Airwaves goes to Akureyri

CULTURE Music

Music spreads its wings

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Iceland Airwaves, the country’s most famous music festival, is broadening its reach and will this autumn, 1–5 November, enthral both Reykjavik and Akureyri.

TEXT: Alex Elliott. PHOTOS: Alexander Matukhno

Iceland Airwaves has been rocking the capital since 1999, when it started out as a supposedly-one-off event inside Reykjavik Airport’s hangar number four. Since then, it has migrated to the bars and small music venues of the city centre and made an indelible mark on the musical calendar. Airwaves has always had an international outlook, bringing the world’s best new talents to Iceland, and promoting Iceland’s finest musicians to the outside world. That’s how it became a favourite with music fans and journalists alike – many coming back year after year.

Adventuring north

This year, for the first time, the festival organisers have decided to embrace a whole new city, bringing a cross-section of acts to the “northern capital” of Akureyri.

The picturesque town is a mere 45-minute flight from Reykjavik, but has a very different feel. It also boasts a

Music spreads its wings

02 02 PJ Harvey (UK) at Valshollin, Iceland Airwaves 2016.

03 FM Belfast (IS) at Harpa, Silfurberg, Iceland Airwaves 2016.

04 RuGl (IS) at Valshollin, Iceland Airwaves 2016.

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very different set of nearby attractions which make the journey north even more worthwhile.

If you venture north, you can combine the music with trips to Godafoss waterfall, Lake Myvatn, the Myvatn Nature Baths, or whale watching in either Husavik or Akureyri. Lightly-populated North Iceland is also an excellent place to glimpse the northern lights.

Discover something new

Iceland Airwaves 2017 runs from 1 to 5 November and boasts concerts by at least 187 acts from Iceland and around the world. A diverse selection of 25 of these acts will also play in Akureyri on 2 and 3 November. Tickets are available for Reykjavik, Akureyri, or a little bit of both.

This year’s festival includes high-profile concerts by Asgeir, Fleet Foxes, and a band still at the height of their international appeal: Mumford & Sons. Among other highlights are GusGus, Billy Bragg, Emiliana Torrini, Mura Masa, Aldous Harding, Futuregrapher, Daniel OG, Mammut, Aron Can, Mahalia and Vagabon. And remember: no Airwaves is complete without falling in love with at least one band you’d never heard of before, making friends with some strangers in a long queue, and feeling genuinely distraught when you discover it’s all over and done with for another year.