Icelandic post-rock magic

Saturday 2 March 2013 is a day I will forever remember and cherish. Not only because I got to see Sigur Rós live, but also because I spent some much-awaited time with my lovely witch colleagues from Harry Potter The Exhibition, Daphne and Steph!

If you've been following me on Twitter lately, you'll know that I've been obsessed with Iceland. Obsessed might be putting it mildly. More like having a full-blown psychotic stalker episode.

So when I found out that Sigur Rós was coming to Glasgow, which is just over an hour away from Edinburgh, I knew I had to be there. I've been a fan of Sigur Rós's music for a while now - I think Með suð í eyrum við spilum endalaust is one of the best albums ever made, and I absolutely love "Ára bátur"; for reference, please see this video:


Now tell me they aren't simply amazing.

The concert was held at Hall 4 of Glasgow's SECC, which is basically an exhibition and conference centre, an enclosed all-standing space with a single stage.



The concert was well-managed, with entry through the doors fast and efficient; merchandise was not outrageously expensive, and I snagged myself a Sigur Rós shirt at £20. The skinny S size shirt was absolutely tiny though - way too small, I think kids would have fit better in that shirt!

The opening act was by Blanck Mass, which was interesting - a solo guy on keyboards and lots of electronic ambient influences. I'd never heard of his music before - and it was pretty good, interesting, but unfortunately hampered by the scrim at the front of the stage between the performer and audience, which didn't drop until after Sigur Rós had played a few.



Going to a Sigur Rós concert is very interesting - it's unlike a lot of other concerts because the lyrics are in Icelandic so it's unlikely that an English-speaking audience will know them, so no one sings alone. Instead everyone just stands there, taking it all in, and everyone applauds the end of a song the way classical audiences would applaud the end of a piece.



They played a really nice set - some songs I'd never heard before, others that I was familiar with like Olsen Olsen and Svefn-g-englar, and crowd favourites like Hoppípolla. Sigur Rós made full use of the lighting effects and the show was visually spectacular - images projected on the scrim and background, strobe lights, and even lightbulbs that would light up during certain points in the show.

I also got to see Jónsi make use of some excellent and unorthodox instrumental techniques; he plays the electric guitar with a cello bow, and at certain points sings into the guitar pickup instead of the microphone, producing an entirely different otherworldly sound.



In all, a great time getting together with friends from home and listening to one of my favourite bands!