Concert series dedicated to the grassroots of Icelandic music, across musical genres.

Harpa, in cooperation with Reykjavík Music City and the broadcasting channel Rás 2, is organizing a concert series dedicated to the grassroots of Icelandic music across musical genres.

The concert series is called Upprásin, and takes place in Kaldalón music hall one Tuesday evening each month in the winter of 2024–2025. The concert series is a part of the implementation of the policy of Harpa to open doors for the grassroots and young people across genres and to increase diversity. The goal is also for music lovers to be able to easily access new Icelandic music of various kinds, directly from the grassroots of the music scene, performed in the optimal facilities of the nation’s premier concert hall.

The ticket price is 2000 isk.

Smjörvi, Iceland’s latest emerging star, sweeps across genres and times with a bewitching elegance and ease. His debut album “svo heilagt!” released in November 2023, was nominated at the Reykjavík Grapevine Music Awards 2024. His music is inspired by the everyday life and by all things big or small that cross Smjörvi’s path.

Matching Drapes is a post-punk / indie-rock band originally put together for a project at the BIMM university in Berlin by Arndís Rán and Jacquie Hirt in 2023. Since early 2024, Liam Harrison (lead guitar), Toby Savill (rhythm guitar), Niclas Liebling (Bass), and Adrian Lizarraga (drums) have joined the band.

The band experiments with different genres and sounds and like to challenge misogynistic stereotypes with their energetic performance and lyrics.

Silk Cats provide a unique fusion of poetry and rap, mysterious bass lines, unpredictable percussion, and uncanny electronics. and their first EP, “Smurðar fórnir”, was released in 2023 and received two nominations for the Icelandic Music Awards. Bergþóra Einarsdóttir and Guðrún Hulda Pálsdóttir form Silkikettir, and their strong stage presence has garnered well-deserved attention, where dance and video art flow together with their musical performance, making their concerts a multidisciplinary artwork.