Iceland Airwaves celebrates its 25th Year Anniversary
It was our first time attending Iceland Airways music festival and after the experience we couldn’t have asked for anything better. Airwaves started in 1999 and has gathered international attention bringing folks together from all over the world. We arrived in Reykjavík and had time to catch some of the pre-shows at the off venues on Wednesday night. We first visited the legendary Smekkleysa record store for an acoustic set with Ólöf Arnalds along with a good coffee for our jet lag. Then we headed to 12 Tónar which was absolutely packed for another Icelandic band, Superstation. The venues themselves had a lot of history and have been instrumental in promoting the local music scene and supporting the festival throughout the years. After these sets, we walked down the popular Laugavegur and ended up at another partner venue, BIRD. Here we listened to local bands South of Savoy and Celebs, who we really had a great time watching. We were already running into people we knew from Seattle today as so many people were wearing their KEXP swag.
Iceland Airwaves changed management hands a couple of years before the pandemic and through its shifts has moved to a three-day event now. We gathered from people that it has returned more to its original form with the smaller venues and keeping it more intimate than what it had become in the prior years. We had no idea what to expect from the fest and the local scene, but it seemed like everyone was there to experience new things and to take it all in. There was so much happening all around town it seemed that everything was revolving around this event. People were ready to chat about their favorite bands and give advice on who to see and who not to see.
On Thursday morning, we headed over to the Grund for the opening event, which was kicked off by Iceland’s Minister of Culture, Lilja Alfreðsdóttir. Iceland’s beloved artists Hjálmar and Elín Hall performed for the small room, and it was good to catch the vibe before their festival sets. We really enjoyed the kickoff event of Iceland Airwaves 25! Later in the afternoon we checked out the Virgin Music x Alda Music Party in Iceland Airways that took place at Nasa. The DJ at this event was Lynks who we would later catch at his own live performance at Kolaport. After some drinks and good tunes, we headed to our first official event of the festival.
We entered the Reykjavík Art Museum Hafnarhús which was probably the largest venue of the festival to catch GDRN. The large space and rectangular shape provided great visibility and room to move around. This was my favorite venue from the perspective of space and being able to move freely between the balcony view and floor. Did I mention that this place also served the famous Bæjarins Beztu hot dogs in the back without having to wait outside in the cold to get one? After this set we crossed the street to the dingy Gaukurinn, to see K.óla perform. This one was a little rough for me as the low ceilings and small space made it hard to enjoy. I would have preferred they added BIRD as an official venue instead of this place. The band was great to see but we quickly left after their set to get some air.
We walked over to Iðnó which was right by the Reykjavík Pond and stood in line to see superserious. After a few we got into the venue but still didn’t make it in the main room as it was too packed. This still felt cool, and the place was nice. We had a moment here to catch up with the KEXP legend, Kevin Cole who was in town to catch the event. We kept hearing his name around town and every time we said we’re from Seattle people asked if we knew him. By the end of the first day in Reykjavík we wondered, ‘Is Kevin Cole a celebrity in Iceland?’ Apparently, he was, and we quickly noticed that while talking to him at Iðnó. People kept wanting to talk to him and take photos. It was really great to see this exchange, especially knowing how much he’s helped spread the word about Airwaves.
We did have the chance to see The Joy play after superserious finished their set and people exited the main room. After that we headed to Kolaport which was a space they used for a market usually. This was also cool as there was a lot of space to move around and it was large. We saw UCHE YARA‘s set there which was really good and then we popped into the Art Museum to see a bit of Hjálmar‘s set before returning to Kolaport. We ended the night here with the chill out music of Orbit (not the gum) and his old school lamps which provided the visual aesthetic. The music was good as we sat back and danced drinking our Viking beer. After that Lynks took the stage and entertained until the lights came on. His set was so good we didn’t want to leave the place. The stage was overtaken by his persona who danced around with his dancers and captivated the crowd. Best moment of the set was Lynks performing a song which was basically him reading a recipe. Absolute genius.
Friday was another day that we were trying to shift our schedules around to catch as much as possible. There were a couple more venues added tonight given that it’s ramping up for Friday and Saturday. We kicked off the night with Gabríel Ólafs at the Fríkirkjan church, which was such a beautiful venue to catch his set. The Icelandic composer and pianist paired with red lighting was captivating as his soft pieces filed the space. After that we walked to the Art Museum for Elín Hall who was becoming one of our favorite finds on the trip.
