Iceland Airwaves Launched in Reykjavik Tonight

The annual Iceland Airwaves music festival begins in central Reykjavík tonight and will last until Sunday. Around 4,500 people are expected to attend the festival this year, 1,800 of whom are foreign visitors.

Thorsteinn Stephensen at Mr. Destiny, which organizes the festival, told Fréttabladid that the first foreign performers arrived in Iceland yesterday. “A big group is coming today and an even bigger tomorrow. The party is just beginning.”

This year 400 foreign journalists are expected to attend the festival, some of whom are representing world-known music magazines such as Rolling Stone, NME, Q and Vice. Newspaper journalists from papers like The Guardian and The Times will also report on the festival.

According to Stephensen, Iceland Airwaves will have a positive economic influence on Iceland. “Vidskiptabladid [business daily] calculated last year that Iceland Airwaves represented an injection of 300 million krónur [USD 2.7 million, EUR 2.0 million] to the economy of central Reykjavík.”

“Everything is included in that sum, hotels, restaurants, car rentals and so on. That kind of amount makes a lot of difference in times like these,” Stephensen added.

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This fall, Iceland makes history with a solid decade of rejoicing in rock. The tenth annual Iceland Airwaves Music Festival descends upon Reykjavík October 15-19 for what Rolling Stone calls “the hippest long weekend on the annual music-festival calendar.” In true Airwaves form, the festival spotlights the best of Iceland’s burgeoning scene alongside the most remarkable music makers from around the world. Your loyal Atlantica music fan Jonas Moody brings you his picks for what is shaping up to be the most explosive festival to date.

International Picks

CSS – Cansei de Ser Sexy (Brazil) – “Tired of being sexy” is the war cry of these pulsating, provocative dance-rockers. However, it’s hard not to take these words with a grain of salt, as gyrating front woman Lovefoxx—clad in skin-tight, Day-Glo body suit and headband—chants the band’s sultry anthem of baby-making in "Music is My Hot, Hot Sex." The Latin blood courses hot and heavy through the sensual beats of these irreverent, but inevitably irresistible, Brazilians. If the weather outside at this year’s Airwaves Festival is frightful, you can be sure the fire on stage at CSS’s show will be more than delightful. csshurts.com

Lykke Li (Sweden) – The first time I saw Lykke Li was on a sidewalk in Södermalm with a guitar, toy piano, tambourine and finger cymbals accompanying her tiny voice singing ‘Little Bit.’ How terribly twee and cloyingly cuddlesome, right? Wrong. Her bare-bones, intimate sound manages to sidestep preciousness to catch listeners by surprise with a controlled, earnest voice that convincingly conveys both imagination and melancholy. If you’re a fan of what Sweden does best—minimalist, modern pop—then you’ll not want to miss Lykke Li’s dreamy set. lykkeli.com

Pnau (Australia) – The bad boys of dance music from down under come to the top of the world for this year’s Airwaves. After some sticky situations involving copyright infringement on tracks sampled on their 1999 album Sambanova, Brisbane’s favorite sons Nick Littlemore and Peter Mayes are back, resurrecting rifts and beats long thought dead to this world. The dynamic duo manages to assemble a dark, downtempo landscape for dancers of all ages, races, creeds and sexual orientations. These boys deliver the pumping mix tape of all time, fit for even the Icelandic dance floor. myspace.com/pnaupnau

Vampire Weekend (US) – These Ivy-League rockers from Columbia University in New York float their brainy lyrics and bright melodies over Afro-pop beats in a marvelous show of innovative and earnest American rock. If you think The Islands drew a crowd at last year’s festival, then you best pitch your tent now if you want to beat the lines to see these kids. For their unpretentious performances and dedication to their offbeat sound, this is my top pick for the festival. vampireweekend.com

Yelle (France) – As if stepping out of a 1980s home exercise video, France’s it-girl chanteuse Yelle bedazzles and beguiles with her glittering spandex and sassy Euro-pop. In only the way a French songstress can, Yelle seduces and spurns her audience at the same time, putting on a larger-than-life performance full of color and playful, poppy beats. Her absurd sense of style (floral-print hammer pants and chartreuse high-tops, anyone?) finds a kindred spirit in Reykjavík’s silly hipster nation. Fais comme chez toi, Yelle! yelle.fr

Icelandic Picks

FM Belfast – With its lo-fi, melodious electronica, the ever-changing but always colorful line-up of FM Belfast expresses in sound the singular experience of stumbling up and down Laugavegur semi-conscious on late nights out. In fact, their cover of Rage Against the Machine’s ‘Lotus’ has become the de facto soundtrack for any raucous Reykjavík weekend. At live shows the band actually manages to get Icelanders up and moving their asses, which is no small feat. Local color never sounded so good. fmbelfast.com

Hjaltalín – Part bar-mitzvah band, part afterschool glee club, Hjaltalín fills the stage with a ten-piece platoon of musicians, including some unexpected performances from bassoon, banjo, French horn, clarinet and harmonium. With performances filled with heart and a plaintive, theatrical sound, they manage to be an Icelandic band all their own. Their much-played ‘Goodbye July’ has quickly become a favorite, taking audiences through spiraling melodies underpinned by meticulous instrumentation and front man Högni Egilsson’s distinctive voice. For something different, give Hjaltalín a try. myspace.com/hjaltalinband

Reykjavík! – The boys in the band (only one is actually from Reykjavík) manage to tear up any crowd that’s put in front of them with anxious guitars, driving rhythms and a shrieking monkey of a front man. If their explosive stage antics don’t set you on fire, a moment basking in the rambunctious glow of Reykjavík!’s supernova performance will set your ears ablaze. Thrust yourself headlong into what is likely to be the loudest and lewdest show on the line-up. myspace.com/reykjaviktheband

Seabear – Mellifluous and slightly melancholy, front man and founding member Sindri Már gives voice to wispy melodies over the folky, downtempo sounds he achieves with the help of his musical cohorts Örn and Guggy, who bring violin, harmonica and lap steel guitar to the mix. Now up to seven members, Sindri keeps finding new friends, transforming Seabear’s live show into a veritable commune of warm, acoustic pop. There will undoubtedly be a sing-a-long during this set. Mark my words. Feel the love with Seabear. seabearia.com

Ultra Mega Technobandid Stefán – Not since Einar Örn and the Sugarcubes have Icelanders stood up on stage with as much sputter and spunk as the boys in Ultra Mega Technobandid Stefán. After garnering attention at the 2006 Icelandic Battle of the Bands and riotous performances at the last two Airwaves, these unrelenting hellions have been flooring festival-goers all over northern Europe. Once frontman Siggi’s shirt comes off prepare to be drenched in teenage sweat and frenzied beats. UMTBS taps into every last ounce of primal teen-energy to put on a dazzling show. Check your sensitive indie attitude at the door; these boys are out for blood. myspace.com/umtbs

For festival passes and further information see icelandairwaves.com.