photos by rory mcgarrigle

photos by ben martin

photos by dan greene






photos by steven and michael Stockwell

setlist

intro
gl†s†li
n½ batter¡
svefn-g-englar
s÷gl†pur
vaka
nj†snav¯lin
s¯ lest
gong
andvari
olsen olsen
hafss†l
popplagiá

colin cooper
a funny thing happened on the way over here: an evening with sigur r†s

ultra-cautious rail network employees, sick pranksters, global terrorists, forgetful commutersü it hardly matters who was ultimately responsible for the chaos at manchesterÁs piccadilly train station last night ² security was paramount and no risks were being taken. it seems a package was found neglected in the station and, following recent events in the capital, panic ensued: the station was closed; trains were delayed/cancelled/unsure how far along the line they would be permitted to run; and well would sigur r†s even be playing tonight if the authoritiesÁ suspicions were confirmed?

it was amid this climate that michael and i boarded a train to manchester, aware that our little gig was the least of anybodyÁs worries, aware that the train might only go as far bolton before the journey is terminated by those in the know who deem it unsafe to go too near the city. it sounds awfully self-centred and trivial i know, but we were also painfully aware that we were missing the show. privately i tried to justify this selfishness. iÁd been looking forward to this for a long time, itÁs one of the many reasons iÁm not still in asia, michael would be gutted, and isnÁt it the responsibility of everybody affected by such malicious intent, however theyÁre affected, to do everything in their power to continue as normal?

with that thought process over and my conscience more or less satisfied, we settled into good seats in the salfordÁs lowry theatre towards the end of warm up act aminaÁs beguiling set. it transpired thatfour fairies in dress reminiscent of some victorian fairytale or other had been imported straight from the bottom of the garden to tinker with violins, Çcellos, glockenspiels, saws and laptops. playing subconscious lullabies seemingly to themselves, amina appeared blissfully unaware of the ever-filling auditorium, spread right out in front of them.

their stripped-down, no-nonsense stage set impressed, but didnÁt engulf. thatÁs what sigur r†s did, weirdly with the help of all four members of anima, contributing strings and things to various parts of the headline actÁs set throughout the night. epic visuals, mood lighting and a the angular, statuesque shadows of band members projected and deleted from the thin screen covering the stage all added to the already complex atmospherics of the bandÁs performance.

the venueÁs acoustics were some of the best iÁve heard, not a sound out of place or lost in some ridiculous domed ceiling or other ² so just what prompted one moron to stand up between songs and personally address the Ësound guyÓ to Ëturn the drums downÓ iÁm not sure. as truman capote once wrote, Ëeveryone has to feel superior to someoneÓ, and i guess it hardly mattered since the man in question was quickly beaten, bludgeoned and disintegrated by willing members of the audience. the rest of us werenÁt subjected to his cries ² it all happened during a drum solo, i think.

the show sounded, looked and felt like being airborne for the first time. playing a pleasing mix of songs from �g÷tis byrjun, ( ) and the as-yet-untitled forthcoming lp, the band played faultlessly for around two hours, with a backdrop of two silk mountains echoing the scenic connotations of Ëstar�lfurÓ, the epic highlight of �g÷tis byrjun. perhaps my only criticism of the whole show would be that they didnÁt play this.

outside, in the pleasance of a summer evening in one of the more upmarket areas of greater manchester, audience members milled about with their t-shirts and cigarettes and whispers of the aftershow, utterly stunned. half a dozen people approached me to tell me theyÁd never seen anything like it, that it was Ësomething elseÓ, and other bewildered clich¯s that lack the objectivity of the morning after. fact is, i probably approached the same number of people to utter the same banalities, and now, in what can only be described as the first half of the following day, i feel exactly the same.

awed.
(colin cooper)

kevin tomkins
i travelled up from sussex in the south of england, for this, my first sigur r†s concert. my trip would have been worth it if i had only gone up to see the support act amina, it was quite possibly the most beautiful performance i have ever witnessed.

with nothing but dim purple light and two small beams of yellow across the stage, amina played the most delicate and beautiful music, with strings, tuned percussion, what sounded like a zither, an i-book and a bowed or struck saw. my friend and i were both moved to tears several times during their performance, it was truly magical. i bought a copy of their e.p. during the interval, can't wait for their album.

sigur r†s came on after some very dark ambient music, and showed why they are one of the most important groups around at the moment. there is absolubtly no other group even close to them in any way. virtually every track has a fragile beauty that sounds like it could fall apart at any moment, the only group i can remember having anything like this quality was joy division (yes i am old enough to have seen them!).

after a short intro track the gig started with a new song i think called glosoli, which built to a tremendous climax, the whole song performed behind a thin curtain with the band's shadow's backlit onto it, stunning. the set and lighting were perfect throughout.

the they then played a perfect mix of old and new, jonsi's voice is even more amazing live (he was so into what he was doing at times, you could tell he was at one with the music). the rest of the band were also excellent, often swapping instruments to great effect, with help at various times from amina.

about half way through the set they played a new track that ended with a beautiful tuned percussion section that i could have listened to all night, surley it couldn't get any better than this, could it?

after some more old and new they played a track built around a bassline played with a drum stick, this track is immense, my favorite group already, they just got better!

after some polite applause (we were after all in a theatre ² with excellent sound might i say), sigur r†s returned in their very introverted way, to play behind the curtain again, this time with patterns and images on it, to play the track that has never failed to make me cry, track 8 from ( ), the best climax to a song i've ever heard. i know i shouldn't swear but it was fucking staggering.

