Sigur Ros @ The Corn Exchange, Edinburgh
10th November 2005
The Corn exchange in Edinburgh is a fairly big arena, and can hold large audiences – it is used for a variety of purposes i.e. conferences, banquets, exhibitions, functions and, of course, concerts. Overall, the beer was pretty expensive and despite the busyness of the venue it was relatively easy to get served. From the stage it is possible to imagine that the Corn Exchange must look quite imposing with a vast sea of people all standing with demanding eyes staring to hear the next best thing, and indeed, this night was well equipped for something entirely unusual. Delivered all the way from Iceland, the extraordinary musical oddity that is Sigur Ros played out to a well packed crowd.
Sigur Ros are genius! Musical scientists par excellence. They have successfully sculpted a rare sound of avant-garde post-rock that almost asks you to redefine exactly what music is, what it can do, and what it should sound like. Sigur Ros are not a band per se – they are a phenomenon. This show proves it, if indeed it needed proving.
The stage was setup with a thin transparent curtain drawn across the entire stage front, projected onto it was green light, which gave the impression of a kind of moving plasma. Upon entering the stage Sigur Ros’ figures where silhouetted upon the curtain in various positions and contortions as they stood, they played the first song entirely hidden by the curtain which was extremely surreal and eerie but artfully done. Indeed, light was used throughout the show, changing mood with sound, from natural greens, ocean blues to maternal reds. The set was characteristically peculiar.
Sigur Ros have mastered the art of silence. Certain songs slowed to such a peaceful lull that the entire audience were totally becalmed by the end, so much so, that there were moments of (what can only be described as) existential silence - whereby everyone remained silent and aware of themselves as part of the crowd within that silence. As pretentious as this may sound, it really was the case, as well as a background that interchanged images of eyes, silhouettes of figures jumping, and dolls, extremely eerie and in parts a tad in excess. But Sigur Ros are not an act to shy away from excesses; indeed they are comparable to Radiohead and have a close affinity with the experimentalism and obscurity of their fellow native musician Bjork, a curious meshing of Icelandic folk music, post-rock, classical music and obscurest ambience.
Sigur Ros have an almost classical approach to their music. No talking with each other or the crowd. No wild egotistic front man. They play, and indeed often sound, like an orchestra, using an assortment of instruments – a string section (which was played by the support act Amina), violins, cellos, xylophones, as well as, a drummer who sits at the front of the stage turned to the side so that everyone can see quite clearly how he works. And guitarists who have mastered harmonics and controlled feedback, along with lead singer-guitarist - Jón Þór (Jónsi) Birgisson - who on occasion plays his instrument with a violin bow while singing in ‘Hopelandic’ - a curious mixture of Icelandic tones and gibberish. Together, the sound is at once ghostly ambient, like the tranquil noise of dolphins calling underwater, producing a very spiritual supernatural vocal feel. Songs such as ‘Viðar Vel Tl Loftárasa’, ‘Njosnavelin’ and ‘Anayram’ were excellent and truly captured the dramatic, haunting transcendental appeal of the music. And they finished with perhaps one of the best tunes that night the ghostly ‘Popplagio’, which builds up to a lively crescendo. Awe inspiring!
As a live act is was very outlandish, there was no dancing at all or all-out rocking from either band or crowd. Indeed, there hung in the atmosphere like smoke, the distinct feeling that the crowd were hypnotised by the sounds, standing motionless - as if they were still trying to “translate the musicâ€. Sigur Ros play such an obscure musical form that people are still surely trying to understand it musically for themselves, to find a door into these crypto-surrealist compositions that Sigur Ros create, without feeling alienated. For this music is truly alien even other worldly – it leaves you in a trance. It casts a spell. No dialogue came from the band. It was not that they didn’t feel the crowd were worthy of talking to as they all bowed at the end, but it was more a musical experience than a gig, a more classical approach than rock, more theatrics and stage front.
Sigur Ros are one band that has nailed the art of theatrical sound and performance. Critics may well say Sigur Ros are self-consciously pretentious, ostentatious and impenetrably obscure and flat, and there may be truth in this, but if you are looking for music that relates directly to introspection and inward contemplation, then this music is definitely for you! It will not only appeal to those lofty in spirit but to anyone who can admit to indulging in the esoteric and the strange. Indeed, if insanity is the spectre of genius then Sigur Ros are insane. This band is well worth seeing again, and worth pursuing for anyone who likes to indulge in the dramatic artful excesses - go out a buy their new album Takk, a must for soul purging and ultra introspection and relaxation. Truly, this group are the Kings and Queens of expressionist music with a sound that is ultimately – medicine for the spirit. A truly captivating performance!!
