Sabbatikos

The annual Iceland Airwaves Music Festival, began in 1999 as a modest affair in an airplane hangar at Reykjavík Airport. Originally conceived as an event to showcase Icelandic talent to foreign industry professionals, it evolved, with the development of Iceland’s tourist industry, into a major destination music event. The festival now attracts a diverse mix of local and international artists, drawing music enthusiasts from around the globe. Known for its diverse lineup and intimate venues scattered throughout the city, Iceland Airwaves plays a pivotal role in highlighting Reykjavík’s and Iceland’s exciting music scene.

Listener powered KEXP, my local Seattle-based radio station known for its eclectic and wide-ranging music programming, popular YouTube channel, and motto “where the music matters”, first got involved with Iceland Airwaves in 2006. This partnership began with the station broadcasting live performances from the festival, bringing the unique sounds of Iceland’s burgeoning music scene to Seattle and a global audience (through KEXP’s online streaming). Over the years, KEXP’s presence at Iceland Airwaves has become an expected part of the festival both in Rekjavík and Seattle. It was KEXP that made us buy our early bird tickets to the repeatedly delayed (due to Covid-19) festival back in December 2019.

Returning from our two day trip to Southern Iceland on the Ring Road visiting waterfalls, and icebergs, we were ready to hear some live music!

When we originally purchased our tickets in 2019 we were very excited to see: Black Pumas, Courtney Barnett, Of Monsters and Men, and Kælan Mikla. None of those band would be on the lineup in 2022. Luckily, I was able to see Kælan Mikla play live at KEXP studios in October of 2019! But we’d have to go with the newly announced 2022 lineup:

It is a huge list, and even in 3 days of music we couldn’t see all the artists. However, some of our favorite acts were: Amyl & The Sniffers, Arlo Parks, Arny Margret, BSÍ, Daughters of Reykjavík, Emotional Oranges, Francis of Delirium, Gróa, GO_A, HAM, JDFR, Laufey, Metronomy, Nation of Language (I missed their set and regret it so much!), RAKEL, Superserious, Vök, and so many more.

A few of the standout sets (outside of headliners like Amyl, Arlo, and Metronomy), were in the smaller clubs and venues. We saw artists play in clothing stores to convention centers and many a bar in between.

Here are a few photos, videos, and write-ups from the sets that stood out the most:

Daughters of Reykjavík, an all-female rap collective from Iceland, was a powerful and provocative force to see and hear. DOR consists of eight members, each performing with their own unique style and lyrical perspective. They are known for their energetic and unapologetic performances and bold lyrics that tackle topics such as feminism, body positivity, sexuality, and social justice.

Gróa is an up-and-coming Icelandic band that has been making waves in the alternative and punk scenes for several years. Formed by three young women, the band is known for its raw, in-your-face sound and in-your-space performances. Their music blends elements of punk, post-punk, and experimental rock, characterized by edgy bass riffs, vigorous drumming, sonic vocals and occasional pairs granny-pants. They are unafraid to challenge norms and push boundaries in the Icelandic music scene.

Go_A, was a surprise band for us. Go_A is a Ukrainian electro-folk band that plays a blend of traditional Ukrainian music with electronic beats and modern sound and light production. They gained international recognition when they represented Ukraine at the Eurovision Song Contest 2021 with their song “Shum,”. They worked the audience into a frenzied froth of passion and support for the people of Ukraine!

HAM is a legendary heavy metal band from Iceland, known for its dark sound performed predominately in Icelandic. Formed in 1988, the band has a cult following in Iceland for its unique blend of doom metal. I left my family to go and see them while they were watching Gróa. I do regret missing Gróa’s performance, but I don’t regret seeing HAM, an iconic Icelandic metal band. Metal sounds better above latitude 64.

RAKEL (Rakel Sigurðardóttir), is a rising Icelandic musician who has been gaining attention for her dreamy and emotional music. RAKEL’s music is ethereal and poignant and deeply personal, often melancholic. She had one of the most potent ear-wormable songs at the festival, Our Favorite Line.

Superserious was another energetic and ear-worm worthy band, each song more fun and catchier than the last. The put on a great set.

One night upon leaving the venue and walking back to our Airbnb in the freezing cold, we could see the Northern Lights

When the last band played for the night and we were exhausted by multiple days of music, food & drink, and dancing, we headed out into the frigid Reykjavík night with our friends we ran into from Seattle for one last Icelandic hot dog, the “pylsur.” Nearby was the same well placed  Bæjarins Beztu Pylsur with a long line of festival goers in the wee-hours of the morning. We skipped the all night afterparty and headed back to our Airbnb, brimming with satisfaction at what had been an excellent and inspiring post Covid blow-out festival.