir | Posted in cheap flights to iceland, iceland | Comments (6)

    Something for the Weekend

    Our man Thomas, on the rightIs it Friday already?

    • The National Theatre is doing its best to prepare us, and all you wannabe Scandinavians, for a long, dark and depressing winter with its fun, fun, fun version of Ibsen’s Peer Gynt (surprisingly not called Peer Gyntson but Pétur Gautur). They’ll be showing it at The Barbican in London in February, but do try and get a ticket on Saturday or Sunday.
    • In The Reykjavik Art Museum, a group of “young” artists (born 1968 or later) are having their big day out with the installation show The Apostles Clubhouse. Now isn’t that exciting?
    • Thomas Bangalter, one half (we don’t know which) of Daft Punk, is in town for the Reykjavík International Film Festival, and will be DJing publicly for the first time in ten years at Nasa on Saturday. We wonder: will he be harder, faster, better and stronger?
    • If you can’t get past the VIP line at Nasa, or simply prefer the local to the global, try the all-singing, all-dancing DJ Mokki Litli Show at the tiny (and entirely unrelated to Kofi Annan) bar Kofi Tómasar frænda. Fun starts around half past two.
    • Finally, the wind is turning and will be coming from north. Look up from your drink and you might see the Northern Lights, free of charge. Now, how about that?

    And hey — let’s be careful out there.

    6 October 2006 – 9:02 | By Margrét | Posted in 101, Bars in Iceland, DJs, events, Festivals, iceland, music, National Theatre, nightlife, northern lights, Reykjavík Art Museum, Reykjavík International Film Festival, reykjavik, Visual Arts | Comments (2)

    Mývatn: Lake of Ice, Fire, Hidden People, Man’s Harmony with Nature, etc.

    Ok — of Midges, actually.Myvatn Birdies

    Right. We’ll be the first to admit that the name isn’t very appealing, but then again, back when our Viking ancestors were still roaming the land, having those ridiculous feuds and thinking up names for places, they probably weren’t too concerned about how they would play in tourist brochures a thousand years later.

    Still, the Lake of Midges — or Mývatn, as we call it — is an amazing place to visit and an absolute must if you’re going up north. It’s only about an hour’s drive from Akureyri, the official capital of northern Iceland, and you pass it on the way to Húsavík, the self–proclaimed whale–watching capital of Iceland.

    While we won’t pretend that those pesky midges aren’t a problem, they are only there for a few days in the summer. By now you should be okay. But if they do find you, just remember that they are the base of the food chain up there. Chris Martin would approve.

    Once you’re there, keep in mind that the name Mývatn is not only used for the lake itself, but also for the entire surrounding area, officially called “The Mývatn-Laxá Nature Conservation Area”. And that’s no joke — it’s so rigorously conserved that you’re not even allowed to take a small pebble home with you. (Though we wonder what will happen if you do. Will they dispatch the pebble police?)

    The area around Lake Mývatn is kind of like a greatest hits collection of Icelandic nature. There are all sorts of geological wonders, such as pseudo-craters and bubbling clay, and enough birdlife to drive the pensioners of England into a frenzy of excitement.

    A few years ago, the Mývatnssveit Association of Bathing — no, not an arty band, but an association of respectable farmers who just really, really enjoy bathing — rigged up something similar to the Blue Lagoon, except with not nearly as many tourists having what they believe to be discreet sex. Still, it’s well worth a stop, if you ask us.

    For the people living around the lake, all that geothermal stuff is as much a part of everyday life as watching Desperate Housewives. Guðný of Reynihlíð, for example, bakes pretty great rye bread, burying dough in the warm ground and leaving it there for 24 hours. Then she tops it with smoked trout from the lake, prepared by her husband’s nephew, Héðinn of Strönd. (And by the way, these are actual people, not actors.) You can find their products in Gamli bærinn, a tavern by the lake, near Hótel Reynihlíð. The taste is great, and it really channels the surroundings; the lake, geothermal heat (yawn) and what my colleague who posted that Amiina video would probably call ‘man’s harmony with nature’.

