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Spread across 9 venues, the Iceland Airwaves music festival takes over Reykjavik every October to showcase not only the best in Icelandic music but some of the best new bands the entire blinking globe has to offer. Q went along to brave the cold and dig out the best of the bunch for you.

Here's our 10 favourite acts from this year's excellent line-up.

The Field (Sweden)

Stockholm-based DJ Axel Willner makes minimalist techno with a hypnotic groove that leaves you transfixed and a little confused. Playing Reykjavik's answer to a super-club, NASA, he left the crowd dazed and delighted.

Check out: Willner's skittery remake of Everybody's Gotta Learn Sometime (http://www.myspace.com/thefieldsthlm)

Crystal Antlers (US)

An unholy clustering of lo-fi, garage rock and psychedelia, Crystal Antlers come over like The Doors brought up on the sound of The Stooges and a diet of cider and mescaline. There's something unhinged and delightful about their clattering that makes them well worth a look.

Check out: A Thousand Eyes (http://www.myspace.com/crystalantlers)

FM Belfast (Iceland)

Local heroes, FM Belfast, make electro-tinged indie pop and have a penchant for stuffing the stage with percussionists. While some indie acts can be a little poe-faced, FM Belfast inject humour into their tracks with songs like Underwear, a tale of "running down the street in our underwear".

Check out: The beauty of the aforementioned Underwear (http://www.myspace.com/fmbelfast)

Metronomy (UK)

The quality of Metronomy's soup of indie, disco and dance is hardly a secret, their songs keep popping up as beds on TV shows for a start, but their set at Reykjavik Art Museum was astounding. With chest lights blinking the band delivered a set of mesmerising tunes sprinkled with cheeky banter that baffled some of the international crowd.

Check out: Do The Right Thing (http://www.myspace.com/metronomy)

The Postelles (US)

New York garage rockers The Postelles make harmony heavy indie rock with no frills but plenty of thrills. There were no suprises in the band's set at Idno but they won over an initially disinterested crowd with sheer charm and melodies that hook their way into your synapses and refuse to let go. A cover of The Ramones' Beat On The Brat went a long way too.

Check out: The Strokes-esque jingle-jangle of Stella. (http://www.myspace.com/thepostelles)

Thecocknbullkid (UK)

The UK music scene is well served with interesting female artists at the moment but Thecocknbullkid (23-year-old Londoner, Anita Bay) makes glorious pop that deserves serious attention. Her voice is stunning and her songs are far more varied than any of records released by the current crop of hyped new acts (Little Boots and La Roux we're looking at you).

Check out: The hook ridden Soundtracks (http://www.myspace.com/thecocknbullkid)

Casiokids (Norway)

Keyboard-obsessed and with a gift for oddly compelling melody lines, Casiokids sing largely in Norweigian and yet somehow managed to convey their sentiments to this cloth-eared Englishman. Their gig at the Art Museum was widely considered one of the best of the fest with a crowd-surfing monkey adding to the joy.

Check out: Fot I hose (Captain Credible remix) - a skronking keyboard fancy (http://www.myspace.com/casiokids)

The Drums (US)

Part of the woozy surf-rock revival currently riding of wave of hype (along with Memory Tapes, Wavves, Girls et al), The Drums take the naivety of Brian Wilson's best lyrics and smear them liberally over noise-pop injected surf guitar. One of the highlights of the Moshi Moshi night at the Art Museum.

Check out: Let's Go Surfing (currently single of the week on iTunes)

James Yuill (UK)

He nearly ended up as a forensic scientist but alt-folkie James Yuill now spends his time dissecting his own heartbreak. But rather than delivering drippy guitar strumming, his songs slip from bedroom strumming to dancefloor bangers with ease.

Check out: No Pins Allowed - from mournful strum to electronic hiss. (http://www.myspace.com/jamesyuill)

Trentemøller (Denmark)

The seriously prolific producer, remixer and electronic musician turned the Nasa nightclub into the busiest veneue in town with a mess of dubby sounds and melancholic vocals. From his remixes of bands like The Knife to his own heartbreaking track Moan.

Check out: Moan. (http://www.anderstrentemoller.com/#/151075/)

Words: Mic Wright

Q flew to Iceland Airwaves with Iceland Express, the country's low-cost airline. Find out more here www.icelandexpress.com

5:17 PM | 19/10/2009