Iceland Airwaves, Reykjavik – festival review

Iceland Airwaves 2022
Reykjavik, Iceland
2–6 November 2022

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

The dark basement of Smekkleysa record store is mysteriously quiet. Sitting on a concrete floor, the visitors hold their breath for a special DJ set to start. Beside the opposite wall, a dark-haired young artist, dressed in oversized industrial workwear, is fixing her mini jack cable. The sound coming out of the speaker is a bit low and murky. Feeling hot in her thick waterproof clothes, the DJ takes off the upper part of the coverall, exposing a bright pink layer of what looks like gym clothes. The debut set by Ísadóra Bjarkadóttir Barney has elements of performance art. While getting to grips on technical issues, the artist plays charming mellifluous bits of self-penned music that conjure up Ísadóra’s vocal contributions to her mother Björk’s latest album, Fossora.

A sense of genius loci pervades the festival’s programme and organisation. Appealing to tourists from different parts of the world, Iceland Airwaves has its information centre fittingly squeezed between trading areas of the Kolaportið flea market. The opening ceremony kicks off at the Grund care home, where songwriter Júníus Meyvant warmheartedly introduces the elderly to the Nordic interpretation of soul music. With few exceptions, off-venues, holding free events during the festival, aim to showcase only Icelandic acts. According to a source that preferred to remain anonymous, the festival’s policy imposes certain rules on partner public spaces, including their choice of performers – oddly, foreign musicians couldn’t take part in the free programme. KEXP legend Kevin Cole and Mengi artist-in-residence Cécile Lacharme are the only non-local names on the list of the acts performing beyond the official schedule.

Although Iceland Airwaves has run since 1999, some bits of its history are forgotten (or conveniently omitted) by those involved. An event at Hallgrímskirkja, where Kristján Hrannar performs the organ version of Daft Punk, is introduced as the first gig ever hosted by the Lutheran church during Airwaves. How about a special programme featuring artists from the Bedroom Community label nine years ago – a stunning performance at Hallgrímskirkja that started the festival edition in 2013?

Since 2018, when the IA brand was bought by Icelandic event production company Sena, the history of the festival has been rewritten, and not just regarding facts and figures. What has been deemed essential is now treated as excess. Hence, the number of off-venues being cut off significantly in favour of the official programme and mixed with so-called partner events for which visitors should buy extra tickets. Understandably, the festival team has been dealing with the aftermath of the pandemic and some financial issues that hadn’t been fully resolved by the previous owners. Yet, the celebratory spirit associated with the previous incarnation has been overshadowed by desperate attempts to recoup the investment.

Luckily, the music programme of Iceland Airwaves still reveals gems that otherwise would remain hidden for newcomers. Traditionally, off-venues highlight new acts. At Stúdentakjallarinn, the line-up features freshers, Ólafur Kram. Five members of the band look like impersonations of teenage characters from the Icelandic coming-of-age film Órói. Playful multilingual dialogues (“Voulez-vous coucher avec moi, ce soir?” “Nei!”) and cheerful harmonising are embedded into the effervescent sonic texture. If The Raincoats were artier and French, that would be the closest analogy.

Some new formations feature well-known local names. Lottó is a supergroup, formed by Ólafur Daði Eggertsson from Bjartar Sveiflur, bassist Ása Dýradóttir (Mámmut), and guitarist Dagur Sævarsson from Sudden Weather Change. With two more players on keyboards and drums, the five create an impeccable sound, balancing between the indie aesthetics of The Pastels and the Britpop sensibility of Pulp. Indeed, playful song titles such as I’d Die To Be His Wife and Call Me could be featured on a Jarvis Cocker record. But there is no sense of ennui. The idea is to celebrate and enjoy the music which, in the case of Lottó, is catchy and hard to resist.

Bar Gaukurinn, a dark cave-like on-venue, showcases an edgier slice of Icelandic music. Here, young punks Sucks To Be You, Nigel exercise in heavier genres, producing an avalanche of stoner at the end of their set. The sonic maelstrom almost seamlessly bleeds into the performance of Finnish accordion player Antti Paalanen, whose eccentric presence involves growling vocals and stomping techno. If played outdoors or in a bigger space with a proper dancefloor, this would be digested better.

While Paalanen seems to be not a perfect fit for the venue, Dr. Gunni is a missing piece of the puzzle. The band’s name is also the moniker of their frontman – music historian and veteran of the local independent scene Gunnar Larus Hjalmarsson. Gunni and co play guitar-led and melody-driven songs, providing a metaphorical balm to sore regions of the soul (and ears). They are always a pure joy to listen to live.

It’s hard to get grips with some sets of the official programme, particularly, the festival headliners Metronomy. The general queue to the entrance of hosting Reykjavik Art Museum is nearly 300 meters long, with no separate queue for the press – instead, a mixed line for plus one wristband holders and industry representatives has been organised. Overall, it takes nearly 25 minutes to get into the venue, by which time the band has played nearly half of their set. Once inside, those from the priority queue are directed upstairs to the balcony with a (very) distant view of the stage. Accommodating nearly 1500 people, the venue exceeds this limit and is choc-a-block; not the best place capacity-wise to put an international act of such scale. Still, hearing them playing one of the earlier hits, The Look, is gratifying.

Festival frenzy and organisation issues aside, Iceland Airwaves still triggers a good old endorphin release. It also gives a chance to experience things differently. Where else can one see animated and charming psychedelic pop band Pale Moon and Mercury Prize winner Arlo Parks playing at venues twenty meters away from each other. Hopefully, there will be a capacity to make it more enjoyable and celebratory next year.

More information about Iceland Airwaves is on the official website of the festival.

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

Words by Irina Shtreis, you can find more of her writing here.

Source: louderthanwar.com