Iceland's madcap dance punks
What a cheerful lot!
FM Belfast is Árni, Lóa and Árni, and are usually framed by Örvar from múm and Unnsteinn from Retro Stefson. Apart from delirious pop gems in-the-making, these elfish types are also maths teachers, illustrators, running a bar in Reykjavík and apparently some of them are members of the Icelandic Eurovision song contest jury – (… ssssh!) I’ve been told this is a state secret… ClashMusic had a deliciously greasy kebab with them and took the chance to be part of their crazed world for a while.
How did you guys meet?
Lóa Hlín Hjálmtýsdóttir: Very complicated! All of us met on different occasions. On busses, in schools, in hospitals in supermarkets and flea markets.
Árni Rúnar Hlöðversson: Yeah, Unnsteinn was my maths student.
How did you come up with this name? What does it mean?
LHH: It doesn’t mean anything. We didn’t read a book or something. It was originally for another project and then we went to Belfast, we liked it and kept the name for the band.
ÁRH: It grew in meaning by going to Belfast. Now it has more meaning than ever before!
You covered “Killing In The Name Of”? How did this come about?
ÁRH: A friend gave us the idea.
LHH: We is Dutch actually. It was a Dutch idea!
Were you following the UK charts battle before Christmas?
LHH: Yeah, we were.
What do you think about it?
Örvar Þóreyjarson Smárason: It is good that people join forces to stop the bullshit.
What’s this whole idea of inviting everybody onstage?
ÖÞS: It just happens!
LHH: The security guards aren’t doing their jobs well!
Örvar, how does you being in múm interfere with FM Belfast?
ÖÞS: Well, when I don’t have time I just don’t play with FM Belfast, which is really sad.
How do you guys write music?
ÁRH: It’s me coming up with about 300 songs, but I have no way of knowing which good and which is bad, so the others are there to help me.
In what way is your music Icelandic?
LHH: Most of our ideas come from the Netherlands!
Árni Vilhjálmsson: It’s only the pronunciation!
LHH: Yeah, we pronounce the ‘r’ in Rage Against The Machine in an Icelandic way...
Is ‘Underwear’ a statement of being bored in Iceland?
ÁRH: Yeah.
LHH: Pretty much.
ÁRH: Although I also was inspired by the Goonies!
Tell us something about Iceland that most people don’t know?
ÁRH: We’re really bad and brutal at hockey.
LHH: We don’t pee on sharks, like The Lonely Planet says.
ÁV: We have a lesbian prime minister.
What’s the most memorable place you’ve ever been as a band?
ÁV: Macedonia.
Why?
ÁV: It felt like Southern Europe, but it was different.
LHH: There are old cars, Yugos and Trabants.
ÁV: The people were really nice and the coffee was great!
Any new Icelandic music tips?
ÁV: Nolo, Pedro Pilatus and Swords Of Chaos
Is there a tour in the pipeline?
ÁRH: We are going on tour in February-March and probably we’re coming to the UK too.
Words and photo by Vasilis Panagiotopoulos
FM Belfast is Árni, Lóa and Árni, and are usually framed by Örvar from múm and Unnsteinn from Retro Stefson. Apart from delirious pop gems in-the-making, these elfish types are also maths teachers, illustrators, running a bar in Reykjavík and apparently some of them are members of the Icelandic Eurovision song contest jury – (… ssssh!) I’ve been told this is a state secret… ClashMusic had a deliciously greasy kebab with them and took the chance to be part of their crazed world for a while.
How did you guys meet?
Lóa Hlín Hjálmtýsdóttir: Very complicated! All of us met on different occasions. On busses, in schools, in hospitals in supermarkets and flea markets.
Árni Rúnar Hlöðversson: Yeah, Unnsteinn was my maths student.
How did you come up with this name? What does it mean?
LHH: It doesn’t mean anything. We didn’t read a book or something. It was originally for another project and then we went to Belfast, we liked it and kept the name for the band.
ÁRH: It grew in meaning by going to Belfast. Now it has more meaning than ever before!
You covered “Killing In The Name Of”? How did this come about?
ÁRH: A friend gave us the idea.
LHH: We is Dutch actually. It was a Dutch idea!
Were you following the UK charts battle before Christmas?
LHH: Yeah, we were.
What do you think about it?
Örvar Þóreyjarson Smárason: It is good that people join forces to stop the bullshit.
What’s this whole idea of inviting everybody onstage?
ÖÞS: It just happens!
LHH: The security guards aren’t doing their jobs well!
Örvar, how does you being in múm interfere with FM Belfast?
ÖÞS: Well, when I don’t have time I just don’t play with FM Belfast, which is really sad.
How do you guys write music?
ÁRH: It’s me coming up with about 300 songs, but I have no way of knowing which good and which is bad, so the others are there to help me.
In what way is your music Icelandic?
LHH: Most of our ideas come from the Netherlands!
Árni Vilhjálmsson: It’s only the pronunciation!
LHH: Yeah, we pronounce the ‘r’ in Rage Against The Machine in an Icelandic way...
Is ‘Underwear’ a statement of being bored in Iceland?
ÁRH: Yeah.
LHH: Pretty much.
ÁRH: Although I also was inspired by the Goonies!
Tell us something about Iceland that most people don’t know?
ÁRH: We’re really bad and brutal at hockey.
LHH: We don’t pee on sharks, like The Lonely Planet says.
ÁV: We have a lesbian prime minister.
What’s the most memorable place you’ve ever been as a band?
ÁV: Macedonia.
Why?
ÁV: It felt like Southern Europe, but it was different.
LHH: There are old cars, Yugos and Trabants.
ÁV: The people were really nice and the coffee was great!
Any new Icelandic music tips?
ÁV: Nolo, Pedro Pilatus and Swords Of Chaos
Is there a tour in the pipeline?
ÁRH: We are going on tour in February-March and probably we’re coming to the UK too.
Words and photo by Vasilis Panagiotopoulos
