Approximately 200 bands and DJ’s performed at this years Iceland Airwaves, two-thirds of which were local acts. For all good reasons it was impossible to catch them all, but out of the almost 20 acts covered by ALL SCANDINAVIAN there was five who stood out and deserve a little extra attention:

Ólafur Arnalds
With a background in heavy metal, Ólafur Arnalds is on paper the unlikely hero of classical music (and the indie scene for that matter), but his compositions – some spiced up with a little electronica – are pure emotional force, impossible to ignore. LISTEN!

Borko
Another call for big emotions came from Borko (aka Björn Kristjánsson) and his band, who, for a short while, created a beautiful hole in the space-time continuum with their set of moving soundscapes. LISTEN!

Hjaltalín (Photo)
Musically this 10-piece is one of the most competent acts around and they got the songs to match in their catchy mix of indiepop, jazz and bits of classical music, actually managing to make the bassoon indie-cool in the process. LISTEN!

FM Belfast
The biggest party creators I’ve seen in a long while. Caught them a second time Saturday night at packed venue NASA and again they were brilliant, this time adding a one-eared bear to the on- and offstage excess. Great fun and cool tunes. LISTEN!

Dikta
Power-pop brigade daring to have a political agenda and knowing exactly how to not overdo it. Big songs delivered with superb confidence and lead singer Haukur Heiðar Hauksson shining bright. LISTEN!