FM Belfast started out as a duo in 2005, around Christmas time, when Árni Rúnar Hlöðversson and Lóa Hlín Hjálmtýsdóttir made a song as a present for their friends. What could have been a one-off collaboration actually turned into a full-fledged band the following year when Arni Vilhjalmsson and Orvar Th. Smarason joined the band. In October 2006 they were invited to play their first full concert at the internationally renowned Iceland Airwaves festival in Reykjavik.
The members now vary from three to eight depending on who can make it. The core of the band is made up of Árni Rúnar Hlöðversson, Árni Vilhjálmsson and Lóa Hlín Hjálmtýsdóttir and when the stars are aligned correctly they are joined by Sveinbjorn Hermann Pálsson, Örvar Þóreyjarson Smárason and Eiríkur Orri (both part of cult Icelandic act múm), Birgitta Birgisdóttir and Björn Kristjánsson. FM Belfast’s debut album How To Make Friends relies heavily on programmed beats and synths, pumped up with the band’s innate sense of fun. The album oozes with a retro 80s vibe and it will make you bop your head till your neck hurts. FM Belfast may reject the traditions of their own county’s music, but they slot very much into the tradition of Icelandic rebellion, and tether it instead to the synths of Scandinavia, pumping them up with their own innate sense of fun.
Of course FM Belfast are not the first Icelandic band to make electronic music, but their sound is different from that of fellow Icelanders Sigur Rós or Eberg. Their songs are infused with a sense of derision that makes them instantly accessible and familiar. With their lo-fi casio keyboards and simplistic lyrics, the 11 tracks that make up How To Make Friends are not about Iceland’s glaciers and wide landscapes. They are songs for the 21st century, songs for the club. Party on!
Find FM Belfast on MySpace or check out their official site. Buy their music on 
