Stop the Dams (concert)

Organized by Saving Iceland, Stop the Dams - International Concert (simply referred to as Stop the Dams) was an environmental awareness benefit concert held in Laugardalshöll indoor sporting arena in Reykjavík, Iceland on January 7, 2006. It was held in protest against the construction of the Kárahnjúkar Hydropower Plant and the over-industrialization of one of Iceland's largest remaining wilderness.

STOP THE DAMS – INTERNATIONAL CONCERT!!!!
SOLD OUT

BJÖRK • ZEENA PARKINS • MÚM • DAMIEN RICE • LISA HANNIGAN • GHOSTIGITAL • DAMON ALBARN • EGÓ • MAGGA STÍNA BAND • MUGISON • RASS • SIGUR RÓS • KK • HAM • HJÁLMAR • SURPRISE GUESTS

A MEGA-BENEFIT GIG 7 JANUARY AT LAUGARDALSHÖLL/REYKJAVÍK

FOR THE FIGHT AGAINST THE DAMS AND HEAVY INDUSTRIALISATION OF THE LARGEST REMAINING PRISTINE EUROPEAN WILDERNESS

DATES FOR THE INTERNATIONAL PROTEST GATHERING SUMMER 2006 WILL BE ANNOUNCED ON THE DAY OF THE GIG

For more see www.this.is/nature/ undefined

Lineup

 * KK
 * Björk and Zeena
 * Múm
 * Sigur Rós
 * Magga Stína
 * Rass and Dr. Spock
 * Damien Rice
 * Mugison
 * Lisa Hannigan
 * Hjálmar
 * Ghostigital
 * Damon Albarn
 * Ham
 * Egó

The Concert
On January 5, 2006 (two days before the concert), Damon was interviewed on Icelandic talk show Kastljós inquiring his involvement with the protest.undefined On the day of the concert, it achieved an attendance of almost 6,000 people in protest against the devastation of Iceland’s wildernesses. At the concert the dates to the next protest camp at the Kárahnjúkar project were announced for July 21, 2006. undefined

Significance to Gorillaz
The D-Sides track, Stop The Dams made its live debut as an improvised on-the-spot collaboration between Ghostigital and Damon under the song title Aluminium. Like Hong Kong, Aluminium was made a Gorillaz B-side; adopting the name of the concert/charity event it debuted at as its namesake.

Epilogue
Unfortunately, the Fjarðaál aluminium smelter that the song Aluminium was named after was completed in 2008 and hydropower plant that the D-Sides track was alluding to was completed in 2009 (both of which are still subjects of criticism and controversy for both their environmental impact and use of outsourced foreign workers). "Saving Iceland" is still an active organization working to preserve Iceland's natural wonders to this day.