photos by Michael Matynka
Accentuating the diversity of Icelandic music, Mammút followed up Jóhann Jóhannsson’s etherial sound with a heavy dose of emotive rock. Like their name suggests, the teenage band is comparatively a wooly mammoth of noise. But more than just noisemakers, Mammút write catchy songs that critics and fans love, and they were winners a few years back of Músiktilraunir, Iceland’s annual battle of the bands competition (other year’s winners include Of Monsters & Men and Samaris). Over the last two years at Iceland Airwaves, we’ve caught up with Mammút in various places -- in their practice space and then at RUV National Radio -- but finally we got them live on air during our second day of our broadcast at the KEX Hostel during KEXP’s first international broadcast in Reykjavik during the 2011 Iceland Airwaves festival (more info here). Rather than perform new songs from their excellent 2008 album, Karkari, Mammút decided instead to perform an entire set of new songs. And now we know how amazing the next album will be!
