World Premiere: Volta

Well peeps this is a Björk based couple of weeks. Yesterday was the media world premiere listening of the new album - Volta, it was also the start of the ticket pre-sale for her tour (click here for website).


The listening was hosted at Kaffebarinn and it was an unusual event in my eyes. Press with cameras eagerly awaiting the lady's presence, but this wasn't about that, this was a chance to hear the new album, so far kept very protected in a fortress of security.

Several other local musicians were there too from Múm, Trabant, Gus Gus and more. We all sat relatively quietly and let the songs unfold. Being the voyeur i am i couldn't help watch people's faces, especially the other musicians. They helped me notice aspects in the music I would otherwise not have picked up in this environment with background chat and beer glasses clinking. A twitch of their finger or a smile and an exhale highlighting changes in key and the introduction of different instruments.

The album is hard to describe without belittling it with this one listen. It is more accessible than Medúlla, slightly more pop than Vespertine. There are some tracks which flow over and enter you in the way Björk's ballads tend do and there are those with a raw beat that made the everyone in the bar move at least one of their body parts to it. You can feel Timberland's presence but no where near in the way i first imagined when i heard he was working on it....

Let's cut to the chase shall we? You'll just have to buy it when its released May 7th.

If you are in Iceland this weekend then you can see her perform just the one song at the charity event for Forma at Nasa on Sunday along with some other amazing acts, and what's even better is that its all for charideeee mate.



If you aren't in Iceland, there is a world tour don't you know so go to bjork.com and see. I am hoping to be attending Glastonbury with Gus Gus. This depending on some things and stuff, but I very much hope to go. Not only is it my friend Craig's 30th birthday there but Daníel Águst will be going with Gus Gus, and Trabant and Björk will be playing too. Its like an Icelandic mafia and some of my UK friends are also playing. Besides that it is only an hour or so from my hometown so i always bump into old faces from days of yore. i do so hope i can go. i would love it.

I have realised I am too old for most festivals these days, maybe i have done enough, maybe I am hitting middle age too soon, but i need a festival where the liklihood of someone peeing on my tent is as minimal as possible. I personally love glastonbury as I turn into a hippy and spend all day in the healing field and Greenpeace showers. Fingers crossed.

Other excitement on the horizon is Uffie playing at Barinn this saturday with local faves Steed Lord. I will be there with bells on. Oh yes. I'm ready to fuck as Uffie says.



Musical news from yours truly, which is amusing as I always feel obliged to say, I have little to no talent in such, I am going to be on an album. Ha! Yes. truefact. The lovely Manny is including the track I, or Kiki-Ow rather does the vocals for. It is a cover of Justify My Love and I am of course only not hideous on it because it calls for sex. This being one of the few things I am good at. ahem.

You can take a listen on his profile here.



Other up and coming events is Curver, Wayne Paul and my RAVE at the Q bar next wednesday. 'Wednesday?' i hear you cry? Why yes. Thursday everything is closed so we are playing until 5am-ish and its going to be 90s dance but not as we usually play. This is the chance to be old school and I am hoping to play first so i can spend the rest of the evening raving.... big fish little fish card-board-box. If you know what that means you should definitely be coming....

Forever... photos

Well I have to admit i haven't had such an all round enjoyable weekend for a long time. I spoilt myself on friday with the biggest bloodiest steak ever, just the one glass of wine and even rubbed my own feet. aaaah treats.

saturday was consumed with a mixture of excitement over the Gus Gus gig combined with anxiety that everyone would get tickets and could come as we were quite a big crowd. Amazingness all round followed, rather a large amount of dancing and waving arms in the air.











The Gus Gus show is indeed quite dramatically different now from days of yore. It is harder in sound and more show. The ladies looked incredible with completely solidly dark green glimmer faces, then added to this bright florescent pink 60s style wigs and the most incredible dresses. Páll Oscar joined for a bit and Daníel Águst also joined for some of the set. He looked like a Raven in his feathered outfit and incredible makeup (all makeup done by Raven incidentally).

Here is a brief badly filmed clip from the show.... proper images of the gig to follow later...





The next morning my initial thought was WHY did i organise a tea party for the day after Gus Gus? But i got up, felt pretty decent considering and dressed appropriately. True, about 12 people cancelled coming due to inability to heave themselves out of bed, but about 8 people came and went and it was decided it was a much better way to ease into the day rather than hiding under one's duvet.


There was much cake, super much, delightful home made treats and fresh bread too from Eva (henceforth known as Eva FroHo as she has just got herself an afro). I love the tea sets and using posh cups and saucers. I will definitely keep tea parties on the regular agenda.






