Disko Bay Expedition

KT Tunstall backed by ‘The Icebergs’ (scientists Carol Cotterill and Emily Venables) and local band The Disko Bay Blues at Murphy’s Bar, Ilulissat. Photo: Nathan Gallagher

Excuse the spelleng mistakes, the grammatical errors and the mistaken cultural references, but this blog comes after only 6 hours sleep total in two nights (holding a satellite phone outside, pointing at the sky in the snowing Arctic is certainly a new experience for 3am internet roaming). This alongside the introduction to the most dramatic landscape on earth can only lead to a brain that somewhat resembles the broken ice floating through the sea.

David Noble and ‘Murphy’ locals. Photo: Nathan Gallagher

After leaving the beauty of the Ice Fjord and the Jakobshavn Glacier we dock for the night in the town of Ilulissat. For our guide Karen, Ilulissat is her home-town. She arranges a one-night-only gig for us in her local hangout; Murphy’s (the ubiquitous Irish pub). The Disko Bay Blues Band (with their very own myspace page) open their superb set before graciously sharing the stage with voyagers who had traveled a long way to be there.

Jarvis Cocker’s disco in Disko Bay. Photo: Nathan Gallagher

Robyn Hitchcock is the opening act with a modified version of ‘cocaine’ to include some relevant lyrics ‘If the ice doesn’t melt and the water doesn’t freeze, it’s okay’, well it’s not really, but I guess that’s for another blog. KT Tunstall and Luke Bullen closely follow, taking the stage with their new backing band, ‘The Icebergs’ – scientists Carol Cotterill and Emily Venables. The closing act is a Pink Floyd classic ‘Another Brick In The Wall’ feat. Feist with quite possibly the best air guitar performance on the planet. Singing along, I realise it’s hard not to read some kind of hidden meanings into the lyrics in response to what we are experiencing, but then again Jarvis Cocker at the DJ booth playing ‘It’s getting hot in here’ does what it says on the tin.