"Reykjavik calling": Icelandic bands going Dutch (or should I say Frisian?)

Reykjavik was calling Holland @ Oldehoofsterkerkhof @ Leeuwarden, the Netherlands
30. August 2008
I made a translation of the review by Michiel Klont that I found on the website of 3 voor 12 about the Icelandic music @ a Dutch Festival in the North of the Netherlands (Friesland). In the Netherlands there's a tradition to have a "London Calling" festival, to support & promote English/British bands.
The band Reykjavik! @ Reykjavik calling @ Frysk Festival Leeuwarden 2008

It is a miracle that an island with just about 300,000 people produces so much nice music. Due to the success of Sigur Rós, (the bands of) Björk, and múm , pop music became the most important export article of Iceland. What is the secret behind this phenomenon? The good pop music climat? The long, dark winter nights? Not being disturbed while working on your own music, far away from the civilized world of popmusic with all the intriges and hypes? The fact is that there are hundreds of bands not only in Reykjavik, to go for world domination ...
Gerard van Klaveren, major & also Honorary Consul for Iceland to the Netherlands, got the opportunity to invite 3 popular Icelandic bands for a peformance in Friesland.
The kick-off was the band Reykjavik! Boás & Co. took over the stage. The band gave a great show, a combination of craziness & humour. Their music is a mixture of emocore, indiewave & lightly experimental powerpop.
The next band was Vax, 3 guys with guitar, Farfisa organ and drums brought a sixties sound in a modern jacket. The public liked their bluesy songs, and the covers of "Ring of fire" and "With a little help from my friends". Lovely festival music.
Third band was Sprengjuhöllin. This band is very popular in Iceland, but they make sort of Eurovision Song Contest music. The songs are OK, the band is doing an effort, but the public didn't like it because the songs are too much of the same.
Conclusion of the review:
A good stage, a perfect sound and light, a nice location, only too few people found the way to this evening. The PR had to be better for this Icelandic program.
Nice introduction to the Icelandic popmusic, the band Reykjavik! got me interested in all the other hundreds of bands from this beautiful island.
Source: 3 voor 12 Site
http://3voor12lokaal.vpro.nl/magazines/news/index.jsp?portals=66792&magazines=66793&news=1073604