Iceblah - The Blog That Thinks It's Icelandic

Meet Mark Ollard, one of the world’s several dedicated Iceland music obsessives. Mark first ventured to Iceland in 1988 - the year The Sugarcubes released their debut album Life's Too Good. In other words, he was here before most. His love affair has not only continued over the years but recently (2008) morphed into a dedicated music blog.

Called Iceblah - (“the blog that thinks it’s Icelandic”), his site regularly profiles Icelandic music of all kinds, which you may already know if you’re on our news page regularly (scroll down and to the left). We decided it was time to take a break from the usual band and artist interviews and get an outside perspective on the scene.

So without further ado, please meet Mr. Ollard, fan of books and Ice Hockey, cousin of a gentleman rhymer and all round Good Egg.


First things first – when did you first come to Iceland, and what was it about the trip that sparked your current obsession?

My first trip was in 1988. My dad took me there partly because I had fallen in love with this cool new band called the Sugarcubes. We went to Reykjavík, Akureyri & Mývatn - I fell in love with the place and the people I met. I remember being nearly knocked over by the wind - this was a good thing for some reason. I came home and wrote to Morgunblaðið (I think) asking them to put in an advert for pen-friends (I was young!)


What kind of bands were knocking around in those early days?

The girl I ended up writing to (and still do, but email wins now - Hi Hildur!) sent me mixtapes for years and years. I need to dig them out, but there were a lot of Sugarcubes songs in Icelandic (I LOVED that) but also bands like Nýdönsk and Síðan skein sól.


Which was the first band you ever met or interviewed?

Gosh, that's tricky - the first guy I met was probably Þórir, or My Summer As A Salvation Soldier when he worked in 12 Tónar where I used to spend about 30 hours a day. And then I met the guys from Skátar, Reykjavík! and Jan Mayen when they played in London together 4 or 5 years ago. The interviews didn't begin until the lead up to Airwaves 2008.


When did you start Iceblah – and why?

It's nearly 2 years old now. I started it completely as a hobby. I love the Icelandic scene and music generally and just fancied writing about it in a vaguely formalised way. I didn't really expect anyone to read it and I'm constantly delighted and amazed by the number of people who do and who get in touch with me as a result. The name is also a nod to my love of Ice Hockey, but that doesn't get written about much!


You have a day job too – what can you tell us about that?

I do - the blog doesn't pay any of my bills. I work in London for Penguin Books with a lot of very talented people. It's lucky that I'm one of those people happy to read with music playing. Of course, Puffin is also part of the company - people are not happy when I return from a trip saying how tasty those little birds are with a bit of blueberry sauce.


How has Iceblah developed since you started out?

I guess it has slowly become more well known, the visitor numbers are heading upwards generally. I try not to post just for the sake of it, so the number of postings comes and goes - obviously it becomes daily or even more than that just before and during Airwaves every October. I remember finishing my final preview article last year on the plane over to Keflavík. I've been on twitter as @iceblah for a year or so too, although you will get more than just Icelandic music there!


Which kinds of bands have you interviewed so far?
I'm really choosy! You have to be either Icelandic or playing at Iceland Airwaves. Or both. For the last two years I've tried to interview almost every band who are playing at Airwaves. I must have posted interviews with around 50 bands in the last two years. They're always just short and fun. I'm not a real journalist like you guys!


How often do you make it to Iceland these days?

Every October for the festival, and then I like to get out one other time just to relax, explore and catch up with friends. For years I've wanted to take a car and drive all the way around the island - there's still a lot I haven't seen yet, particularly on the east cost and the north-west. I might actually get around to it this summer. I'd love to find the time to attend some of the other music events, especially Aldrei fór ég suður.


You’ve been to Airwaves more often than some Icelandic bands. What have been your personal highlights from the event?

So many! It will sound corny but the people and atmosphere are amazing. I've loved meeting up with people who have got in touch via the blog for advice or whatever, and it's great to see the familiar faces year after year. Musically, off the top of my head, I remember staggering into an amazing Gus Gus show in Nasa sometime around 3am one Saturday night. I remember seeing Ultra Mega Technobandið Stefán come on after Patrick Watson in Gaukurinn - not knowing anything about them at all, and being blown away by the energy (much like that gust of wind in 1988). Trabant in 12 Tónar back in 2005 (?) was memorable for its nudity and sweatiness. And some bands are just amazing year after year, Ghostigital, Reykjavík!, Mugison, Jan Mayen, Mammút...


Do you, or have you, played in any bands yourself?

Never. I own a guitar, but I'm fooling myself. I do have an amazingly talented cousin who was once in a band called Collapsed Lung and is now attempting to re-connect hip hop with the Queen's English as Mr B The Gentleman Rhymer. I've also recently acquired an equally talented brother-in-law who plays in great band called White Collar Weapons. They're not Icelandic, but they're OK, trust me!

 
From your perspective, what are the main changes the Icelandic scene has undergone in the last few years?

From my point of view, it's been really surprising how little things have changed, considering everything that has gone on in Iceland in the last year. I mean, Airwaves has continued, great music has carried on regardless. I think I'm right to say that there are more labels now and more record shops now compared with two or three years ago. A change for me personally has been my interest in the modern classical music coming from people like Ólafur Arnalds who has made me interested in a whole genre that had no appeal a year or so ago. His Found Songs project and then the show at Iðnó made that difference and led me on to discover other great talents like Valgeir Sigurðsson and Daníel Bjarnason.


What factors make the scene unique, do you think?

It's close knit and it's friendly. Bands share rehearsal space, instruments and members so regularly. I've said this before but if you're in a band at school in England, you'll get teased - in Iceland it seems like you'll get encouragement and opportunities to practice and perform. The bands themselves tend to say things like "there's nothing else to do here" but there must be more to it than that.


What were the last five Icelandic CDs you bought?

I downloaded "Bits And Pieces Of A Major Spectacle" by Who Knew about an hour ago. Before that, the new albums by Ólafur Arnalds & Jónsi arrived in the same week recently and before that it must have been "Death" by My Summer As A Salvation Soldier and Snorri Helgason's "I'm Gonna Put My Name On Your Door".


What have been your fave Icelandic music gigs so far this year?

I just saw, and wrote about, Jónsi who played in London 2 weeks ago. the gig was amazing, but the venue was really bad, just far too hot. Snorri Helgason and Sudden Weather Change have done great shows for the Ja Ja Ja nights at The Lexington and Hjaltalín were brilliant when they played at the Tabernacle in Notting Hill back in March, that's a venue I really like - it's a shame more people weren't there to hear them that night.


Apart from music, tell us three things that keep Iceland in your good books…

Am I allowed record shops? If so, 12 Tónar is pretty much heaven. Kaffifélagið at Skólavörðustígur - in a town full of great places for coffee, this is the best. The Reykjavík Grapevine - surely the finest free newspaper in the world. Manages to deal with the serious and the silly with equal brilliance. Oh, and I live under the Heathrow flight path, so you can keep that ash coming.


And which bands should we keep an eye on in 2010?

I'm really looking forward to hearing the Who Knew album, the reviews have been promising. If they’re half as good as Jakobínarína then I'll be delighted. Gogoyoko has made hearing new Icelandic music easier than ever, my favourite discovery from there this year has been Pascal Pinon. And I'm really looking forward to seeing Kid Twist again in October.


If you could undergo an operation that made you biologically Icelandic - would you do it?

Ha ha, maybe. I guess it would harm my chances of World Cup glory but might improve my chances at Eurovision. I'll just have to work out which one is more important!