One of the first bands to play Mongolia

Electronic rock outfit Is Tropical are a band from London with members that count Simon Milner, Gary Barber, Dominic Apa, and Kirstie Fleck. Tonight they'll be spinning tunes at the Gamla bíó  venue as special guests at the Bang Gang concert. Iceland Monitor caught up with Gary Barber just after he landed in Iceland. 

How did the band meet and how would you describe your music in one sentence?

We were squatting In south London in an old 4 storey Georgian mansion. It was a time when rent prices weren't as astronomical as they are now, but still highly unaffordable to us as we were spending all our time making art and music. There were no windows and it was a cold winter. We all used to huddle in one small room and make music to try and create some body heat. It was surprisingly effective and IS TROPICAL was born. We describe our music as distorted dystopia = distorpia. We used to call it Tidal Wave.  

How did your meeting with Barði Jóhannsson of Bang Gang come about?

We were asked to make a documentary about places that are usually off the expected touring route. Along the way we met some really interesting musicians in some amazing places. We travelled through Africa, Peru, Indonesia and one of the stops was Iceland. We met up with Barði through the shows producer who informed us of his genius. He's one of those people that on first meet is infectious and super intriguing. We exchanged details and we've been following his projects ever since. He's always up to something super creative. 

You‘ve toured all over the world it seems, what are the most exotic concerts you‘ve played?

We've played in a lot of great places. We were one of the first bands to play in Mongolia. It was such a surreal but inspiring trip. It was that show that really made us want to make travelling the mantra of the band. If you make the effort to take your music to people they will show you love in return. We returned from the show to a traditional Mongolian Ger and a baby calf had been born in our bed. It's a totally different way of life.  Also notable shows have been in Venezuela (when they ran out of beer the crowd tore the beer tent down and set fire to it), Ghana, Taipei, Lima. We have a show scheduled in Lebanon in the new year. 

You‘re flying to Iceland just for Barði‘s gig, what are you going to get up to once you‘re here?

We're going to definitely do the tourist trail (even though we've done it before), the landscape here is incredible so it's a must. It's also my birthday so we're gonna hang out and party, but obviously the main reason is for the show. Can't wait to see Bang Gang live. 

Any chance that you might collaborate with Barði on music?

It's something we'd love to do. He's a man of many projects so it's a case of getting I there when he has some rare downtime. Perhaps we can twist his arm into that while we're over this time.  

Will Icelanders have a chance to see you in concert here soon?

We're hoping to organise a gig here in the near future. We want to play everywhere we possibly can. For now though people can go to the Lucky Records store and pick up our new album 'Black Anything' on vinyl. Our new album is recorded in five continents and released in instalments on five transparent  picture discs (2 songs per release) each displaying the continent in which the songs were recorded. When the 5 vinyls are stacked on top of each other the globe is created unifying the concept as a whole. 

Article on Iceland Monitor

Special guest appearances at much anticipated Bang Gang concert