2026 Iceland Airwaves - Friday

A glorious morning, the start of another glorious day.

After a full night’s sleep, the pool beckoned. There were plenty of bathers wearing Airwaves armbands today, this time I managed to get ensconced between two Finns, an Austrian, a gaggle of Scots, and Simon, a graphic designer from Ireland. I asked him if he knew Annie Atkins, he said he had been talking to her in person only last week!

The consensus of the group about Thursday night was that “Piss” from Vancouver was the biggest surprise of the evening. I might have been turned off by the band’s name.Rasia (from Finland) had seen Gróa with me and was equally impressed by them. No one had any solid recommendations for tonight, the best I could offer was the Kjallarínkabaret in the National theatre (see below).

When I returned from the pool the maid service was cleaning my room so I went next-door to Kaktus, the coffee-house in the National gallery and had a real lunch for a change: I reurned to Smekkleysa and caught Asalaus and her 1965 Guyatone guitar, a violin bow, and an array of pedals:

She was sublime, the most pure musical expression I’ve heard so far. The other ten people in the room with me were mesmerized.

Not so mesmerizing was Amor Vincit Omnia, a duo with tracks, in the Geiri hotel lounge:

I did manage to squeeze in several acts before the Burlesque show.

Apex Anima at Lemmy’s - stunning visuals including world-class pole dancer and sci-fi graphics. No hay banda:

Sakaris at Iðno - serious fun, high powered 8 piece band:

Upper Mallrats at Rosenberg’s - thrash, nearly invisible with the sightlines at Rosenberg’s:

Oyama at City Hall - power pop:

Axel Flóvent at Fríkirkja - singer/sonwriter, piano

Friday’s Airwaves lineup iwas particularly weak and as the night went on I opted out from the club crawl for the Kabarett show in the National Theatre’s basement. It’s the third time I’ve seen it and each time I’ve been stimulated, not in a prurient sense, but more by the ancient nature of these performances, certainly performed in biblical times, and probably even in prehistoric stone-age rituals. Pulchritude aside, these gender-bending and gender-affirming displays are naughty fun. More on this show at a later date:

Some cast members of the Kabarett show pose for the camera.

MUSIC OF THE DAYAsalaus, no contest.

Thursday Iceland Airwaves Connections

Youths converge on the neighborhood store near the pool…

I spent much of my pool-time Thursday morning surrounded by a clan of unruly Scots and Rasia, a pleasant Finn I had met last year, discussing Airwaves (and drinking) strategies. A 90-minute flight makes Airwaves more of wild week-end than planned vacation, and the description of the Scot’s hostel (“Hadn’t been updated since the war…”) made me thankful for my digs in the center of town.

After a very leisurely 2-hour soaking (no laps today, the lanes were full) I got out of the pool, dressed, and made my way to the pool’s lobby area where a carafe of coffee and Unsteinn Manuel Stefánsson were waiting. Unsteinn was a founder of Retro Stefson, the very first band I saw at Iceland Airwaves in 2006! Since then Unsteinn has done numerous things in music and Icelandic theatre, I had seen him last year in Ibuð 10b at Þjóðleikhúsið. We talked a lot about the theatre, his relatives were active in it and he got to see a lot of plays as a child, including Þetta er allt að koma, a play which blew my mind in 2004 when I was 53, I can hardly imagine what it did to his when he was only 14! We also discussed Halldór Laxness, Hallgrímur Helgasson, Ólafur Ólafsson, and Silja Aðalsteinsdóttir, in a flowing conversation.

What a great guy.

In the afternoon I hit an off-venue, specifically Smekkleysa, the Björk and the Sugarcubes-founded record shop. The first group was a guitar/drums duo that was incredibly LOUD! Ear plugs were offered and many accepted. I left after a while, going up the street to Bókin, a quiet refuge where I had often sought refuge in the past. It was no help, the thunder that was Dreymandi hundur penetrated to the bookshop’s deepest recesses.

I walked up Hverfisgata to Hlemmur and Lucky Records, but the act that was scheduled next was one that I had already seen last year. Returning, Shymfaux, two guitars and the same drummer as the first act began to play. Not nearly so loud (or am I already jaded?) they were really sort of a jam band, playing riffs off each other:

After a short break for some noshing, I returned to Smekkleysa to catch one of my all-time favorite Airwaves acts, Gróa. They were augmented by another guitarist who actually fit in very well:

They did not disappoint. More about this performance at a later date.

The the way back to my apartment for a light dinner, I stopped in Fríkirkjan, where Andervel was performing his Mexican-inspired balladry with a small band and a great drummer:

After a bite I saw a bit of Falinn Gjoður at Lemmy's. They were playing really weird, angular guitar lines, a synced drum track, and odd vocals. Not my thing:.

Things got stranger. At the City Hall venue Farveblind may have been playing but lots of sync tracks including the lead vocals… I think? The drummer was playing some but was definitely augmented. I don't know what the guy on the left did:

Back at Lemmy’s, the Irish band State of Grace was backing up a female singer (Grace?) If her name was Grace, she was in quite a state, indeed—mostly rage. Very well sung and played:

On to Kolaportð, the largest venue, where I had my first Kevin Cole sighting of the festival:

He was there to catch the venerable Icelandic band Mammút:

Another real band, they were dynamic and exciting in their stage presence. Again, not my thing.

