Icelandic bands Benni Hemm Hemm, Bloodgroup and FM Belfast are scheduled to play at the By:Larm music conference in Oslo, Norway between 21st–23rd February.
By:Larm is Scandinavia’s largest music conference and is a meeting place for the Norwegian and foreign music industries. The event consists of a festival and conference, and a series of lectures, seminars and debates which take place during the day. There are concerts at night which are open to the public.
The focus of the event is to present artists that are on the verge of success, either in their homeland or internationally.
This year’s Icelandic acts are as follows:
Benni Hemm Hemm
Benni Hemm Hemm is an indie pop band, founded by Benedikt H. Hermannsson in 2003. The band, which includes a trumpet, bass, and flugelhorn, released a self-titled, debut album on Iceland’s Smakokurnar Records in September 2005. In November 2006 the group released its second album, ‘Kajak’, a highly acclaimed record that was recorded in just a few days at Sigur Ros’s studio.
Bloodgroup
Bloodgroup was formed in 2006 by Halez, Lilja, Raggi and Janus and play catchy electronic dance pop. After raising attention in Iceland and outside, the group finished their first album ‘Sticky Situation’, which has received glowing reviews in Iceland by several critics. After the release of the album in November 2007, Bloodgroup have been busy playing in Iceland and other countries, promoting the album with a vivid and colourful live show.
FM Belfast
FM Belfast was originally formed in 2005 as a duo. The band was a studio project for some time until the 2006 Iceland Airwaves festival, when the band expanded into a full live act with the number of members varying from 3 to 8. A song and video by Kasper Bjørke featuring FM Belfast was recently released and the band is currently working on a release for a Brooklyn based recording label.
For more information on upcoming events featuring Icelandic music, visit www.icelandmusic.is