Eistnaflug Festival 2015
Dates: 08.07. – 11.07.2015
Location: Neskaupstaður
Eistnaflug 2015 – the most brilliant festival in the world
Over many years I have gathered festival and concert experience all around the world. Many great memories are tied to it, and I associate many special moments with the most varied locations. As a long-time Wacken reporter (since 2001), I have also gained plenty of experience with a festival that once a year turns an entire village upside down.
For many years, my passion for music has been joined by a deep connection to the far north. Not only musically, but also because of its people and its incredible nature, Iceland has captured my heart. I have travelled to this beautiful island 14 times and have come to know and love it. All the more curious was I in 2014, when I decided for the first time to visit Eistnaflug Festival in the island's East Fjords. Much like Wacken, the small town of Neskaupstaður, with around 1,500 inhabitants, lies in an extremely exposed spot in a remote valley – and its population almost doubles every July. Once a year this town, too, is in a state of emergency: music lovers from all over Iceland, and by now from many different countries around the world, make the pilgrimage to a town that can only be reached through a small, single-lane tunnel at an altitude of 700 metres, to listen to a broad musical portfolio of rock and metal.
I was already thrilled by the whole atmosphere in 2014. As soon as you have mastered the adventurous tunnel – which is second to none – you are rewarded with an incredibly beautiful view of a dreamlike mountain landscape stretching all the way to the shore of the sea. After a few kilometres you reach the town sign of Neskaupstaður. The festival offers two campsites: a family campsite and one for everyone who wants to party late into the night. As in the previous year, we chose the party campsite and pitched our tents. After a walk of about 15 minutes we reached the actual festival grounds, which – owing to the Icelandic weather – consist of a large sports hall. Whereas last year a hotel in town had been the centre of the action, this year the organisers realised that the festival had grown so much that it needed to move to a bigger hall. Unlike many German festival organisers, they implemented this perfectly – to say it up front, I have rarely experienced a festival that was so well organised and yet so relaxed. After receiving the usual festival wristbands, we learned that this year a kind of waste and toilet fee was being charged, which earned us another wristband. Completely understandable when you consider what a good 1,500 people leave behind.
After the first beer we met our Icelandic friends Hallveig and Jón (www.stuckiniceland.com), who had travelled from Reykjavík. Together we started the festival with a truly brilliant band, Kontinuum. From the front row we experienced a really great start to the festival, which of course we had to celebrate properly. Because, based on last year's experience, I hadn't applied for a photo pass (it hadn't been necessary last year), I discovered that due to the festival's growth there was a separate photo pit this year. With the help of Hallveig and Jón, sorting this out was completely uncomplicated. At this point, a big thank you to the organisers as well – I have never received help so easily. For me, that is something typically Icelandic, and one of the many reasons why I feel so connected to this country.
After fortifying ourselves with a pizza (one of the best I have ever eaten) at the nearby pizzeria, we got back to the hall just in time to see Carcass. The English band was one of the few foreign bands that get to play this exclusive festival each year. With their mix of grindcore and death metal, Carcass immediately turned up the heat and got the front rows moving. The first hair started flying while Carcass played a set made up mostly of classics.
After a few more beers the time had finally come. The band of the evening, eagerly awaited not only by me but by most of the other festival-goers: Sólstafir.
As soon as Aðalbjörn and his boys took the stage, the audience began to cheer and celebrate the band. There isn't really much to write about Sólstafir. Anyone who has had the chance to see this brilliant band live will understand what I mean. Aðalbjörn in particular knows how to captivate his audience from the very first moment. This charismatic frontman, together with the incredibly atmospheric sounds and the exceptionally good sound in the hall, turned the concert into a true experience. When the whole hall then sang along to the incredibly brilliant song “Fjara”, the mood reached its absolute peak for me.
A perfect festival day drew to a close, and we crawled into our cold sleeping bags. At some point, late at night, I dozed off, hearing the singing of the party-loving campers in the far distance.