    Mývatn: Wikipedia | Flickr

    4 October 2006 – 16:25 | By Margrét | Posted in food, iceland, mývatn, nature, northern iceland, wellness | Comments (1)

    Skyr: the traditional Icelandic food for people who don’t like pickled ram’s testicles

    A spoonful of sugar helps the Skyr go downSome say skyr is the new tiramisu. We say it’s traditional food that might actually be edible.

    Thick enough to stand a spoon in, skyr is a protein–filled dairy product, sort of like yogurt (except not really). What they don’t tell you, is that it’s often full of sugar as well, depending on the flavour.

    And there are a lot of flavours. If you’re a true purist, you buy it plain and just add cream (adding your own, handpicked, crow- or blueberries is allowed). However, if you prefer sweetness to authenticity, you can try some of the more postmodern blends, like cappuccino or banana split.

    Some people think that skyr is the next big thing to come out of Iceland, and predict that it’s coming to a supermarket near you, soon. If you can’t wait that long, you know what to do.

    Skyr: Wikipedia

    2 October 2006 – 16:43 | By valgeir | Posted in food, iceland, skyr | Comments (14)

    Icelandic Music 101: Amiina

    Here is a pretty long clip we found of quartet Amiina (formerly know as Amina) performing on Icelandic TV about a year ago. Mostly music, but also some talk in Icelandic.

    If you happen to be in London on 18 October, you can catch them at the Arts Theatre [map]. They’ll also be in Paris, Brussels and Madrid around the same time.

    Amiina: Official Site | Fansite | MySpace | Last.fm

    1 October 2006 – 10:18 | By valgeir | Posted in iceland, icelandic music, music | Comments (4)

    If it’s Thursday, this must be Something for the Weekend

    A roundup of things to do in Reykjavík this weekend, prepared by your lovely and very well connected editors.

    Ready to Rumble

    • Krzyztof Penderecki conducts the Iceland Symphony Orchestra tonight, playing Beethoven and himself, with soloist Florian Uhlig. Play the funky music, Krzyztof.
    • The Reykjavik Jazz Festival is in full, er, swing. If you can bear to wake up before noon on Saturday and get yourself out to the suburbs, you can catch the free concert by five Young Nordic Jazz Comets (really) from 12 to 16 on Saturday. Swing it, baby.
    • The opening of Hildur Bjarnadóttir’s show at i8 was last weekend. Still, they might have some leftover Pinot Grigio if you ask nicely.
    • The Reykjavík International Film Festival opens tonight with a super exclusive showing of Stephen Frears’ Queen. (Note to the festival organizers: You still have just over seven hours to mail us those invitations.) Lots of other arty-farty stuff on the programme, but we are particularly looking forward to seeing the Zidane movie on Sunday. See what else they’ve got.
    • Finally, don’t forget that darkness descends on Reykjavík tonight.

    And hey — let’s be careful out there.

    28 September 2006 – 13:07 | By valgeir | Posted in events, Festivals, iceland, Iceland Symphony Orchestra, music, Reykjavík International Film Festival, Reykjavík Jazz Festival, reykjavik, Visual Arts | Comments (0)

    Andri Snær Magnason cements status as Reykjavík’s Prince of Darkness

    Lord of DarknessCourtesy of an Icelandic author, some of the biggest stars in the world can be seen in Reykjavík on Thursday night.

    For years, Andri Snær Magnason has been asking Reykjavík city authorities to turn off the street lights for a few hours. If all goes well, this Thursday night he’ll finally get his way.

    Andri Snær — an author, playwright, environmentalist, godfather to múm, and an above-average nice guy — wants us to look up, see the stars, and generally feel how insignificant we are in the greater scheme of things. Right. Thanks for the reminder.

    Inspired by the frequent blackouts in his youth (electric, not alcoholic, we presume), Andri isn’t worried that the darkness will inspire the criminal element. In an interview with a more respectable news source than us, the newly minted Prince of Darkness said: “No, we have an agreement with the underworld. They’re just going to look up in the sky. They don’t want to ruin it.”

