I Never Went South Rock Festival

Aldrei fór ég suður

The Festival at the End of the Universe.  „Its mostly harmless“.

22. – 23. Of April 2011.

Aldrei fór ég suður is a rock festival held in the town of Isafjordur in the Westfjords of Iceland. The entrance is free of charge and all work is pro bono. It is mix of local bands and the biggest names in the Icelandic music scene.

Aldrei fór ég suður // I never went south festival takes place in musician´s Mugison remote hometown of Ísafjörður, situated in the spectacular Westfjords region of Iceland. The idea actually began over a pint of beer where Mugison and his father – Papamug, idealized about a different kind of music festival in the name of good old fun.

Lonely Planet´s „Best in Travel 2011“ selected the Westfjords as #5 on the Top 10 list for the most interesting places to visit and at the same time put the Aldrei fór ég suður festival on their planner as one of the three most interesting happenings around the world in April. They also described the scene as follows: „Ísafjörður, the main town, hosts Iceland´s best music festival as well as being home to a great local cafe and dining scene“... „Anyone lucky enough to visit Iceland comes back goggle-eyed and open-jawed with tales of an untamed island...“

But enough said about the Festival at the End of the Universe from the travellers point of view, lets look at what people in the music industry are writing about it!

Wyndham Wallace // The Quietus
http://thequietus.com/articles/04355-mugison-s-aldrei-f-r-g-su-ur-festival-iceland „Ísafjörður, the journalists from Cologne and Hamburg agree, may be quiet but it is, without any doubt, one of the most spectacular places our so-called ‘work’ has ever taken us“.
„Everyone’s here for the right reason: to play and share music with the minimum of fuss“.

Joseph Edwards Keyes // eMusic
http://www.grapevine.is/Travel/ReadArticle/cheerful-drunken-people „The town of Isafjordur is a visual miracle. Surrounded on all sides by massive, awe-inspiring cliffs, the village feels like an art project: a brightly-colored, economically-designed township nestled dead in the center of gargantuan natural marvels. It’s as if someone had dropped it in using a crane“.

Matthew Bennett // CLASH – www.clashmusic.com http://www.clashmusic.com/feature/i-never-went-south-festival-saturday
„For anyone bored the O2 Wireless styled events where rosters are shared and everything is franchised ‘I Never Went South’ is a direct antithesis and complete remedy“.
„Virgins to this Volcanic isle are recommended to get there as soon as possible and enjoy their distinctive blend of hedonism and musical nuance. There are few places on earth like Iceland’s Northern(Western) Fjords...“