It was a heartbreaking moment in “Game of Thrones” when the series’ beloved Hodor finally got to “hold the door,” only to be sacrificed in the process. With his single-phrased vocabulary, the “Groot” of GOT was possibly the least affected by his character’s demise. The seven-foot-tall Kristian Nairn, who portrays Hodor, is a Belfast, Ireland native, the primary filming location for “Game of Thrones.” Nairn enjoyed the best of both worlds, visiting his castmates during filming while ramping up his DJing career — which began long before acting.
Since his departure from “Game of Thrones,” DJing has taken center stage in Nairn’s life. He has hit the festival circuit performing across the globe from Tomorrowland in Belgium to Sunburn in India. He has also made the rounds of major clubs appearing alongside Steve Aoki, Fatboy Slim, and Dimitri Vegas and Like Mike at high profile venues such as Amnesia in Ibiza and Hakkasan in Las Vegas.
“I realize some folks are drawn in by the idea of seeing ‘Hodor’ DJing,” says the affable Nairn who is a member of both the LGBT and drag communities. “They quickly realize I’m passionate about dance music and this is an authentic music experience.”
A couple of years back, Nairn presented “Rave of Thrones,” an immersive clubbing experience where he transformed the venue into a Game of Thrones scene with elaborate sets and cosplay performances.
Nairn, who is booked by APA, brings his high-energy DJ sets of progressive EDM and main room vocal house back to North America for a string of nine dates over the course of a month. While he is no longer presenting “Rave of Thrones,” Nairn will be including a good amount of his own well received productions and remixes into his music selections.
The tour starts March 20th at Temple in Denver, Colorado and wraps April 18th at RYSE in St. Charles, Missouri. Nairn will also make an appearance at the Emerald City Comic Con the weekend of March 14th-15th.
