The Icelandic Underdog Weekend List
Those parading an Iceland-shaped heart on their sleeve after getting hooked on the tunes of folk troop Of Monsters and Men may be interested to know this isn’t the first time the Nordic country has produced such a creative success story.
Sigur Rós, Björk and Emilíana Torrini all hail from the mysterious island country – the intriguing underdog on the world’s creative plate. This cool-climated land ranked ninth in the world in this year’s World Happiness Report (Australia ranked tenth) and Icelanders are known to be proud of their Viking heritage and to believe in elves. It is also one of the only countries to encourage the fishing and eating of whale.
To inject a little Icelandic culture into your weekend (without eating whale), head along to see Ólafur Arnalds play at The Spiegeltent this Sunday September 22. This young composer and multi-instrumentalist began his musical career as a drummer in a series of Icelandic metal bands before voyaging into the neo-classical realm. Performing in Australia for the first time, Ólafur will lull the mind with his stirring, majestic piano and violin.
To find out more about what’s on in Brisbane, head to our Event Guide.
