Airwaves: Day Four

Last night was the last night of on-venue Airwaves gigs. There are still things going on today and this evening, but the main festival is essentially over. I am very sad about that fact, because it has been such a wonderful experience.

Last night I concentrated my energy on the Reykjavík art gallery, where I saw Biggi, Leaves, The Cribs and the Kaiser Chiefs. After this, it was on to Iðnó to see Leave Calmer.

Biggi were the perfect band to start my evening off with: they were light, energetic and accessible. Their catchy tunes and impressive use of xylophone, accordion, flute, violin, drums and guitars made for a memorable set - although not a life-changing set.

I have heard some bad mouthing of Leaves recently and I wouldn't like to speculate on their interaction with other Icelandic bands - but I do still like their music and was really looking forward to seeing them live. They were a lot louder and heavier than they sound on CD, which I liked, but also felt that they are a better recording band than live. Their ghostly, mournful style is lost on stage. The set was not exactly disappointing, just not as good as I wanted it to be.

The Cribs come highly recommended, not least by the Kaiser Chiefs, who selected them as support for their tour dates - and Airwaves. They made far more noise than three people should be able to and were extremely good at doing what they do. What they do is simple, honest rock music with guitar, vocals, bass and drums. The problem for me was that they paled in comparison to all the other more interesting bands I had seen over the past days.

The Kaiser Chiefs rocked. Playing a good variety of songs from their old album and their upcoming one, they didn't fall into the old trap of putting too much emphasis on their biggest hits or on their unreleased material. Furthermore, each band member seemed to be playing to prove themselves to a foreign audience. The Kaisers obviously didn't like the quiet Icelandic crowds and set out from the beginning to get some participation the only way they know how - by asking for it and by playing their socks off. It worked too; the audience were far louder and more animated than at any other Airwaves gig I was at.

Finally, Leave Calmer were/was the perfect wind-down. All-bar-one band members had to pull out at the last minute and stay home in Florida to work, so the gig consisted of the lead singer and an acoustic guitar. The audience were all sat on the floor, and we numbered 22. I was a little surprised to see so few people at one of only two shows running that late, but the small numbers really worked with the music. With a sound very reminiscent of Jeff Buckley, as well as Dashboard Confessional, it was all about the singing. His mastery of a guitar was adequate, but not expert, but the opposite is true of his voice. From honey to gravel in the space of a word, he can whisper falsetto and scream like an angel.

Don't get too depressed now it's all over…

Alex Elliott