Marina Ósk & Ragnar Ólafsson – Kjirka, Siglufjöður; April 19th, 2024

The concert in Siglufjödur was a gift. When i had set out to Iceland I had no means of getting anywhere but Akureyri, because the busses don’t run every day at this time of the year. Thus, I had settled for only seeing one show and was beyond happy when the opportunity arose to see another one. It took place at a church and was very different from the previous one and very beautiful.

I woke up to a gorgeous day, went to the pool and for along walk around Akureyri.Tried contacting B. and M. several times, but got no reply, so I found out there was a bus going to Siglufjödur at 16:30. I was almost back at my hostel when Raggi called and offered to take me there as well as back. Awesome! Met up with him and the other just before 3 pm and while they shared one car, the two of us got the other one with most of the equipment. After getting some gasoline, we were on our way, sharing beautiful views and meandering conversations. It could not have been nicer. Once we got there, I help unload the car and left them to sound check, while spending some time at a harbor cafe with tea and good food. I was back in time for the doors to open.

The show started at 8 pm and once again it was only a small audience, but they had an enjoyable evening ahead of them. This first song was ‘Hugsanir’, beautifully sung by Marina and played on piano by Ragnar. Afterwards, Marina explained about ‘Vitjanir’ and how it was written for the series. Kjartan’s guitar did not come in until the second song ‘Er kólna fer’, which I really loved as well. There was a lot of talk and banter – they were clearly having a good time being on stage together.

Ragnar and Marina switched places and they played ‘Warsaw’ – now I only want to hear this song with the pedal steel guitar, it sounds so good. <3 At one point, he changed the lyrics to “Way down in old Siglufjöður” in an attempt to connect with the audience. A great version of ‘Message’ followed – that song always works well with a strong duet partner and Marina certainly is one. I had to smile, because before the show they had decided to sing more softly, because Kjartan feared the sound would not be good on the loud songs. Well, they went all in on this one. 😉 I also had the feeling that Ragnar sounded a little less strained than in Akureyri. 🙂

While Matrina and Kjartan were bantering, Raggi played a ver familiar melody on the piano, but I could not put my finger on what it was – I’m pretty sure it is from some Western though. They followed that with ‘Lítil nótt’. It was a perfect  match, because it sounds a bit country to me. 🙂 ‘Haflinna’ was next and truly lovely.

‘Petals’ was wonderful as well. <3 Like the previous night, it lead straight into ‘Hallelujah’. They talked about the bookstore band for a bit, but of course in Icelandic, si I have no idea what it was. Strangely, it did not bother me at all. ‘the Moon and the Sky’ was nice and relaxed. ‘Nobody but me’ had me moving in my seat.

I believe, the following song was called ‘The GAme’ and asn’t played in Akureyri. I liked it. ‘Deva’ was fantastic and somehow had a slight country feel I enjoyed, with an extended guitar solo outtro. ‘Bravery’ turned things up a notch, with the stomp box having to work hard. THe Icelandic song they had played earlier the previous day, was next and I still think it must be a cover. Finally, the show ended with a beautiful version of  ‘True after Time’. Sadly, there was no encore.

Some people hung  out for a bit, while the band was packing. We all carried the equipment back to the cars and it was time to head back to Akureyri. We were both tired, so the conversation was a bit slower than on the way in, but nice anyway. I had loved the concert and let Raggi no. when we arrived, I wished all a great rest of he tour and went home, dreaming of more shows.

Setlist

Hugsanir
Er kólna fer
Warsaw
Message
Lítil nótt
Haflinna
Petals
Hallelujah
The Moon and the Sky
Nobody but me
The Game
Deva
Bravery
?
Time after time