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As soon as the twee xylophone plinks of the exquisite ‘Glôsôli’ emanate from behind the canvas screen adorning the front of the stage, it’s clear that this concert is going to be very special. The bohemian, chin-stroking elite have converged upon the sanguine all-seated surroundings of The Philharmonic Hall to be consumed by Sigur Rós’ glacial sounds and they aren’t let down – yes, tonight will be the talking point for many a dinner party for years to come. Amazingly though, since the foursome toured ‘( )’, the curious Icelandic band’s sound has grown in stature, beauty and elegance into something quite spectacular.
Performing the dramatic opening song as silhouettes behind the screen, the veil is then dropped to reveal the almost emaciated, nymph-like foursome totally absorbed in their music plucked straight from the fjords. Throughout their set, there is no agenda for the band to pause or interact; instead they are completely absorbed in their craft. The gorgeous ‘Ný Batteri’ for one is astoundingly touching with the throbbing rhythms as essential as a heart beat, the piano plonking, dizzying ‘Sæglópur’ is positively radiant, while ‘Staràlfur’ is sheer heavens bound, buoyed by frontman Jon Thor Birgisson’s (playing his guitar with his trademark bow) impossibly high-pitched, alien ‘Hopelandic’ utterances. In fact, it feels slightly wrong to talk of individual songs, for tonight was one grand, exquisite movement that if you let yourself go had the capacity to take you to other worlds.
Complete with a stunning light show and joined on many numbers by an alternating strings and percussion section to add depth to their already voluminous sound, the spectacle positively captivates all the senses. With cascading lights reverberating off the theatre walls, the intense foursome carve out sheer organic sounds; ‘Hoppipola/Með Blôtnadir’ is all encompassing, while a poignant and radiant rendition of track four from ‘( )’ just grips the soul. In a musical sense, tonight is as close to a spiritual awakening you could ever hope to have.
Unrelenting in their beauty, through tracks like the ominous, uncompromising ‘Viðrar Vel Til Loftárása’ the Sigur Rós boys weave a web of intricate sounds until the rousing finale. With the screen back in front of the stage, the set climaxes with a building cacophony of noise more akin to their kindred spirits Godspeed You Black Emperor – an experience this reviewer for one will never forget. Bravo indeed.