I stopped into Iðno to see what on earth World Peace DMT was. I left still not knowing:

Finally, I returned to Fríkirkjan to catch some of Tár, a folky band with a dramatic singer/bassist:

Also very good, but I had had enough for one day. 

Music of the day: Gróa, they once again put me in a state of musical Nirvana.

Wonderful World of Wednesday

I got up ridiculously early today so I went to the pool and swam under a skinny moon until 08:30 when I went back to my apartment to prepare for the Opening of Airwaves ceremony at Grund, the senior residence. The President of Iceland, Halla Tómasdóttir, was there to start the festivities:

Rakel (and Lon) played some music:

After which President Halla joined in a group picture of the celebrants:

I took it easy Wednesday afternoon, resting up for another culinary adventure. This time it was Sel, an offshoot of the restaurant Óx, which I had previously visited:

Fabulous food and the table even had a hidden drawer for the cutlery:

Master Chef Thrainn Freyr Vigfusson led the kitchen crew:

Chef Katla (left) remembered me from my last time at Óx:

My table-mate was Will, from Seattle, where he had been on the board of KEXP. We talked about Airwaves, music and, of course, Kevin Cole. We’ll probably connect again sometime over the weekend.

Indolent Tuesday

More idleness from the Professor.

I went to bed early the previous night, so I woke at 0700.

After another ten hours of sleep.

It was pitch-dark, raining hard, and the wind was howling.

So I whiled away a couple of hours on the computer until the rain let up and then I went to the pool, where things were fairly quiet—at one point there were only 6 people in the various pools and pots. As the skies began to lighten, school kids and the regulars began trickling in. I saw Langi Seli (“I didn’t recognize you without your Gretch!”) and we talked for a while about Airwaves and theatre and music. We were sitting on a bench, outside, in our swimsuits, in blustery 8°C weather and thinking nothing of it. To be fair, we had both cooked for a long time in 40°C ‘hotpots’ and it felt good. I’m getting used to this.

In the afternoon I went out to Grandi, the old harbour district and got some good pix.

The afternoon sun set this ship aglow:

One of the omnipresent scooters actually fit into the harbour’s color scheme:

One of the harbour shops had this intriguing sign:

Alas, it wasn’t open, although if it had been I probably wouldn’t be writing this.

On the way back I spotted one of these relics of old Reykjavík, a series of glass blocks that were used to illuminate basement storage under the sidewalks:

When I got back to my apartment the maid service was just about to go in, so I walked the 20 meters from my room to the National Gallery and enjoyed a Swiss Mocha in their very nice Kaktus kaffí shop:

It’s a tough life.

Melancholy Monday

Finding a lost hand-knit mitten always makes me a bit sad:

This candelabra at Kaffihús Vesturbæjar fit my mood:

The whole scene still had Halloween overtones:

After dinner I went to the cinema again, this time seeing Eyríki, an elegy and celebration to a fading way of life on Grimsey, the northernmost island of Iceland. Sad, but also sweet. On my way home I passed by this sinister tableaux:

Tomorrow? Who knows? What adventures will the Professor have to endure?

Pleasant Sunday Afternoon

The weather here in Reykjavík has been relatively good - no torrents of rain, reasonable wind. Not warm but, then again, November weather in Iceland is seldom what one might call balmy.

Here are a few photo-impressions of my Sunday:

Halloween left-overs in Melar:

In Kolaportið, tallow is evidently a ‘thing’ now:

The tourist shops were buzzing:

I had been in Reykjavík when Tommi’s Burger Joint was being built, I figured I might as well see what the fuss was about if it has lasted over 20 years. Burger, fries and a Coke were about $28. It was OK:

I went to the cinema where this eerie tableaux was also left over from Halloween:

It was dark by the time the show was over, I spotted this artistic garden on my was back to the apartment:

More foto-fun tomorrow.

Þjóðleikhúsið Double-Header

Ormstunga (Worm’s tongue/sting) is a modernized rock/rap opera based on the Icelandic saga.

I caught the matinee show yesterday, and was suitably impressed astounded. A nineteen piece acting ensemble plus: a four piece band, acrobatics, a multi-level stage, extremely well-sung lyrics, and dramatic solo turns for all the principals, made for an unforgettable experience. The woman sitting next to me said “Ég gæti séð það aftur og aftur.”

Later that evening I found myself again in the National Theatre, this time in the basement, for the revue: Belonging? Being an immigrant in Iceland is funnier than you think.

From the theatre’s website:

Belonging? offers a fusion of stand-up comedy and other variety acts, including dance, dance and more from a diverse group of performers. The show features immigrant comedians with a rotating cast (and some Icelandic surprise guest performers) doing stand-up in English and sharing the funny sides of being a foreigner in Iceland… asking the question; “Can we ever really belong on this island?”

Clockwise from upper left: Dan Roh, MC and Korean-American-Icelander gave his special slant on being an outsider, Ahmad Rana spoke of public interactions in Icelandic, Dan Zerin is a standup comedian with Tourettes (the whistle and pop kind) and Joy gave a humorous take on H.P. Lovecraft and J.K. Rowlings and the special hell they deserve. “Mr. Tombastic” was a friend of Dan Roh’s wife, he did little burlesque bits between the comedians. It was pretty good over-all, I even laughed out loud several times. It was good to see such a diverse audience in attendance.

Earlier in the day I made a return visit to *garg, an artistic/literary collective where I met Greta, a member and a graphic designer. We spent over an hour talking about a variety of subjects (and I bought a shirt) more on this encounter at a later date: