Sigur Rós
21st July 2017
Spark Arena, Auckland, New Zealand.
Review by Sarah Kidd. Photography by Matt Henry Mendonca.
Music; it’s the one thing that can transcend language and cultural barriers. One group that is the epitome of such transcendence is the Icelandic band Sigur Rós, who are in Auckland tonight for their ‘An Evening with Sigur Rós’ performance which the group has promised to be “something no one has ever seen before”. The show is split into two acts this evening, there is no support act which is understandable when considering the intricate stage set up which features hundreds of individual pieces carefully fitted together. The venue has been set up in the ‘free flow’ arrangement, with the audience being able to choose between experiencing the show from a seated or standing vantage point, hundreds of fans choosing the option of being as close as possible to their idols.
Sigur Rós have been on the road awhile now with this current tour and are simultaneously trying to work on their 8th album (their last being Kveikur in 2013); the task understandably proving to be a little more difficult than they thought according to bassist Georg ‘Goggi’ Holm. Regardless tonight they are here to present what promises to be a fully immersive journey into both sight and sound. The band are in a stripped back form, there are none of the usual touring musicians with them, just the three core members of Sigur Rós that being the aforementioned Goggi, lead vocalist ‘Jonsi’ Birgisson and Orri Dyrason on drums; Kjartan Sveinsson who was known for his outstanding work on keyboards having left the band in 2013 after the recording of their last album.
With only three band members on stage, there is often the need to switch instruments, Dyrason at one point being seen to play the keyboards and drums simultaneously. Holm had stated in previous interviews that performing in such a stripped back format ‘was a way to box themselves in creatively, forcing them to find a way out’. And it often felt like that this evening with the slow burning first half building in intensity as it moved into the more explosive second act.
With the evening split into two one hour in length acts we begin the evening with the spectacular the ethereal opening ‘A’, watching as pinpoints of light move from the outskirts of the stage inwards, finally congregating in the middle of the set, and appearing to ‘chatter’ together. Subtle beams of light move across the top of the stage imitating the rolling showers currently lashing the city tonight just outside the stadium doors, illuminating the band members fleetingly as they roll past. Birgisson stands front and centre, guitar in one hand, bow in the other; an impressive sight as he carves away at the strings. His falsetto voice is otherworldly, the lyrics of each song either being sung in his native Icelandic tongue or that of Vonlenska (Hopelandic) a language literally made up by Birgisson that involves ‘unintelligible lyrics’ but to most of the audience sounds like the voice of a creature who would be more at home in the heavens above.
The first act features dreamy soundscapes such as ‘Ekki Mukk’ that then delve into harder hitting with a slightly cold edge pieces such as ‘Glosoli’ and ‘E-Bow’. The meaning of these songs are often left up to the listeners own interpretation, each audience member taking away something different. Many in the audience are completely lost within the music, eyes closed, heads slightly tilted back; others are whooping and cheering after each piece, faces in awe at the visual feast before them. And what a feast it is, the band using a combination of led lighting, scrims and 3D images projected onto the back screen, the effect so hypnotic that you often become lost within it. With only three members on stage there would be gaps to be filled sonically, one would assume that this was done using a series of loops and backing tracks; however it is done, it is done so seamlessly. The second to last song of the first act is again rather wistful, easing us into the slow building ‘Varda’ which ends on an impressive high.
Following the short intermission, we are plunged back into darkness as voluminous clouds appear on stage, the band members can be seen at the very back, standing close together. ‘Overdur’ is punctuated beautifully with lights that imitate lightning bolts, shooting outwards towards the audience in time with the electronic drum beats. As the band moved back down to the front of the stage, Dyrason once again transforms into the mechanical machine behind the drum kit, which is turned sideways to face Birgisson. ‘Saeglopur’ is easily one of the highlights of the set; tiny golden lights float down from the ceiling as the song builds and the lights form together and begin to fire like electrified neurons. At that exact moment it was if witnessing the very creation of the universe itself and it was positively enthralling in every sense of the word.
The piano based ‘Vaka’, takes us slightly back down again before moving into the popular and well known ‘Festival’, Birgisson pulling off the longest held note possible, the audience cheering excitedly at this superhuman vocal effort. It seems to open a floodgate inside Birgisson as he moves off to the side of the mic and gestures to the audience, amping them up. This is not a performance where any form of banter is involved; however Birgisson does at one point utter a sentence, what that was will remain a mystery.
But is the heavy almost industrial natured ‘Kveikur’ with its outstanding visual displays of what almost looks like blood cells exploding on screen that takes the cake tonight, with many in the audience giving themselves completely over to the music. Flowing quickly and easily into ‘Popplagid’ the set finishes with multicoloured static images flashing across the screens; the crowd exploding into rapturous applause. It obviously took its toll on the trio themselves as the now shirtless Dyrason has to be assisted to the back stage area as they leave the stage. While it was sweet and obviously traditional for the audience to demand an encore, this is such a technical show that it would just not be possible to do so. Instead the word ‘Takk’ (thanks) is displayed across the back screen, Sigur Rós coming out twice to bow and acknowledge the audience.
One thing is for sure, they certainly achieved what they set out to do; it will be a night to remember for a very, very long time.
Were you there at Spark Arena for this mindblowing treat for the senses? Or have you seen Sigur Rós perform live somewhere else before? Tell us about it in the comments below!
Setlist:
- A
- Ekki Mukk
- Glosoli
- E-bow
- Daudalagid
- Fljotavik
- Nidur
- Varda
- Ovedur
- Saeglopur
- Ny Batteri
- Vaka
- Festival
- Kveikur
- Popplagid
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