Fairyboy brought his new camera and took some photos whilst i was dressed so girlie and i will put them up once i have them.

Talking of photos, now that Yahoo have finally got an uploader for mac, i have put up the last 6 months of photos on my album (see link on the right). I was debating transferring all my pictures to flickr or somesuch but the mass of images I have means I would need to dedicate a week to just uploading. Nei. Not happening. Anyway, they are now there for your perusal.

Enjoy.

And yet more photographic joys here... Skari (one of the photographers from the last No Limits night) has had some time to process some of the photos. Click on the image below to go to the No Limits myspace BLOG page to view the selection we have so far...

Hedonism

Its here. The Gus Gus gig is tonight. I am looking forward to it muchly. Not only have I not seen them live since October 2005 (not including the little sneak preview at soundcheck earlier today) but The Sveinbjörg and The Ásta are singing with them. Wooooop.





Everyone I know in town, with very few exclusions, will be there and its going to be one heck of a party. I am going all out hedonistic. I am even going to wear my new roman-scifi-60s-porno dress. woop.

Speaking of parties last week i went to Aron's 30th birthday party at his house. It was a veritable feast of champagne and pink balloons. I don't think i have ever seen a fridge with so much bubbly in it. Truefact. It was a warm and happy evening, dancing and laughter all round. Bravo.









There was also a dinner party at the Hvervisgata crack house in the week. Logi flexed his culinary skills for Sruli, Magga Sigga, Stephanie and I and much red wine was consumed. Just for good measure another dinner party was held at chez moi too. For Lilja, Anders, Hulda and Kat. We all decided it was like family and some how I was the slut monther who had birthed them all through various visiting sailors. Nice.

Tomorrow sees the return of my Tea Parties. It will either be filled with people absolutely wrecked by tonight's mayhem or no one will actually turn up as they can't get out of bed. Only time will tell....

The Hex(ia) Files continue....

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or as the south park inhabitants say

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rabblerabblrabblerabblerabbleRRABBLRABBLERABBLERABBLERABBLEABBLRABBLERABBLE


holy fucking cow, will the fun never end. firstly i visited my most favourite place in the world next to george bushes rectum - the tax office today. I met with a lovely accountant on saturday and filled my forms in properly with her help, so i only had to take them in today.

i took a number ticket from the machine i was told to last time i went - for the queue to register as self employed. i waited about 10 minutes then smiled, took my completed form to the booth and as soon as i said 'hi i am here to..' the sourfaced bitter bitch told me, in a raised voice, i had to queue - i showed her my ticket the number on it matched the LCD display to the side of my head. she did not let me even explain what i was doing there before she spat at me to go take a ticket from the other queue. i tried to explain i had been told this was the correct queue for my need and she raised her voice further and told me to go get in the other queue.

biting my lip and breathing deep, reminding myself the day was glorious outside and i just had to deal with this then i could enjoy it. i took my numbered ticket - 815 and glanced at the LCD displays for this queue to see they were only at 751.

cue huge sigh from me. count to ten and back again, sit down and reason i might as well read some of the research papers i had with me to kill time.

an hour and 25 minutes later battling with my temper my number is called, i go to the cubicle to be firmly told i was in the wrong queue. the orginal bitch i spoke to was whom i needed to see.

at this point, my blood is actually boiling in my veins. i calmly explained i had waited an hour and a half and was not willing to queue any more. luckily the woman took my form anyway and then told me i didnt even need to see anyone.

GGGGGGGGGRRRRRRRRRrrRrararararaarararRRARAARAAAAAWLWLLLLLLLLllllllll.

sweet jesus.

as i was there already i asked her to bring up info they had on me as i needed to check something.

Lo and behold, HEXIA my wonderful ex employer who went bankrupt and generally lied repeatedly to their staff and clients and who you can read about in my january 2007 section. whom not only screwed xmas up but left alot of us in serious shit, have in actual fact never paid any taxes for me (nor i expect any other member of staff after spring 2006).

They took the money from our pay packets of course as we can see from the payslips we have had to locate ourselves from the people who produced them. But they never paid any forward. They also didn't pay pensions for me, ever, for other staff they didnt for the last few months.

This means we have to claim for this too, or the tax office will.


WONDER-FUCKING-FUL. i would have been due a tax rebate for 2006 but instead i am going to have to prove without doubt to the tax office i am not liable for 7 months worth of income tax.

