I'm not ashamed to admit that I do enjoy Eurovision. I'm rarely fond of the music and tend to rag on half of the entries every year, but it's a fun show and it can be quite hilarious to watch artists who take the whole thing way to seriously.
This year saw Hatari representing Iceland with the country's best performing song since 2009, reaching 10th place with the industrial banger "Hatrið Mun Sigra", but that wasn't the main headline of the event in Tel Aviv. Although some media tried to avoid covering it, the biggest story came from Hatari's antics in the run up to, and during, the event controversially held in Israel amidst outcry over the Palestinian conflict. And it hasn't ended just yet.
Before we talk about the new single, we need to discuss the run up to Eurovision. Hatari have had a long history of activism and outlandish behaviour akin to 80s maniacs The KLF - the band who infamously retired on stage at the BRIT Awards in 1992 (not before firing machine gun blanks into the crowd) and burned £1million just because they could. Our Icelandic anti-capitalist friends haven't quite hit that level of controversy yet, but have constantly wound up conservative critics back home, claiming they were paid by their company (which loosely translates as Relentless Scam, Inc) to criticise them for publicity and even satirised themselves with an unwavering deadpan attitude.
Once their qualification to represent Iceland at Eurovision was confirmed, they turned attention to the host nation, Israel. They even gambled a set of islands off the coast of Iceland in order to challenge the Israeli premier, Benjamin Netanyahu, to a "friendly game of traditional Icelandic trouser grip wrestling" while openly criticising the occupation of Palestine, much to the chagrin of the European Broadcasting Union. After the EBU gave them a firm slap on the wrist and told them they had reached the limits of their patience, it seemed as though Hatari had decided to behave themselves, in their own way. They still mocked the EBU for censoring them by refusing to answer any questions afterwards, but apart from that it seemed as though that was that. Even during the final performance, things went off without a hitch, and no protest in sight. But then the scores were read out...
The reactions were quick. Many praised Hatari for using their platform to raise awareness of the problems surrounding the Eurovision host nation, while the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement denounced it as a hollow gesture. The EBU announced that Iceland will not escape punishment for their actions, but what they will be is unclear at the time of writing. This hasn't dissuaded Hatari, though, and less than a week on they're already releasing their new single, "Klefi/Samed":
While clean singer Klemens Nikulásson Hannigan has largely been restricted to dancing, Matthias Tryggvi Haraldsson is as biting as ever lyrically in a fierce collaboration with Palestinian singer and LGBT+ icon Bashar Murad. Who'd've thought that Middle Eastern pop and Icelandic BDSM industrial would work so well? You don't need to speak Icelandic or Arabic to know what this song is about and it shows that these guys have no intention of apologising for their protests or backing down. It helps that their music is really good too. They say they plan on releasing a new album in September and we can only hope that it's as strong as their latest outing. I'll certainly be covering it here.
If you want more Hatari, follow them here.
This year saw Hatari representing Iceland with the country's best performing song since 2009, reaching 10th place with the industrial banger "Hatrið Mun Sigra", but that wasn't the main headline of the event in Tel Aviv. Although some media tried to avoid covering it, the biggest story came from Hatari's antics in the run up to, and during, the event controversially held in Israel amidst outcry over the Palestinian conflict. And it hasn't ended just yet.
Before we talk about the new single, we need to discuss the run up to Eurovision. Hatari have had a long history of activism and outlandish behaviour akin to 80s maniacs The KLF - the band who infamously retired on stage at the BRIT Awards in 1992 (not before firing machine gun blanks into the crowd) and burned £1million just because they could. Our Icelandic anti-capitalist friends haven't quite hit that level of controversy yet, but have constantly wound up conservative critics back home, claiming they were paid by their company (which loosely translates as Relentless Scam, Inc) to criticise them for publicity and even satirised themselves with an unwavering deadpan attitude.
Once their qualification to represent Iceland at Eurovision was confirmed, they turned attention to the host nation, Israel. They even gambled a set of islands off the coast of Iceland in order to challenge the Israeli premier, Benjamin Netanyahu, to a "friendly game of traditional Icelandic trouser grip wrestling" while openly criticising the occupation of Palestine, much to the chagrin of the European Broadcasting Union. After the EBU gave them a firm slap on the wrist and told them they had reached the limits of their patience, it seemed as though Hatari had decided to behave themselves, in their own way. They still mocked the EBU for censoring them by refusing to answer any questions afterwards, but apart from that it seemed as though that was that. Even during the final performance, things went off without a hitch, and no protest in sight. But then the scores were read out...
— René (@RenAigu) May 18, 2019
The reactions were quick. Many praised Hatari for using their platform to raise awareness of the problems surrounding the Eurovision host nation, while the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement denounced it as a hollow gesture. The EBU announced that Iceland will not escape punishment for their actions, but what they will be is unclear at the time of writing. This hasn't dissuaded Hatari, though, and less than a week on they're already releasing their new single, "Klefi/Samed":
While clean singer Klemens Nikulásson Hannigan has largely been restricted to dancing, Matthias Tryggvi Haraldsson is as biting as ever lyrically in a fierce collaboration with Palestinian singer and LGBT+ icon Bashar Murad. Who'd've thought that Middle Eastern pop and Icelandic BDSM industrial would work so well? You don't need to speak Icelandic or Arabic to know what this song is about and it shows that these guys have no intention of apologising for their protests or backing down. It helps that their music is really good too. They say they plan on releasing a new album in September and we can only hope that it's as strong as their latest outing. I'll certainly be covering it here.
If you want more Hatari, follow them here.