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The Grapevine Music Awards 2021: The Winners Are Here!
Oh, you thought a pandemic would stop us? No way! It’s January, and that means the Grapevine Music Awards 2021 is here! As is tradition, we at the Grapevine once again (virtually) convened a panel of...
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The High Cost Of Living: Renting And Being Foreign In Reykjavik
Upon first moving to Iceland, the primary factor that must be arranged is a place to live; if one is from outside the European Economic Area, in most cases this has to be established before even...
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The Sleeping Giant: Earthquakes And Volcanoes In Reykjanes
By the time you read this, a volcano may have erupted in Reykjanes, Iceland’s southwestern peninsula and the home of the Keflavík International Airport. It’s also possible that the magma currently...
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From Reykjavík To Rainy-Vík: A Stormy South Coast Trip
We had a great plan for this month’s travel feature: a road trip along the south coast of Iceland, a journey to Nauthúsagil Waterfall and telling the fascinating yet haunting history of the ravine....
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Tales Of A Michigan Boy: The Open Book Of John Grant
“I suppose I never really tire of going back over my life, and trying to figure out what the fuck happened.” John Grant—musician of international renown and Reykjavík resident for the last decade—has...
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Iceland’s MeToo Movement: Breaking The Cycle
Last month, the greater Icelandic public was reminded that the MeToo movement never really went away. This was kicked off when two women came forward on May 5th saying that the well-known podcaster and...
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The Message In The Magma: The Geldingadalir Eruption Site Is Growing—What...
On March 19th, 2021, the world’s gaze turned to Iceland as fissures opened in the Geldingadalir valley—the first eruption on the Reykjanes peninsula in over 800 years. Initially, scientists predicted...
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Cleaning House: ÚTL, Evictions and Deportations to Greece
Last spring, the Directorate of Immigration (ÚTL) made an executive decision that would thrust the institution into the spotlight of criticism that extended from the general public and into the halls...
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The Full Spectrum Of Life: A New Day For Hipsumhaps
Hipsumhaps first made a splash on the Icelandic music scene in 2019 with their first album, ‘Best Gleymdu Leyndarmálin’ (‘Best Forgotten Secrets’), bringing dreamy, guitar-driven indie pop to a scene...
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Being Nonbinary: In Iceland And Everywhere
The existence of nonbinary people is gaining slow but steady recognition in many Eurocentric countries—Iceland included. While we celebrate the fact that Iceland officially allows for a third legal...
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Crowded House: Parliamentary Elections In The Pandemic
Correction: Independence Party candidate Viktor Ingi Lorange is, in fact, neither an immigrant nor of foreign extraction, despite his inclusion amongst these candidates. This was a mistake on my part,...
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From ‘What If’ To Reality: GDRN Talks Storytelling Through Music And Acting
Telling your story takes courage. Telling someone else’s story takes empathy. Guðrún Ýr Eyfjörð Jóhannesdóttir, or GDRN as she’s known in front of the mic, is no stranger to either. First launching...
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The View From The Piano: Damon Albarn’s Love Affair With Iceland
I’m at the Reykjavík home of Damon Albarn of Blur and Gorillaz fame, sitting in his living room—an enormous space whose defining feature is the window spanning the entirety of one wall, offering a view...
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A Night Out With The Demons: Skrattar Is Keeping The Rockstar Lifestyle Alive
We’ve all heard wild tales of rock bands’ raucous nights with groupies, drugs and wacky behaviour. However, it seems like this destructive culture is dying out. Gone are the nights when TVs were thrown...
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The Personal Is Political: Podcaster & Activist Edda Falak On Misogyny,...
Long-time readers of the Grapevine may have noticed a series of stories over the past few years on prominent, often powerful, Icelandic men being revealed to have crossed boundaries of consent with...
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The Optimist: First Lady of Iceland, Eliza Reid, On Her New Book, Writing,...
Eliza Reid, the Canadian-born journalist and writer who ended up First Lady of Iceland after her husband, historian Guðni Th. Jóhannesson, was elected President in 2016, is probably the most...
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Those Who Left And Those Who Stayed, Part 1: The Uncanny Proximity Of War
On the morning of February 24th, the world woke to the news that after weeks of sabre rattling, Russia had invaded Ukraine. Since then, some four million people have fled the country, while others have...
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Those Who Left And Those Who Stayed, Part 2: Choosing The Less Worst Thing
On the morning of February 24th, the world woke to the news that after weeks of sabre rattling, Russia had invaded Ukraine. Since then, some four million people have fled the country, while others have...
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Treasure Ísland
Jón Ársæll’s latest work documents a 60-year search for gold “This is not the film I set out to make,” says Jón Ársæll Þórðarson in his distinct, gentle timbre, peering intently from behind round,...
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Celebrating Imagination: DesignMarch Is Back In Full Swing
Iceland’s largest design festival, DesignMarch, is about to return for its 14th year running—in May. Although the pandemic forced it to bend to the numerous restrictions over the past two years, it did...
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