500 mile round trip?, i would have done 5000 for the last song alone. this review sound over the top? it's not. i'm just telling you what i witnessed, just stating the facts as i saw them. thank you
(kevin tomkins)

david dolling
the concert was in short, amazing. the supporting act were amina. 4 rather attractive icelandic girls who were described to me as a string quartet that have begun to part ways with sigur rós. that is doing them injustice, they were a lot more than that and played more instruments then i could count (and name). there were some amazing moments in the 4 or so songs that they did and i shall have to get around to ordering the ep in the next few days. my favourite moment was when the three girls had their bows for violin and cello raised and the girl on the desk who had been recording all the different sections played before turned around and nodded. the girls then launched into a terrific melody which merged and skimmed through the rest of the song previously recorded. everything suddenly made sense, the abstract melodies, the weird noises. all were a whole. the set ended to terrific applause and shouts of "more!" how many support acts do you know where more is asked for? the crowd throughout had been great rather than by all reports, the glasgow gig although there were far too many camera flashes for my liking.

after a short break it was sigur rós's turn to amaze. a white netted curtain had descened in front of the stage and in similar vein to pink floyd's wall the first song was played behind it. unlike the wall though the curtain offered a lot more. terrific shadows and lights were displayed on the front and a projector displayed pictures of the landscape as a sort of frame to the action. it would be pointless describe the whole set song by song (needless really - they were all amazing) though i shall simply briefly mention my favourite bits. the rest of the gig was played without the curtain and the stage was also amazing. white sheets with houses on them displayed mountains and these changed constantly throughout the performance. the music was on top form - jónsi sounded even better perhaps live than he does on the albums. and orri was absolutely stunning. the new songs were fantastic,takk is going to be something very very special. my favourite song was probably the one where yellow lights fell on the mountains in the background and morphed and changed with the music. amazing. the concert ended with some spell binding violin playing from the amina girls - smelling smoke i feared they might have caught the instruments on fire (alas - it was but a smoker). terrific applause, although we might have slowed down a little early. then we got an encore. popplagið was again an amazing song - orri blew my mind once again. with that we left the building. stunned. on the whole everything was superb: the sound, the band, the lighting, the setlist - it got a little hot at the top of the upper circle but with the bottle of water i brought along i was fine.
(david dolling)

bbc manchester
with every day that passes, it becomes easier to lose ourselves. easier to become our jobs, our routine, our social selves. how easily we forget what we are, and what we are capable of.

sigur rós were once described to me as "the sound of planets moving, if we could hear them", and i have yet to find a more apt way to relate their ponderous essentialism. probably most famous for their inclusion in film soundtracks, including vanilla sky, this icelandic collective have cracked the alchemistÁs code, and distilled beauty in its purest form. imagine flying over the arctic wasteland beneath the northern lights, and sigur rós would provide the perfect accompaniment. never have i heard music that so simplistically and hauntingly exposes the fragility of life itself. each swooping note struck by the music box, the bow-played electric guitar, the soundscape synthesiser, echoes with ethereal wonder.

the visuals of tonightÁs performance add a further dimension to the already impossibly perfect music. at first, a white gauze and myriad of coloured lights disguise the band, then a backdrop and projections, with occasional ruffled material mountains. a solarised couple dancing in slow motion, the meiosis of thousands of stars, a shimmering close up of a foetal face are all appreciated afresh, with the wonder they deserve.

tonight made me shiver, and leave in an awestruck daze. with all the shallowness, terror and hate that shapes our daily lives, it becomes increasingly difficult to realise there is an alternative. sigur rós remind us that we are vulnerable, emotional beings, capable of creating intense beauty, instead of destroying it, and one another.
(bbc manchester. carol hodge)

nothingatall.net
the last time i saw this band was at glastonbury 2003, standing in the rain. i remeber jonsi throwing his guitar across the stage and orri kicking over his drum kit. it was one hell of a show, but somehow the outdoor location did not suit the band...fast forward 2 years and sigur rós have not changed a bit... but still tonights performance showed the band in a whole new light.

supporting the band were amina, sigur rós's friends and string section. seeing four icelandic girls playing the saw, wine glasses, laptops, violins and every other odd intrument under the sun was fantastic. they were not perfect but somehow i think that gave them a little unusual charm. especially the casio keyboard sounding final track... they seemed to enjoy it indeed.

sigur rós have always had fantastic visuals at their shows, and this one was no different. stepping onto the stage behind a white screen on which visuals were projected. and behind that, the lights created shadows of the band... somehow something so simple created such a good effect. and the music complimented, launching off with a new song then straight into ny batteri... simply stunning.

the new songs certinly seem to be a progression from those from ( ), ba ba ti ki di do has definatly helped... yet the band still has the power to rock out intensly at the right moment... the drummer almost destroying his kit to the sound of bowed guitar. every now and then, the girls from aminia came out to play their strings or a xylophone, and some of the best songs had all of the group around the various keyboards and bells. its somehow amazing to watch... you would think that sigur rós would be boring.. but no... i cant describe it. the band are far far far superiour live than on record.

this could well be due to the stunning venue. the crowd being possibly one of the most polite and quiet i have been part of. and at the end after a literally destroying popplagiá a very very well deserved standing ovation...
(nothingatall.net. rich jones)