THE WORLD CHOCOLATE MASTERS FINAL begins in Paris today. Finalists from 19 countries are competing for the title, Iceland’s pastry chef/chocolatier extraordinaire Ásgeir Sandholt among them. I was lucky enough to meet Ásgeir last week as he prepared for the competition. In Paris, participants must demonstrate their interpretation of this year’s theme—Cacao, the gift of [...]
ICELAND AIRWAVES CLOSES FOR ANOTHER YEAR On the streets of Reykjavik this morning, the sound of Iceland Airwaves had been replaced by a chorus of suitcases being wheeled along the footpaths, as more foreign visitors than is usual for a typical Monday morning headed home.
After three nights of dancing, photographing and rushing from venue to venue downtown, I was pleased to find three acts I was keen to see tonight, all performing at the same venue: Harpa…
Sinéad O’Connor. With two nights left of Airwaves 2011, I fear nothing will top Sinéad’s performance at Fríkirkjan last night. It’s the first time I’ve seen her live. Heard her. Experienced her! I didn’t even consider myself a particularly avid fan. Until now. Apart from the music itself, I loved all the little things you [...]
Here are a few snapshots from Airwaves last night. My favourite act was Borko at the Reykjavik Art Museum (Hafnarhús). Why is it that if really loud music is also really good, my ears are suddenly fine with the volume?! Performing live, Borko hits exactly the right balance between indie rock, acoustic and… Borko-esque.
After a bright and sunny day yesterday, Iceland Airwaves is kicking off today with a splash in the Reykjavik rain. The festival officially begins tonight, but there are also many off-venue events, starting at 1pm this afternoon with GUS GUS at Kex. After that I’ll be heading to Kaffibarinn where one of my favourite local [...]
You probably already know that Reykjavik has a solid music scene most days of the week, but this is an especially happening time of year as the city gears up for its annual Iceland Airwaves festival. Whether it’s a popular time to release CDs, or if new releases simply get more press during this time, [...]
The Reykjavik International Film Festival—RIFF—opened last night and runs until October 2. The opening film was Sigur Rós – Inni showcasing the band for a second time (the documentary film Heima also featured Sigur Rós and was RIFF’s opening film in 2007). Mayor of Reykjavík Jón Gnarr introduced the film, its first screening since it [...]
Music from the British Isles: Sinéad O’Connor and Paul Young to perform in Reykjavík this October. Iceland’s annual mega music event, Iceland Airwaves (October 12-16), this year includes Sinéad O’Connor in its line-up. O’Connor’s debut album came out in 1987, three years before the singer/songwriter shot to world fame with her 1990 hit ‘Nothing Compares [...]
Icelandic sheep are free to roam their region’s mountains and valleys for the whole of summer. With all that fresh air and varied diet, it’s no wonder Icelandic lamb meat is so tasty. This past weekend saw the first sheep being rounded up and driven into sorting pens, or réttir, and there will be round-ups [...]
