Author: John Rogers
Fringe Bangs Again: Gird your loins for a wild week at the 2024 RVK Fringe Festival
by John Rogers
There’s something creeping up on Reykjavík’s cultural scene this week. It lurks on the edges of the city’s nightlife, getting…
Chasing The Phantom Spark: The Iceland-made racing game that’s gathering real momentum
by John Rogers
You are an iridescent bug, skating at high velocity across a wide, glassy surface. You speed effortlessly forward, arcing smoothly…
The Grapevine Bookclub: Sperm Banks And Erotic Sheep
by John Rogers and Valur Grettisson
Driving the Ring Road means a lot of downtime in the car. Pick up one of these books to enrich…
Strange Rewards: Cate Le Bon Dropped Out Of Music And Made A Mercury-Nominated Masterpiece
by John Rogers
At the start of the summer, talk of Cate Le Bon’s beautifully formed new LP ‘Reward’ spread like wildfire. Lauded…
Feasting On Summer At Mat Bar
by John Rogers
It’s been en vogue in recent times for Reykjavík restaurants to attach the word “seasonal” to their menu. While in…
The Vegan Food Guide: A Reykjavík ExtraVEGANza
by John Rogers, Catharine Fulton, Hannah Jane Cohen and angela rawlings
It wasn’t a million years ago that it was hard to come up with a reliable dinner recommendation for vegans…
The Renegade Mister: Mr. Silla Returns With A Pop Banger
by John Rogers
Mr. Silla’s new single is an unexpected pop banger. A far cry from the largely downtempo and emotional sound of…
DJ Playlist: Yamaho Lines Up Páll Óskar, GusGus And ILO
by John Rogers
Natalie G. Gunnarsdóttir is better known as Yamaho, a respected veteran DJ on the Reykjavík scene. Known for propulsive sets…
The Real Thing: Icelandic Teams Have Their Asses Handed To Them In Europe
by John Rogers
As the domestic Pepsi League chugs along in a state of relative stasis, the top four Icelandic teams of last…
There Is A Smite That Never Goes Out: Icelandic Football Update
by John Rogers
As the 2019-20 pre-season intensifies, the fate of our bold and mighty smiters comes into clearer focus. Of course, their…
Deff Becomes Her: A Shemanic Trance Falls Over Pride
by John Rogers
Deff is a powerful presence in the Reykjavík drag scene. The alter-ego of Neville J. Ingley, Deff delivers energetic, fast…
Icelandic Music News: Innipúkinn Festival Is Go!, MYRKFÆLNI 3 Released & More
by John Rogers
The many-splendored Icelandic music scene continues to grow and evolve apace, like No Face from Spirited Away when it was…
Fish Stew From Heaven: A Plokkfiskur-Induced Trance At Fisherman
by John Rogers
Ah, plokkfiskur, that most reliable of Icelandic comfort foods. Take some delicious hunks of fresh white fish, mash it together…
Multiple Hikers Rescued On Fimmvörðuháls Trail This Week
by John Rogers
For the third time in five days, rescue workers were called to assist a hiker who ran into trouble on…
The Seven Best Icelandic Spas To Soak The Blues Away
by John Rogers
You’ve probably heard about the borderline-magical healing powers of Icelandic spas. Unlike the heavily-chlorinated urban puddles of many mainland European…
DJ Playlist: Z Is An Icelandic DJ Who Listens To The Gods
by John Rogers
Óskar Þór Argrímsson—who performs as Z—is one of Reykjavík’s most eclectic DJs. His sets can contain anything from unfamiliar Eastern…
The Pepsi League: Hey, Why Have Just Two Sets Of Goalposts?
by John Rogers
As the Pepsi League reaches the halfway point of the 2019 season, KR Reykjavík—the black ‘n’ white magpies of Vesturbær—show…
Editorial: Of Monsters And Men—A Gateway Drug To Icelandic Music?
by John Rogers
During the making of this issue, it came as a bit of a surprise to us in the Grapevine office…
Icelandic Football News: Sexy Rúrik Smashes In A Hattrick!
by John Rogers and Greig Robertson
With just a few weeks remaining until the start of the 2019-20 season, the smiters have returned to their clubs…
The Future Sound Of Iceland: Hermigervill Releases Two Albums In Six Months
by John Rogers
Whether you know it or not, you’ve probably heard the music of Sveinbjörn Thorarensen. A producer, solo artist, master collaborator,…
Making Of An Artist: Smoke, Carbon, And A Love Supreme With Úlfur Hansson
by Úlfur Hansson and John Rogers
Úlfur Hansson is a Brooklyn-based solo musician, film composer and sound artist. He has released three albums—2008’s ‘Sweaty Psalms,’ followed…
Animals And Funk: Vínstúkan Tíu Sopar Breathes New Life Into An Old Haunt
by John Rogers
It doesn’t take long to feel at home in Vínstúkan Tíu Sopar. Five minutes after arriving, I find myself perched…
Grapevine Playlist: K.ola, Múm Vs. Kronos Quartet, ADHD, Hjaltalín, Hermigervill
by John Rogers and Felix Robertson
Live seven lightning bolts striking your prefrontal cortex, here are the latest electrifying phenomena to appear from within the Icelandic…
Hornstrandir: A Westfjords Adventure On The Trail Of The Arctic Fox
by John Rogers
We’re about an hour out of Ísafjörður harbour when the horizon suddenly tilts. As our tiny, crowded passenger boat passes…
The Secret Greenhouse: A Hidden Bathing Paradise At Heydalur
by John Rogers
It’s approaching midnight when we turn down Route 633 towards Heydalur. The rough dirt road traces the coastline of Mjóifjörður…