FOR A small country with a tiny population, Iceland punches far above its weight when it comes to producing musicians of startling originality and creativity, and to the distinguished line of Björk, Sigur Ros, and, Ásgeir, we can add JFDR.
JFDR - aka indie-rock singer-songwriter and guitarist Jófríður Ákadóttir - whose 2017 Galway International Arts Festival show was one of the highlights of that year's festival, makes a welcome return to Galway to play the Róisín Dubh on Thursday August 23 at 8pm in the venue's upstairs bar.
Only 24, Jófríður has already released a string of albums with Samaris and Pascal Pinon, collaborated with Gangly, Low Roar, and Lapalux, while last year saw her debut solo album, Brazil, enjoy rave reviews. She cites her father, the composer Áki Ásgeirsson, as a key influence.
"He is a very DIY person and encouraged me to try everything out first by myself," she told the Galway Advertiser, when Charlie McBride interviewed her last year. "That has influenced me to try the strength of my own voice...to stay true to yourself. That’s one of the most important lessons I got from my dad.”
It is an approach that inspired the Brazil album. “I just wanted to do something without compromising," she said. "I wanted to be the boss, to say this is what I want to do, and this is how it is supposed to sound and how it is supposed to feel. In a band you are pushed to do things you would never have done on your own, but you also have to sacrifice something, so I wanted to see what would happen if I don’t do that anymore."
Tickets are available from www.roisindubh.net; the Ticket Desk at OMG Zhivago, Shop Street; and The Róisín Dubh.
