Almost Infamous
“I guess Frank, the guitarist, got too drunk and he passed out onstage and he landed on me. I thought he was pushing me, so I may have decided to […]
What the Media Didn’t Report
Norwegians, our old masters and forefathers, have become one of the richest nations on earth after finding oil off their shores at the end of the 1960s. Norway is currently [&helli
Shalimar
Shalimar is a restaurant that several members of the Grapevine staff like to frequent, and its friendly service and authentic South Asian cuisine once earned it our Bezt í Heimi [
Hótel holt
Ah, Hótel Holt. A fancy hotel with an even fancier restaurant and home to what must be the fanciest art gallery this side of Fancyland. This reviewer has fond childhood […]
Reading Light Clip
A tiny little spotlight with a clip that you stick on your book cover. It provides just enough light for you to read, and yet not enough light to disturb […]
Vespa
Wild, unpredictable and rebellious – if any of these adjectives pertain to you, you might want to consider getting yourself a Vespa. Although loud and impractical, they provide a
Blackspot Sneaker
The union-made, earth-friendly, anti-sweatshop, cruelty-free and pro-grassroots sneaker. Blackspot sneakers are made from organic hemp, vegetarian leather and recycled tire soles.
Iceland Review
Entering our fourth year, the Grapevine takes our collective hat off to Iceland Review, now in its 44th year of operation. What is more, the English-language cultural magazine has
A Great Protest, Utterly Ignored By the Government
The first thing to strike me about the Friends of Iceland protest march on May 27th, Election Day, were the freaks. When you’ve been living in Reykjavík for a decent […]
Davíð’s Deal
“What had until then (the departure of American military forces from Iceland) been regarded as Iceland’s ‘trump card,’ the military defence agreement, has now been rendered
Lækjarbrekka
Situated in one of the older buildings in downtown Reykjavík (built in 1834), Lækjarbrekka has been a celebrated institution of fine dining since the location was extensively ren
Reykjavik Gets Tropical
The saxophonist for Zappa Plays Zappa provided us with one of the most surreal, and possibly precognizant, quotes in the history of the Grapevine: he asked us if Iceland was [&hell
Sleater-Kinney Interview
The Riot Grrl threesome of Carrie Brownstein, Janet Weiss and Corin Tucker, collectively known as Sleater-Kinney has been touring Europe in support of the latest release, The Woods
Kamp Knox – A Tad 65
I fucking swear I’m going to pull a Tsar Nicholas II on these indie/lo-fi/folk motherfuckers soon. I know exactly how I’m going to do it, too: I’ll advertise an album [&helli
Poachers Too – As in Also
Sad, pathetic excuses for lyrics pockmark this otherwise smooth ride of well-written and well-played folk that is as pleasing to the ear as it is unlikely to revisit your memory, [
The Beasties – The Beasties
Cheerfully sweet pop only identifiable as being off-the-beaten-path by the rough-hewn production quality and sometimes obscure subject matter of the lyrics, this is a sometimes int
Powersolo – Egg
Fuzzy, pompous, raunchy to the point of being overbearing and a dead ringer for a punk band covering the theme music to a Gidget movie: Yup, three more of Jon […]
Harp Inspires Hyperbole
There was art in the air. Everybody was wearing woollen sweaters and scarves or hats or drapes they had ripped down to sew a gown. The first act of the […]
Fat Old Guy Mocks Pretty Girl
Arriving at Laugardalshöllin to see the Ian Anderson concert, I felt like this was the opening night at an oversized old folks’ home. Most of the people there had 50 […]
15 Great Minutes
It was my deep respect for Palli, guitarist from the pop band Maus, that led me to restrain a section of the audience from launching a surprisingly heavy ashtray (note […]
The Private Show
The atmosphere at NASA prior to the start of Coco Rosie’s set did not point towards a terribly enjoyable evening. The crowd was of the vegetarian coffeehouse variety, consisting