We really liked how easy it was to go around the venues as they were all within 10 minutes of each other. This made catching multiple artists in one night convenient and we like not being tied down to one place. We got lucky with the weather as it was higher than normal temperatures, so the walking around wasn’t bad at all. After Hall it was time to see the Lambrini Girls from Brighton and one of our top bands to see in Iceland. The punk band played an intense set that commanded and demanded the audience at all times. Lead singer Phoebe Lunny jumped on the floor multiple times gathering the crowd and immersing them into the show. It was truly something we couldn’t get enough of until the very end when she stood tall lifted by the people and jumping into the abyss. This performance was everything you could ever want from a show.
Stayed around for Dina Ögon and jumped to Kolaport for Personal Trainer before heading back to Fríkirkjan for sóley. This was another magical performance that was completely stripped down. The sound of sóley’s soothing voice echoed in the church space with only some video projecting in the background. We had no idea who she was, but we absolutely added her to our list of favorites after her set. She was pure magic.
On our way back from the pond we stopped at Iðnó to check out Kaktus Einarsson‘s set. As we said hi to Kevin Cole in the crowd after a few songs an unexpected surprise happened. Einarsson welcomed his good friend Nanna Bryndís from Of Monsters and Men, to the stage for a song they’ve collaborated on. This was so unexpected, but we were hoping she would join someone’s set at the festival since she wasn’t on the official bill this year. People cheered on as the musicians played together and enjoyed the moment.
We made our way back to the Art Museum for The Vaccines who were returning after twelve years. This was an electric set as the room filled with loud noise. Another special moment took place during their last song. The surprise guest here would be Einar Örn from the Sugarcubes and Purrkur Pillnikk. They covered one of the latter’s tracks together as fans took in the moment. The night ended at Kolaport with Kælan Mikla who was a little different from the rest of the acts but just as memorable.
Saturday was a packed day trying to get the most we could. We decided to opt out in the afternoon to catch a show at Harpa with the Emilíana Torrini. We were a little disappointed that the beautiful venue was not a part of the festival, and we really wanted to see a concert there. The Icelandic singer who was discovered while performing at a restaurant in Reykjavík added a couple of shows during the weekend supporting her newest album, Miss Flower. The concert hall was magical and so was her show, we were happy we took a couple of hours to fit this in.
After that event, we continued at the Art Museum for Bar Italia, who we enjoyed before funning over to Kolaport for Mandy, Indiana. We had never seen them live or heard of them, but this was one of our favorites. The most memorable moment was lead singer Valentine Caulfield jumping in the crowd and becoming one with the audience. She’s a great lead singer and knows how to create space and get the fans going. We then went back to the museum to catch Iceland’s best-known rock/hardcore band, Mínus. The band brought the energy in the room up a notch and Krummi Björgvinsson lead with fierce power. The sweat was dripping down his face as he screamed the lyrics and intensely wrapped the mic around his neck. We can see why this band is so loved and has played all around the world, sharing the stage with some of the biggest bands. Later over at Nasa we enjoyed Opus Kink who we had not seen before. The punks really got the crowd going and we couldn’t help but join in the madness.
Next up was a band we’ve been following since we caught them in Austin while there for SXSW. Cumgirl8 has been a constant on our playlist and their debut release is prime. You can randomly catch me walking down the street singing “Cicciolina,” their song dedicated to the famous Italian porn star. We had just seen them in Seattle a couple of weeks back and were just as excited to catch them tear up the stage here in Iceland. The New York band took the floor and left the audience wanting more as their set seemed short for all they could play. It left an impression on everyone there and people were calling them the best set of Airwaves.
We did have time to run over for the last part of Overmono‘s DJ set at the Art Museum. This conflict was something we didn’t like or understand and easily could had been avoided. Not sure why the most popular international bands of the day were playing at the same time but at least there was time to see a little of the set. The museum had turned into a club at this point as it was past 1am and the spotlights were dancing around the high ceiling. This was a great way to end the night and the festival. I’m not sure what the reasoning was to shorten the festival days, but I do feel like it would be nice to have an extra day to take the festival in a little longer. There were a lot of things happening so I can’t really complain. We did go to Bird again on Sunday night after our Golden Circle tour and heard music from Moskvit and Whereisjason?
If you haven’t been to the festival or haven’t heard of it, I would definitely recommend checking it out and plan a trip around it. It’s definitely worth it and the country is beautiful to visit. It’s a surreal place bordering on magic. We visited the Blue Lagoon on Tuesday and the following one the volcano erupted. That’s how fast things can change here. We saw a lot of bands we never heard of and a good mix of international ones, all good finds. There’s a reason why the festival just celebrated its 25th year anniversary. It’s something special, something unique, and something that only happens here in this place.