    27 September 2006 – 19:11 | By valgeir | Posted in events, iceland, múm, people, reykjavik | Comments (2)

    Some good old-fashioned Icelandic music, baby: Múm

    Here’s a golden oldie for you, múm‘s Ballad of the Broken Birdie Records (ruxpin remix II).

    múm: Official Site | Fansite | MySpace | Last.fm

    26 September 2006 – 3:39 | By valgeir | Posted in icelandic music, múm, music | Comments (2)

    Now you see it, now you don’t

    Soon, you won'tAt Kárahnjúkar they give a dam.

    According to some tree-hugging hippies, the twin mountains of Kárahnjúkar in the north-east of Iceland are some of the most beautiful examples of the Icelandic Highlands.

    However, according to some cold-blooded technocrats, they are also the best place for an absolutely massive dam project.

    The technocrats are winning. The dam project is already well under way, promising to flood the entire area. So now would probably be a good time to visit.

    And we mean right now.

    Kárahnjúkar are about 45 minutes driving distance from Egilsstaðir in Eastern Iceland. At least for a few more months.
    Kárahjúkar: Flickr | Wikipedia

    23 September 2006 – 15:43 | By valgeir | Posted in eastern iceland, hiking, nature | Comments (0)

    Iceland’s highest waterfall is falling for you

    GlymurAt 196 metres, we think Glymur should get some more respect.

    Once upon a time, Glymur, the highest waterfall in Iceland, was a pretty popular destination. Not surprisingly, given that it takes less than an hour to drive from Reykjavík to the bottom of Hvalfjörður where you start your hike.

    But guess what. Something happened in the tough and competetive world of Icelandic waterfalls and Glymur seemed to lose out to more glamorous waterfalls like Gullfoss and Seljalandsfoss, peddling their wares closer to the action. And it certainly didn’t help when someone decided to build a tunnel, drying up most of the Ring Road traffic that used to pass by.

    Glymur is still there of course, wonderfully isolated, and going there makes for a great day tour if you’re based in Reykjavík.

    It takes about 90 minutes to get to the waterfall from the parking lot and the trail is pretty well marked, if slightly precarious once you start to climb. (You can even pick some blueberries on the way, if they’re in season.)

    Once you get up there, make sure you pluck up the courage to cross the river and get the view from the other side, where it’s so much better.

    Glymur is at the bottom of Hvalfjörður, around 60 minutes drive from Reykjavík. Once there, you have to walk for another 90 minutes, climb around 200 metres and cross a very cold river. Très Indiana Jones. So do use caution, and please don’t sue us if you fall and hurt yourself. [Photo courtesy of Snow Elf via Flickr]

    Glymur: Flickr | Wikipedia

    23 September 2006 – 15:29 | By valgeir | Posted in Adventure in Iceland, hiking, iceland, nature, southern iceland | Comments (2)

    Kaffibarinn: Less coffee, more bar

    Kaffibarinn is the granddaddy of Reykjavík bars/clubs.

    Featured prominently in a gazillion guidebooks and magazine articles over the years, Kaffibarinn is probably the best known bar in the universe Reykjavík.

    Founded back in the early nineties by some really, really fun people whose names escape us, this Reykjavík institution featured prominently in a little film called 101 Reykjavík (and even more so in that book we’ve been meaning to read).

    Basically, what this means is that as you enter, you are more than likely to get a strange feeling, like you’re walking into a set. Sort of like Central Perk or Cheers, except there won’t be much of a laugh-track, and everybody probably won’t know (or care) about your name.

    Still, given the somewhat elevated T/R ratio (Tourist to Regular Person), you might be interested to know that the Rs don’t seem to be very hostile to the Ts, or, you know, at least not the relatively cool ones.

    Over the years, Kaffibarinn (not unlike a lot of its patrons) has both settled down a bit and grown larger, but there is life in the old girl yet. During the day, it’s a nice laid-back kind of place, perfect to hang out and pick up foreign chicks meet people, update your MySpace profile and talk about your film school assignment. But at around midnight on Friday and Saturday, it begins to flex its muscles and show its teeth.

    (By the way: we don’t know if Damon Albarn still owns that 1 percent or whatever it was. We went there to check, but we didn’t see him anywhere. Maybe he was in the back, doing the dishes, but somehow we doubt that.)