When I woke up at around 10 the next morning, felt the fresh but dry air and noticed the silence, I turned over comfortably in my sleeping bag once more and enjoyed being able to fall asleep again. Once the tent was packed – unfortunately this was our last festival day, as our flight home to Germany was approaching and it's a long way to Reykjavík – we met Hallveig and Jón at around 11 for a late breakfast and decided to drive to the neighbouring town of Eskifjörður for a coffee and a visit to the local maritime museum.
We returned to the festival hall just in time for “Lights On The Highway”. The Icelanders, who describe their music as “a little bit of everything”, rocked the stage and were the perfect start to the day.
The Vintage Caravan took the stage next and immediately added some variety with their outfits and styling. Squeezed into tight dresses and nylon tights, they bounced across the stage like rubber balls and rocked. They hardly allowed themselves a minute's rest, and their set flew by.
Vallenfyre from the UK then offered a bit of a contrast. The band of the former Paradise Lost guitarist got the audience moving with their old-school death metal.
As this wasn't really my kind of music, we took the opportunity to visit the merch stand and the brilliant burger van. Over a beer and a cup of coffee the time flew by, and soon it was time for Dimma.
The local heroes from Iceland had won over their audience the moment they stepped on stage. Singer Stefán impressed with his clear, beautiful voice, backed by Dimma's distinctive sound. Not only vocally but also in terms of their stage show, Dimma were absolutely convincing – guitarist Ingó in particular amazed me again and again with his acrobatic stunts. For everyone visiting Reykjavík, it's worth mentioning that bassist Silli runs a really brilliant bar called “Skúli” in Reykjavík, which thanks to Jón I have already been able to test extensively.
Inquisition from the USA created a completely different atmosphere with corpse paint and an icy black metal sound. The band, consisting of just two members, played their set without any great highs or lows – typical black metal with few surprises.
Alongside Skálmöld, Enslaved were the band of the day for me. I have loved the music and albums of this Norwegian metal band of the very first hour for a long time. Besides their brilliant music, Enslaved have one thing above all to offer: charisma. Singer Grutle and guitarist Ivar in particular make sure that the attentive listener never gets bored for a single minute. Enslaved's musical blend of clean vocals, snarling black metal vocals, melodic passages and rock-hard riffs, underpinned by lyrics drawn mainly from Norse mythology, has captivated me for a long time – and did so once again. Unfortunately the time flew by, especially when my two favourite songs, “Ethica Odini” and “Allfaðr Oðinn”, were played.
With the last band of the evening, our farewell to this year's Eistnaflug Festival unfortunately drew ever closer.
Nevertheless, the anticipation for Skálmöld prevailed. Above all, I was looking forward to seeing singer Björgvin again – we share a loose friendship and have been running into each other at one festival or another every year for quite a while now. So I was especially pleased that Björgvin spotted me in the photo pit and said hello.
As usual, Skálmöld went full throttle at this year's Eistnaflug Festival as well. The very large audience thanked them with loud choruses, flying hair and plenty of action. You could literally see the band's joy of playing, and exactly this mood spread like wildfire through the whole hall.
The show ended far too soon, and after saying our extensive goodbyes we set off on the long road back to Reykjavík.
For everyone I have managed to infect with my enthusiasm for this extraordinary festival, here are a few facts:
We have always combined the festival with a tour around the whole island or into the Icelandic highlands. That way you can truly experience and enjoy the wonderful nature and the hospitality of the Icelanders. The contrast between nature and festival – which isn't really a contrast at all, as the two are closely connected – is what makes this combination so interesting.
The drive from Reykjavík is 715 kilometres if you take the route via the north of the island. This journey of almost nine hours is best split into at least two stages. Icelandic nature is so beautiful and varied that you should take a little more time.
The three festival days cost about 150 euros – an entirely normal price for a four-day festival. As alcohol is very expensive in Iceland, however, you should factor that into your budget.
A good rental car, a good tent and above all a good sleeping bag make your stay considerably more comfortable.
For everyone who needs more information, here are the most important links:
The festival websites:
https://www.facebook.com/EistnaflugFestival
Stuck In Iceland, for everyone who wants to learn more about Iceland off the usual tourist trails, with lots of tips on travelling on a budget:
And of course, more about me:
http://www.eldborg.de
All in all, my verdict is simple: Eistnaflug, see you again next year!
