Airwaves 2017 – Day 2 – Pixeled Passport

| 02-Nov-2017 | Lazy morning. We finally left the apartment around noon for lattés and some shopping before meeting up again at Bío Paradís for a DJ set by Kudaboli. Unfortunately he cancelled at the last minute, but it did provide an opportunity to meet Airwaves veterans Matthew and Tania from Vancouver. We’ve seen them at the airport and at shows over the years but had never “met” them. Well, that changed today. It was fun to connect, rehash old Airwaves shows and share our plans for the coming days.

After a DJ set from Andí, we bounced over to Mat Bar, a new-to-us restaurant, but alas they were not serving food at 3:30pm so we moved on. Dude, it’s a tapas bar and deli, how can you *not* be serving? Anyway, Íslenskī barinn it is. We enjoyed a late lunch while taking in one of the weirdest, most awkward sets I’ve seen in a long time. Think Weird Al as a girl, in a duet, wearing a square-dance ensemble.

We found our way to KEX for a 6pm set by Glintshake, a Russian post-punky 5-piece. So much fun! The crowd at KEX got into the show quickly and were appreciative of the effort the band put forth over 30 minutes. Solid set by this veteran band.

After the show we hung around and chatted with a few of the KEXP staffers we’ve gotten to know over the years, comparing notes about what we had seen, or planned to see over the duration of the festival.

We had a couple of venues on our list of the evening, starting out at Gamla Bío. Kicking off the evening was Godchilla – a surfy-doom rock 3-piece. This venue has a movie screen behind the stage so the bands can have a visual element to their show. It’s always interesting to see the video the band prepares to accompany their music.

After Godchilla, we were descended upon by Une Misère and the 3-guitar attack. Dark, loud, fast and intense, Une Misère comes at you for a solid 40 minutes stopping only occasional to stare at you. Throw in stage lighting, the lead singer wading into the crowd and guitarists jumping off amps, this guys brought it.

Next up, the band we really came to see, Hatari. Our friend Leana told us it was an “experience” and that’s an apt description for the visual and sonic landscape put forth by Hatari. Creepy video, smoke machine, bondage gear and zombied-out dancers, Hatari was easily the best show we’ve ever seen at Airwaves (300+ shows in 9 years!)

After Hatari, Jeff and I bounced over the Gaukaurinn to check out a band from Hong Kong while Berto and J stayed to see Grísalappalísa.

At Gaukaurinn we caught a set by Soffía Björg (pictured), a very talented singer-songwriter.

The band we came to see, ANWIYCTI, from Hong Kong, was OK. We couldn’t really see the show because we’d move to the back by the exit to make a getaway to Dr. Spock.

We regrouped at Hûrra for the incomparable Dr. Spock. They weren’t scheduled to play this year, so when their show was announced on Wednesday, we cleared our schedule. Always a good time – huge mosh, sing-a-long and 40 minutes of high-energy shenanigans by the Drs.

Wrapped up the evening with hotdogs at Bæjarins Best Pulsur again. Probably the last time for a couple of days – we give this spot a wide parameter on Friday and Saturday nights: drunk fest.