    Kaffibarinn is on Bergstaðastræti 1, just off Laugavegur (just follow the noise or look for the queue). Open till 1 in the morning from Sundays to Thursdays and till 5 on Fridays and Saturdays. Rated R for salty language and occasional nudity.
    Map | Flickr | Wikipedia

    21 September 2006 – 15:13 | By valgeir | Posted in 101, Bars in Iceland, clubs, drinking, iceland, nightlife, reykjavik | Comments (9)

    See, here’s the Thing

    Can't see a Thing?Thingvellir, the site of Iceland’s ancient parliament, is where the Thing-Men used to hang out at the Law Rock. And no, we’re not talking about action heroes or comic books.

    We can’t think of a better subject for the second post of this blog on matters Icelandic than the place where some of the most important moments in Icelandic history have taken place.

    Situated on the rift between the European and American tectonic plates, Thingvellir — literally “the Fields of Parliament,” — is where the Icelanders, fresh off the boats from Norway, founded Europe’s first parliament in the year 930, way before such things became de rigeur.

    For a very long time it was the place to be — hanging out with all the Thing-Men and passing laws in cool places like the Law Rock.

    Perhaps a bit less hardcore these days, the Althingi, as the parliament is still called, has remained in business since, except for a 40-year break in the 19th century. And although it has moved to some rather more comfortable surroundings, the modern day Thing-Men and Thing-Women occasionally convene at Thingvellir when they’re doing something they like to think is important, like declaring independence from Denmark (1944) and creating the biggest traffic jam in history when celebrating 50 years of independence from Denmark (1994).

    Anyway, the place is quite nice to look at; nice enough to make the UNESCO World Heritage List so it should be good enough for you folks. If you don’t see it as a part of the Golden Circle Tour, at only 50 km from Reykjavík, it’s a short drive on your own.

    A portrait of Jónas HallgrímssonOne thing the guidebooks will probably not mention is the small circular patch of grass you can see next to the Thingvellir church. This is the place where, in a fit of post-independence fervour, the government decided to bury some of the country’s more respectable poets (just the ones who were already dead, of course.) Due to some kind of bureaucratic mistake, however, instead of the great poet Jónas Hallgrímsson (who you’ve never heard of), they buried a Danish baker lying next to him in a Copenhagen cemetery.

    After all this became common knowledge, everyone involved became terribly embarrased, and this Icelandic version of the Parthenon is rarely mentioned these days. At least nobody told the helicopter pilot flying some reporters to Thingvellir to cover a recent press conference. He ended up mistaking the graveyard for a heliport. True story.

    Þingvellir: Flickr | Wikipedia | Official Site

    18 September 2006 – 2:52 | By valgeir | Posted in iceland, nature, southern iceland, thingvellir | Comments (4)

    How do you like Iceland?

    In which we welcome you, dear reader, to our new blog about Iceland and explain how we have Ringo Starr to thank for its name.

    Way back in 1983 or 1984, our favourite Beatle (a former drummer, like our CEO) had barely stepped out of his private jet at Reykjavík airport when the burning question “How do you like Iceland?” was thrown at him by a particularly excited female reporter at the National Television Service — usually a rather sombre outfit.

    Ringo, no stranger to excited women, said something like “Bloody hell, how should I know, I just got here.”

    And so it became The Question Which Has Lived in Infamy. With various degrees of self-awareness (and in various degrees of inebriation), Icelanders still ask it of foreigners, even in the occasional TV interview.

    “How do you like Iceland” is a play, an online t-shirt store, and a song by Iceland’s premier hawaiian/country/metal band. It was even the title of a recent documentary about what some minor English celebrities think of Icelanders — an endlessly fascinating subject, as we’re sure you’ll agree.

    Anyway, what we’re trying to say is this: when you come to Iceland, somebody, somewhere will ask you the Question, either in its original form or its disguised version (“So, what do you know about Iceland?”). It is unavoidable. So to be prepared.

    And that’s one of things this blog is there for: to prepare you to answer silly questions asked of you by us locals, and for you to ask us questions about Iceland.

    (And, of course, to get you to book a flight to Iceland with us. Go on, do it. Please. We need the money.)

    So. How do you like Iceland?

    16 September 2006 – 20:03 | By valgeir | Posted in drummers, meta | Comments (3)