As everyone knows, February is the sad and short month that sits between Christmas and Easter, but thankfully we have Sónar Reykjavík to look forward to. We recommend you nab a ticket if you don’t already have one and get psyched for three days of wonder. Until then, here’s a selection of events to keep you entertained over the weekend.
Friday
Just Another Snake Cult
This lo-fi psychedelic dynamic duo (but not The Dynamic Duo) recently released a brilliant new album called ‘Cupid Makes A Fool Of Me.’ Knowing these two, however, they are just as likely to premiere completely new material on this fine evening.
– Mengi at 21:00, admission 2,000 ISK, BYOB
Slab City
Photographer Friðrik Örn lived in Slab City in Southern California last year and took some amazing pictures whilst there. For those who don’t know, Slab City is a town operating without organised government, running water, or even sewage disposal, and attracts people from all walks of life seeking freedom from the traditional structure of modern society. The exhibit is a gateway to another world, and inevitably asks if this might be a viable sustainable alternative to the society we live in. There is a special opening ceremony today from 19:00 to midnight.
– Eiðissker, February 07-28, free admission
Winter Light Festival – Museum Night
As part of the special Winter Lights Festival, forty museums in the Reykjavík area have banded together to create ‘Museum Night,’ which will offer a fun and varied programme and keep museum doors open until midnight with special events. The night will include guided walks and a complementary bus service to transfer guests between museums, as well as a literature and photography exhibit by Projekt: Polska. Participating museums include the ASÍ Art Gallery, Hönnunarsafn Íslands (Museum Of Design And Applied Art) and SÍM (Icelandic Association of Visual Artists). For a complete list of all forty participating museums, click here.
– All over the greater Reykjavík area from 18:00 to midnight, free admission
Saturday
Leoncie / Hide Your Kids
Don’t worry, we’re not saying you need to hide your kids from Icy Spicy Leoncie, she’s a great sport and entertainer. Why, 240 people have already said they will attend on Facebook, so you better get there early to catch the one and only Leoncie. If you haven’t heard of her and her splendour, then you have every right to be ashamed.
– Gamli Gaukurinn at 21:00, admission 1,000 ISK
RVK DNB #4 with Gremlinz
It’s time to rumble ‘til you drop with the fourth RVK DNB night, this time featuring Toronto DJ Gremlinz. The little monster is accompanied by the trumpet tunes of Daníel Sigurðsson from the popular Icelandic reggae/dub band Ojba Rasta and fellow DJs Agzilla, Plasmic, DJ Andre, DJ Elvar. Expect the party to keep going until the wee hours.
– Park at 22:00, free admission
Ultra Mega Technobandið Stefán Album Release Concert
While members of Ojba Rasta play their DJ set by the bar, the electrifying band Ultra Mega Technobandið Stefán, or UMTBS as they now call themselves, are having an album release concert for their new ‘!’ album. The newly formed band Highlands will warm up the crowd, and the DJs collectively known as Nuke Dukem will spin records until the sun rises.
– Harlem at 22:00, admission 1,000 ISK
Sunday
Ég Á Líf Charity Concert
María Ósk suffers from hereditary cerebral haemorrhage, a genetic disorder unique to Iceland that causes brain haemorrhages. Her mother and sister died from the disease, and María Ósk has already suffered five haemorrhages. Numerous artists are donating their time to help raise funds to further research the condition and hopefully find a cure. Amongst those appearing are Friðrik Dór, Kaleo, Bubbi Morthens, Einar Ágúst and Þórunn Antonía, as well as acts from Verslunarskólinn upper secondary school and the Police choir.
– Harpa at 20:00, admission 3,990 ISK
Harro
The exhibition displays Finish artist Harro’s pop-art period, and presents several of his best-known works from 1968 to 1972. Harro’s art is particularly relevant to contemporary Icelandic society because of the ongoing recovery from the 2008 banking crisis, as it begs us to re-evaluate cultural values and look at things from another perspective.
– Kjarvalsstaðir from February 8 to May 18, admission 1,300 ISK
Ragnar Kjartansson’s The Visitors
If you haven’t heard about The Visitors yet, you must have been living under a rock this last month. The video installation piece features a fifty-minute-long concert shot from nine different rooms of the Rockeby mansion in upstate New York. It has garnered a fair bit of international attention and was purchased by MOMA. It’s been described by the New York Times as “a mellow jam session that’s almost indistinguishable from its charmingly run-down setting — and, ultimately, an irresistible invitation to la vie bohème,” and by the Reykjavík Grapevine as “perfect”: “Go experience this piece, and then go see it again. You will be glad that you did.”
–Kling & Bang Thursdays to Sundays from 14:00 to 18:00 until February 23, free admission
This is only a fragment of the Grapevine’s listings. For the complete schedule, head over to our listings site. If you have events that you want listed, please email them to us at listings@grapevine.is.
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