I
n this battle for the music lover’s billfold, it helps if you have carved out a niche. You could do worse than having cultivated a rabid following for over a decade. And it’s certainly an added bonus when your festival is praised as a shining beacon to other events for its friendly atmosphere and near total lack of physical and sexual assaults. All this, and so much more, is what makes the Eistnaflug Festival such an enduring endeavor, and it can all be neatly summarized in the festival’s motto: “No idiots allowed!”
HUMBLE BEGINNINGS When P.E. teacher Stefán Magnússon created the festival—originally as a one-day event—back in 2005, he had no idea of the legacy he would spawn. He was merely a bored metalhead who’d accepted a job on the other side of the country, in a village of 1,400 people, where recreational activities were few and far between. But the festival rapidly grew like a sweat stain during a manic mosh pit. And, as the world caught on, it transformed from the single day format at its original haunt Egilsbúð, to a four-day affair incorporating a main stage at the local sports arena, featuring up to forty bands from Iceland and across the globe. A DESTINATION FESTIVAL Set in the quaint hamlet of Neskaupstaður, deep in the mountainous range of fjords that serrate the eastern shore of Iceland like a row of shark teeth, the Eistnaflug Festival experience has always been equal part dashing destination and raucous event. Yes, you can just as well catch Neurosis in the suffocating dust at Hellfest or enjoy Opeth while knee-deep in the muddy fields of Wacken Open Air, but nowhere except on the way to Eistnaflug will the road trip there take you along black sand beaches as it does along Iceland’s south coast, while waterfalls fly by the car window and you be able to take lunch where icebergs can be seen bumping together like
Headbanger’s remorse is a real thing, and the term “Sunday, fun day!” is one you will never hear bandied about on the campsites of Neskaupstaður on the morning after DJ Töfri leads the raging party into the wee hours of Saturday night.
errant bodies in a concert crowd. Nowhere but at Eistnaflug are you a part of the clique simply by showing up, and nowhere except Neskaupstaður does the sun never set on the head-banging hordes from the strumming of the first riff to the clashing of the final crescendo. GOOD VIBRATIONS The concept of the Eistnaflug Festival has always been heavy metal of the more extreme variety. Well that, and the encompassing atmosphere of comradery, of course. Part of that friendly vibe is the inclusiveness of cultures and genres outside of light speed blast beats and gratuitously thrown devil horns. Meaning; that every year the festival line-up includes countless acts of a less abrasive nature that run the gamut of Icelandic popular—and not so popular—music; from hip-hop ensembles Úlfur Úlfur and Reykjavíkurdætur, to indie sweethearts Mammút and the dance-inducing performances of Retro Stefson. Away from the infernal din of the main venue, the local swimming pool is a daily staple of the Eistnaflug experience, where bands and fans alike congregate to wash away the sins of nights past and exorcise the hangover demon in its steamy sauna and multiple hot tubs. And once body and soul are thoroughly cleansed, it’s off to The Bait Shack to feast on the best pizza east of Egilsstaðir, and getting to work on tomorrow morning’s hangover under the thrashing chords of whoever is rocking the restaurant’s off-venue stage at that very moment. During off-schedule hours, or while the inevitable Skálmöld set goes down, off-venue activities abound. Small shows pop-up in defunct pizza joints and derelict foundries, while panels and previews of all things metal quench the thirst of the curious in erstwhile conference rooms and hotel lobbies. For those inclined to break a sweat and explore the natural wonders of Norðfjörður, there is the Annual Eistnaflug Open Disc Golf Tournament, set on a 9-hole course halfway up the steep hills above Neskaupstaður, whose claim to fame is that it’s the only course of its kind nestled atop an avalanche barrier. SUNDAY, BLOODY SUNDAY Headbanger’s remorse is a real thing, and the term “Sunday, fun day!” is one you will never hear bandied about on the campsites of Neskaupstaður on the morning after DJ Töfri leads the raging party into the wee hours of Saturday night. It is with a throbbing head that you enter the treacherous Norðfjarðargöng Tunnel on top of the mountain pass to Eskifjörður—emerging out the rabbit hole, as it were—back into the doldrums of everyday life. Now you have nothing to look forward to for a whole year, except, of course, the drive back through the spectacular Mývatnssveit Lake District, the ominous Dimmuborgir rock formations and a multitude of other natural phenomena too numerous to mention. If flying is your fancy you’ll have to “settle” for the view of one of Europe’s largest glaciers, Vatnajökull, gliding by under the wings of your plane. A major bummer indeed.
Eistnaflug 2018 will be held on July 11-14. Go to www.eistnaflug.is for more information about the line-up, accommodation and tickets. And of course, you’ll find cheap flights to Iceland at wowair.com.
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