The first edition of Iceland’s biggest international music event was held in an airplane hanger in 1991. Not quite your atypical venue for a festival, but then again Airwaves isn’t your average music event.
With Reykjavik’s population being around 120,000 people its extraordinary that this music festival has attracted revered names and many punters to this small Scandinavian country.
While supporting its own rich talent pool of artists – which has bore witness to the careers of Sigur Ros, Bjork and Emiliana Torrini no less – Airwaves brings together some of the worlds most hyped up and comers along with a few more established artists.
The festivals ability to attract international headliners to Iceland is evidenced by the likes of The Shins, The Rapture, TV On The Radio, Florence and the Machine, Klaxons, Hot Chip, Flaming Lips, Wolf Parade, Bloc Party and Fatboy Slim.
While the event’s success is initially surprising given the locale of Iceland and its size, the reasons behind its praise are less ambiguous when you account for its rich music scene and Reykjavik’s thriving nightlife.
Combine that with beautiful landscapes and over 200 acts across 12 venues and you have a festival that despite its size is one of the best music events to experience across the globe.
Lineup
With the full lineup far from finalised the good folks at Airwaves have announced a few acts to wet your appetite months away from the event date. Psych rock legends The Flaming Lips will headline with their trademark confetti filled show. While one of the early breakout acts of 2014 East India Youth will perform songs from his standout debut album, Total Strife Forever.
Other acts to look out for at the event include New Zealand’s Tiny Ruins, Brighton six-piece Blaenavon, the ambiguous Jungle and art pop locals Highlands amongst others.
Keep your eye out on this page as more lineup details surface.
When and Where.
Musicians from all over the world will descend upon Iceland for this conference from November 5th to the 9th. The festival is held in the country’s capital of Reykjavik.
How To Get There?
Flights to the Iceland airport of Keflavík generally include two stopovers in Abu Dhabi or Singapore and Amsterdam or Paris (if you’re flying with Air France).
Read below for the estimated pricing for flights from major Australian cities that were available at the time of writing.
Adelaide: Return flights from $2000 with two stops, or three stops from $3600.
Brisbane: Return flights from $2000 with two stops, or three stops from $3000.
Melbourne: Return flights from $1800 with two stops.
Perth: Return flights from $1900 with two stops.
Sydney: Return flights from $2000 with two stops.
Keflavík airport is between 30-45 minutes from Reykjavik. While you could taxi it to the capital we recommend you take either Flybus or Airport Express to get to the city. Flybus has a service connected with every flight, however they do charge an extra $5 to be dropped off at major hotels. By comparison that service is free with Airport Express but for a guaranteed departure with this company you must book in advance.
Both transportation companies charge around $20 for a one-way service.
Once you’ve reached Reykjavik its time to relax. There are no logistical difficulties in making you way around the city. With Airwaves situated across various venues in downtown Reykjavik each event is within 10 minutes walking distance of each other.
Where To Stay?
As Reykjavik is a small city choosing where to stay is pain-free. No matter what hostel, hotel or guesthouse you book it’ll be relatively close to the events.
For hostels we recommend Bus Hostel, Hlemmur Square, Kex Hostel, Loft Hostel and Reykjavik Backpackers.
Hotel wise you’ve got Radisson Blu Saga Hotel, Hotel Reykjavik Centrum, Hilton Reykjavik Nordica and Grand Hotel Reykjavik.
How To Get Tickets
To get a wristband for the festival and conference click this link. Entry into the events that take place during this five-day event is valued at 18,500 Icelandic Krona or $188 AUD. Tickets for the Flaming Lips must be bought separately and are worth around $90 AUD
Insider Tips & Things You Should Know
Fancy experiencing live music in one of the 25 wonders of the world (according to National Geographic)? The Blue Lagoon Chill is a four-day event held at the LAVA restaurant, which is located at the geothermal spa for four days during Airwaves. For more information and bookings follow this link.
To pick up your wristband festival-goers can either head to the Media Centre or to Brim, a local clothing store. Be aware that 7000 other people will also be trying to get their own wristbands, so while patience is necessary Airwaves recommends you print off your confirmation email and bring photo ID along to speed up the process. For more details and addresses of where to get you wristbands click here.
Much like SXSW entrance into a band’s set is subject to availability. Some of the bigger acts or even the buzz bands attract quite a few punters. While the earlier you lineup the better, don’t be surprised if you’re standing outside the venue for some amount of time.
Iceland can be very cold (although Reykjavik’s weather at this time of year can be unpredictable) and venues can be quite hot and sweaty. This creates a dilemma when you realize that not all Reykjavik venues have cloakrooms. So while a warm jacket is necessary outside make sure you wear something light underneath to ensure you don’t boil once inside.
While many of the shows end at 2.00am there are several special events and bars that open late for those keen to party on. Where are these after-parties? It’s a secret only those who are organizing them are privy to, but we can assume that in this small city all you have to do is follow the noise.
For more details head to Iceland Airwaves Official Website
2013 Lineup
Electronic pioneers Kraftwerk will close this Icelandic event, however a host of international artists will also travel to the island in support of their debut records.
From the UK the electronic duo of AlunaGeorge will spruik Body Music while post-punk revivalists Savages will bring Silence Yourself to life. Just as their compatriot in producer Gold Panda will promote his sophomore album Half Of Where You Live.
Conor O’Brien’s Irish folk outfit Villagers will make their way to the Scandinavian island to play songs from {Awayland}, while American singer-songwriter Zola Jesus and Syrian music maker Omar Souleyman will perform at Airwaves.
Local star Emiliana Torrini will bring her ‘Jungle Drum’ and forthcoming Tookah record to the event. While the former The Go-Betweens singer-songwriter Robert Forster will be Australia’s one and only representative
