The Machine is Deaf
June 17, 1944, the greatest minds in Iceland convened on the banks of Lake Þingvallavatn to declare independence. From this day on, this nation should be a sovereign state, free [
Just the Same Old Rainbow
The first thing I thought walking into the concert was “God, what a lot of people.” Hraun, playing at Rúbin this past Monday, managed to pack every table with eager […]
Office Skills for Foreigners
Since 2006, Menntaskólinn í Kópavogi (MK) has been offering a course in Office Skills for students over the age of 20 who don’t speak fluent Icelandic. The
Overpriced Bargaining A-Hoy!
Hundreds of Icelanders convened in an empty warehouse on the outskirts of Reykjavík last weekend. While the levels of excitement displayed by the hefty crowd are usually reserved
Dormah
Youngsters Muck were already in full swing by the time I arrived at the tiny room on the second level of Bar 11, which somebody had sadly mistaken as a […]
Mike Monday
Everybody makes mistakes and I guess that really applies to everyone, even the Icelandic music-moguls of Jón Jónsson. But what was it that made this concert so gut-wrenchingly, h
Super Mama Djombo
A week prior to the concert I received the Super Mama Djombo CD Ar Puro, and as soon as the notes hit my ear drums I was hooked. The positive […]
Rizzo Pizzeria
Nothing beats a good pizza, right? OK, that’s not entirely true, but I think we can all agree that a good pizza is one on the fundamental elements of life […]
City Slicker Rides Again
It’s Friday morning, around quarter past nine and me, the photographer, and an older Danish man and his wife are being driven to Laxnes in Mosfellssveit by Þórarinn “Póri”
Forget the Foot Massager
Working for no money sucks. Gaining experience and insight into things you didn’t know you could do and learning more about yourself and the world in which you live in […]
The little country leading the way
We know that Iceland has one of the highest fertility rates in the European Union, one of the highest divorce rates, and the highest percentage of women working outside the [&helli
The View From the Top
Despite its name, Iceland is not all that icy. In fact, you’ll have to go through some trouble for a first hand experience of ice here in the summer time […]
Your Guide to This Summer’s Releases
This year’s highlight is obviously Sigur Rós’ announced release of their first studio album since 2005’s Takk. But wait, that’s not all. 2007 was a very fruitful year
The Grapevine’s Euro 2008 Pool
The highlight of the summer is going to be the UEFA’s European Football Championship. Either that or the Olympics. It’s a toss up really. Either way, it looks like everybody [&
The 12th Man – Diary of a Soccer Fan
Since the last issue of Reykjavik Grapevine, both the men’s and women’s national soccer teams have played matches. The men met up with the boys of Wales in a friendly […
Reykjavík – the Insiders Guide
Summer is on – again, which means the streets of Reykjavík are crowded with tourists – again. Like an invading army, they more or less take over the city, making […]
Everything is Ridiculously Expensive in Iceland
Dr. Gunni – the Dr. J. of the consumer watchdogs. Gunnar Hjálmarsson (AKA Dr. Gunni) is a musician, author, journalist and blogger who, until recently, was probably best known f
Rock n’ Roll Noise Pollution
“If these bands sounded more obviously alike, it would probably be a lot easier for them to break internationally. If you had a couple of mini Sigur Róses coming from […]
The Road To Oblivion
Many years ago upon having just finished Art School in my home town of Melbourne I spent 2 months travelling around Vietnam. At one very memorable point on that trip […]
The Most Expensive Icelandic Film
Much Ado About Something The project has received considerable publicity over the last few months. The script was written by Dagur Kári himself, and has won several awards amongst
Reinventing Reykjavík
On Saturday May 10, the second half of a two-day international conference ‘Reinventing Harbour Cities – Urban Planning and Art in Public Space’ takes place at the Nordic Hous