Feminist rap collective Reykjavíkurdætur has a bone to pick with Icelandic music festival Secret Solstice, Vísir reports.
According to a recent Twitter post, Secret Solstice still hasn’t paid the band for their performance at last year’s festival. They have now been offered a non-paying slot at next summer’s event, opening up for notorious Russian feminist punk activists Pussy Riot.
Secret Solstice hasn’t payed us for last year, when they gave us the shittiest slot. Now they’re asking us to play again but this time FOR FREE 😍😍
Gotta love these motherfuckers— Daughters of Reykjavík (@daughtersofrvk) February 5, 2019
Víkingur Heiðar Arnórsson, the new manager of the festival has now responded. He says that while the festival has struggled financially, it has plans to pay the remaining artists they owe money in due time.
A new company, Live Events, has been founded to run Secret Solstice. The company is registered to Guðmundur Hreiðarsson Viborg, an economist who resides in the Canary Islands. Guðmundur initially explained to Vísir that paying old debts was the job of the old managers. But current manager Víkingur’s statements seem to contradict this, as his plans are to pay the artists owed before the sixth installment of the Secret Solstice festival, scheduled to be held next summer between June 21 and 23.
Víkingur admits to having offered Reykjavíkurdætur a non-paying slot but adds that opening up for Pussy Riot, one of the main attractions for this year’s festival, is worth a great deal in and of itself. In his view, Reykjavíkurdætur would be playing one of the most valuable slots, with peak attendance all but secured. According to Víkingur, this is his way of making up for last year, when Reykjavíkurdætur were unhappy with their slot.
He adds that he personally told the band that if they didn’t approve the deal he would be willing to meet with them again and find them a paying slot earlier in the day.
This article has been updated.
