Ninety-nine Countries & Counting
Wally is an Australian clown who spends most of his time travelling around the world to make people laugh. He’s been to an astounding 99 countries so far and his […]
A Day In the Sun
“When we get to the airport we’ll make a 15 minute stop to make sure everyone can use the bathroom. There are no public toilets in town, so you better […]
The War Against Frugality
On June 8, 1986, Bad Taste, Inc. was formally established. Intended to be a creative outlet for those artists and activists who had grown disillusioned with the staleness and prudi
Put Down The Drink and Step Away From The Clown
I’ve always wanted to open one of these pieces with the words: “I had a strange encounter with a clown the other day…” – and now I’ve blown my only […]
Optical Mouse
If you have ever hurled a mouse across the room in frustration after hours of careful tweezing and poking at its innards solved nothing and only caused additional problems – [&he
JÓNI JÓNS AT TURPENTINE
“In the continent of personal dreams that lie beyond the reality of the mirror stands a vast area of conflict, where the power of imagination rules and symbols really matter [&he
KOJA – KOJA
Forced yet sloppy, random yet predictable, difficult yet forgettable – it’s amazing how many times Koja can contradict their own music without really going anywhere. It’s jus
Ítalía
It’s a bit odd to write a restaurant review about a place you have been frequenting for over a decade, so this isn’t going to be a walk through an […]
MORÐINGJARNIR – Í GÖTUNNI MINNI
High-velocity trashcan punk from the not-so-gritty streets of suburban Iceland, this scant half-hour of awkwardly political sound-destruction plays and feels tight and well-constru
A Tuba
Tónastöðin Seeking new and amazing ways to irritate your friends and neighbours? Want to study an instrument, but afraid that a guitar would make you look too conformist? And ar
Darrell Scott – The Invisible Man
Shallow, pathetic and soulless country-pop without a hint of originality, the clichés run riot on this utter tripe, Darrell Scott’s sixth attempt to make music of his own as opp
Pretty Music, Ugly Spectacle
The stage set-up for Bubbi Morthens’ three-hour, live-on-TV, straight-to-DVD, 50th birthday show was beyond anything I had ever seen an Icelandic artist perform upon. There were
Thugz on Parole – Rape Time!
Although live recordings seldom do hip-hop bands justice, Thugs On Parole’s performance at Hitt Húsið may just be the single most energetic, hilarious, bracing and altogether p
Lára – Þögn
Foregoing unnecessary complications and abstract pretences, singer/songwriter Lára Rúnarsdóttir’s sophomore release, is at times, an honest, pretenceless portrayal of heartbre
The Besties – Singer
Eighties throwback girl-pop constantly on the brink of collapsing into indie gimmickry, the Besties ‘major’-label debut is made to be listened to religiously in the low-rent Ne
Watching Whales in Action
“Did you see any whales?” was the first question I was asked as I returned to the Grapevine office after a whale-watching boat trip in Faxaflói bay. The answer was […]
A Weird Tour of Haunted Reykjavík
I didn’t really know what to expect from a tour advertised only as “Icelandic Haunted Sightseeing Walks,” but in retrospect, I suppose the fact that the Haunted Iceland websi
Why I Love Press Conferences
We had a lot of very important people in Iceland earlier this month. On 8 June, the 6th Annual Baltic Sea State Summit was held at Hotel Nordica. In attendance […]
If You’re Actually Into World Domination
Gaming is all well and good, but, as we pointed out a few issues ago, the new Sony PSP portable gaming unit’s incredible screen resolution and performance make it ideal […
Playstation Goes Cosa Nostra
The Godfather trilogy surely ranks amongst the best movies ever made. Phrases such as “make him an offer he can’t refuse” have become part of popular culture, and the theme [