Iceland 2

Iceland 1

“There's not much happening these days but the music is good. The scene has changed a lot, there are fewer bands, less people at shows, less shows and right now it's pretty much only two "collectives" that are putting things out there.

There's the PBP label/artists that are made up by a close-knit and tight group of people and then a band Muck who are quite active and like to mix things up a lot. PBP release stuff frequently and the press is always tiny but all their stuff is available on their site for free downloads.

Muck just got their first batch of their debut LP called Slaves. Check all of this stuff out because it's good and eclectic. Other than that, other bands that come into the fray are somehow connected or on friendly terms with these two entities. At that point they don't sound particularly punk or hardcore but are up for a good D.I.Y. rump.

There's no scene so to speak. I'm not sure how to pin-point it in that regard anymore because everything is in a limbo and in a different place. I guess you could by some margin call different factions/groups in this city a scene but I wouldn't be able to tell you with any certainty. It's interesting and exciting as a result.

Bands that do make a splash however and stay on the radar to a varying degree are…

Ofvitarnir


Muck


Reykjavík!


Logn


Swords Of Chaos


Klikk

Norn


Just Another Snake Cult


Buxnaskjónar


But I don't follow things closely enough to confidently assert that these bands fall under the prerequisites I just made for them. I'm sure I could be corrected on some of these points. Without a doubt I'm forgetting a couple of bands and not factoring in punk-worthy bands that don't sound very punk and hardcore but are. If you know what I mean. There are probably two reasons for this discrepancy. One: I've got a terrible memory. Two: the missing bands are probably too "underground" for me to notice them in general. Either way, no hard feelings people. Next time.

Labels and blogs:

PBP


Icelandic Hardcore
Dordingull
halifaxcollect


Reykjavik Grapevine

At this time there are no selected venues that the punks and the D.I.Y. scene relies on and acts as a place for people to congregate in that sense. Additionally there's no booking "agency" of sorts here, rather a few key individuals (usually members of aforementioned bands) that book shows and then it’s the people responsible for Eistnaflug festival and Resting Mind concerts that get things cooking from time to time.”

Iceland

"I Adapt have stopped now. They went on strong from maybe 2000 until around 2010. But while active they were probably the most active hardcore band in Iceland and one of very, very few that went abroad to play shows. The individual members of the band also did other things, for example, Þórir, made a quite succesful alternative career as My Summer as a Salvation Soldier, which was a low key musical project with some beautiful songs.

The hardcore scene in Iceland has always been, in my opinion, a part of a bigger scene which is just the heavy music scene in Iceland. The thing is, we are so few that it would be ridiculous to take up the same attitude as in the US. and other countries where hardcore kids and metal kids are enemies and can't stand each other. Here in Iceland I always felt there was a huge welcoming to each and everyone and that there was never just a hardcore show or a metal show. Often you would go to a show and the line-up would include I Adapt along with a death metal band, a progressive rock band and something else. I always liked that because I also like it all.

Heavy music shows in Iceland never had too many guests. But always a good crowd though. A band plays and then those same people become the audience. Beautiful."