I have tried to keep the bile relatively low publicly re: this company. But considering they shafted all of their staff, lied repeatedly, misled us, didn't even have the decency to inform us of their situation when they went bankrupt so we were still working even after they were declared so, lied to their clients about their situation and due to the Icelandic laws simply claimed bankrupcy then immediately reopened under another kennitala operating from the same office with some new staff and using the system the guys they left hanging built - I would like to state for the record, if you are considering working for this company, or doing business with this company or supplying this company, do research into them first, do not do anything without legal contracts and for fucks sake do not listen to their hollow verbal assurances that everything is legit and going smoothly unless they have concrete proof of such.

I know of ten people who will give you a first hand account of their working practices. None of us would be half as pissed off if it wasn't for the dishonesty involved.

TRUST NO ONE. especially not them.

Long time, no pause for breath

As warned, I have been busy. I had forgotten what it feels like to have this many things to do at once, it is draining yet strangely invigorating simultaneously. Most of this is due to the fact I have started working for Smekkleysa, initially addressing their digital promotion and presence. There is a great deal to be done.



I am doing my usual, hovering like a wind up toy with my legs going as fast as they can so that as soon as I am dropped onto the table I zoom off with almost insane rapidity. I have about twelftybillion ideas and strategies and not enough time to do them all at once. This is very me. My brain is like a swarm of wasps until I get a project plan, lists, spreadsheets etc organised and can see the overview with an almost military schedule of which to attack first. Woe betide those who mess with my schedules. I am halfway through this process and soon the Smekkleysa artists will get a hefty kick into the digital world combined with an assurance that I shalt endeavour to spread their tunes as far accross the globe as possible.

I am currently making my way through, listening to acts and hope to get my head around most of them. This is a very long process methinks. But a necessary one. I also get to work with some of this year's releases by some of my favourite artists and I am very happy to be doing so. The Smekkleysa site is being completely overhauled and the all new singing and dancing site is the lynchpin of the digital world domination ahead. It's all go go go.

Aside from this work there was of course the 2nd massive 90s night at Nasa which we sold capacity at again. It was great fun as usual, we had clothes from KronKron which was very pleasant and we have another planned for June, hopefully presenting Steed Lord. The 2 photographers from the Nasa night are soon to send us photos and I will put them up once I have them. These are from Skari ahead of the bulk.



All these things were much fun, what wasn't fun however was my visit to the tax office yesterday. I have never, repeat never, had anyone in a position of authority so unnecessarily rude to me when i am trying to do the best thing. I actually cried as i left from pure frustration, which pissed me off in itself as its been months since I shed a tear. On my way in an old man warned me that they were terrible and would make me cry. I thought he was joking, but no. No he wasn't.

I saw 5 people and each one were as rude as the other. Apparently a foreigner making decent money pisses these people off. Even when they arrive with all their information in a neat spreadsheet and are polite and just want to give them money for feck's sake. You really wouldn't imagine giving the government money would be so hard to do. I have always been adamant about doing things the right way and following rules and for the first time since my mid teens I felt like telling an authority to go fuck themselves and i was going to go spend their money on an amazing party with several hundred tubes of lube, some smack and as many hookers as Iceland has and email them the overly graphic photos after the event.

I H.A.T.E. people without manners, and when I am doing all I can to be polite and law abiding I hate it even more. Sadly this is something they are known for, several people have regaled their similar tales. Suggestion to the tax office: when you want nearly 40% income tax off people how about being a little less cuntish and you may find people are less determined to evade paying their taxes. hmmmmn?

Luckily I have been recommended a couple of experts willing to help me and I am meeting one tomorrow. Hopefully all will be sorted by next week and the ungrateful so and sos will have their money off me.

/rant.


Deep breath. Hold for count of 5, 4, 3, 2 and...

I have been posing alot again recently. yes yes. I do love doing such. funfunfun. Here is a rather lovely photo of me and Maggi for Frettablaðið a week ago.



And some for KVK clothing. It was a fun day, all the ladies at the shoot were very ace and we all seemed to be on a similar wavelength. I love the blue makeup I had done and shall most probably be wearing something similar out soon.



Last but not least I must draw your attention to SHUT magazine, an online and printed offshoot of WREJ magazine.



The first issue is out soon featuring the Weird Girls of Freakjavik 101 and my article on how to dominate a woman properly. Yes that's right. If you want to read an article titled 'Make Her Beg' with 10 top tips on how to improve your control in the bedroom I suggest you go to their website STRAX and ensure you don't miss the launch issue due April 7th.......



Before that though, Wrong Eyed Jesus Magazine will have its own new issue out, end of March. With yet more weird girls and GRIME..... don't say I didn't warn you of its foul taste is all.