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ICELAND AIRWAVES CLOSES FOR ANOTHER YEAR On the streets of Reykjavik this morning, the sound of Iceland Airwaves had been replaced by a chorus of suitcases being wheeled along the footpaths, as more foreign visitors than is usual for a typical Monday morning headed home.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 [...]
A PHOTO OF THE SKY ABOVE DOWNTOWN REYKJAVIK HALF AN HOUR AGO. I’ve often heard people say that the big disadvantage of living in downtown Reykjavík is that you never get a good dose of Northern Lights. I guess you shouldn’t believe everything you hear.
JEFFERSON HAMER AND EAMON O’LEARY DELIVER A SUPERB PERFORMANCE AT REYKJAVIK’S CAFÉ ROSENBERG. I last blogged about a couple of big names coming to Iceland next month, but it’s good to know that no matter when you visit, there are local and international live acts to choose from almost any day of the week. Last [...]
