Biography
A three piece from Reykjavik, Ampop are Biggi (guitars, vocals), Kjartan (Keyboards), Jon Geir (drums). Those in the know will have first come across the band through their two critically acclaimed electronic based albums released in their homeland. The second of these ("Made for Market") was considered by many local critics the best Icelandic album of 2003. Their one supporter outside Iceland was unsurprisingly the late great John Peel.Keen to develop their sound the band bunkered down in their own studio and over time developed a more organic and song based direction moving away from the more electronic influences of their earlier material. The first examples of the band's new direction were demo versions of two songs, "My Delusions" and "Don't Let Me Down" which saw the light of day early in 2005. These tracks were instantly picked up on by Radio 1's Zane Lowe who played "My Delusions" on several occasions and invited the band to play live on his show from Austin, Texas, during this year's SXSW music festival. Ampop played alongside The Bravery, Hot Hot Heat, The Blood Arm and Queens of the Stone Age as the only unsigned band.
Other important DJs such as Huw Stephens and Vic Galloway at Radio 1, and Mark Radcliffe at Radio 2 have also put the stamp of approval to the new songs and have championed the band on their radio shows.
After the successful appearance at SXSW the band went back to their studio to finish the album, stopping only to play in NY and the NXNE festival in Toronto. The first single off the new album, "My Delusions", gets a UK release via Stimulus Records , who spotted the band live in Austin, in October.
Over the last few months the band have supported KT Tunstall at a Radio 2 event in Aberdeen, played alongside Union of Knives at the Notting Hill Arts Club in London and performed back home in Reykjavik for Airwaves Festival. They return to London for more live shows in late November.
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