ICELANDIC CULTURE: THE BREAKING BAND SCENE (LISTEN)

We’ve had a great time covering Iceland Airwaves and discovering and reporting on Icelandic culture. Here’s an Icelandic cultural interview culled from our time there. Be sure to stay tuned for our final radio documentary, which will air on WCRX-FM 88.1. Visit our Iceland Airwaves blog to read/hear more from our time in Iceland.

Every year Iceland Airwaves offers a great opportunity for you to discover new music.  Hundreds of foreign journalists visit every year, one being KEXP who help break up-and-coming Icelandic artists by giving them the chance to be heard on their station. In Iceland, If you’re good enough, people will hear you. Listen to the documentary below that visits the importance of breaking bands here at Iceland Airwaves.

Iceland Airwaves Day Three (11/07): M-Band, Strigaskór Nr. 42, Oyama

M-Band utilized multiple distortion and loop machines to captivate the 2014 Airwaves crowd.

Opening up the third night of Airwaves at Gamla Bíó, M-Band ominously crept through his nuanced, deep atmospheric set. Starting out only with vocals, Hörður Bjarnason built his entire performance into a haunting crescendo with pounding, repetitive yet complex bass structures that continually added minute elements into the atmospheric set. Utilizing his tenor vocals, he melded his nu-electronica set to electrify the crowd. By the time the set ended, the entire crowd was moving to his captivating soundscapes.

Iceland Airwaves Day Two (11/6): Sin Fang, FM Belfast, Utidur, FURA (REVIEW)

On Wednesday, Sin Fang, an Icelandic experimental indie group, took the stage at Harpa Silfurberg. They played a 40-minute set that was mesmerizing to both the eyes and ears. Leader of the group, Sindri Már Sigfússon, captivated the audience with vocal effects, such as fades and echoes. He was flanked by two drummers, both of whom were keeping tempo with one another very well. Although the group was illuminated by a very minimal amount of lights, the visuals playing in the background enhanced the experience. In the middle of the set Sin Fang performed their new song “Never Let You Go.” Having recently released their album Flowers in 2013, many of the other songs they played came from their, including the crowd favorite as the final song, “Young Boys.”

FM Belfast ended that night at Gamla Bíó to a completely packed audience. They are an Icelandic group under the electro/electronic/dance genre who played several songs from their latest and third full-length album Brighter Days. The performance FM Belfast put on was very energetic. The different instrumentation, such as percussion and brass instruments playing alongside electronic beats helped to make them standout among the other bands. From the moment they began the crowd was going wild. FM Belfast has had the most energy thus far in their performance, jumping around and getting the crowd excited to see them play. The band was also very vocal when it came to speaking with the audience, which matched the feel of the music: Happy and full of life. For the remainder of the weekend they are also being featured on KEXP at the Kex Hostel and again at Harpa Silfurberg.