By comparison to the pop absurdity of Lady Gaga’s opening to
the iTunes Festival (the remnants of which still trickled down from the ceiling
in ticker tape form), Sigur Ros couldn’t be more different. This was the serious gig of the festival –
musicians for musos.
Musicality is certainly what links Sigur Rós and support act Poliça – that and the sheer
scale of their respective sounds. In
pride of place at the core of Poliça’s set-up were dual drummers both playing
drum and electronic kits, sometimes totally synchronized and at others playing
in counter-rhythm. The effect was truly
mesmerising as they played off one another with both subtle beats and cataclysmic
power. They were joined by funk bass
lines, glittering electronics and the remarkable vocal of singer Channy
Leaneagh. In contrast to the percussive heavyweights,
her voice effortlessly ebbed and flowed over the top, characterised by ethereal,
alien auto-tune. Her vocal and dynamic
range also impressed in an impassioned performance – “you were mean to me”, she
cooed on one song with delicate fragility.
Poliça did
leave the audience feeling a little cold, however. Perhaps it was the lack of banter, the fact
Leaneagh only smiled once she left the stage, the indistinct lyrics, or the
fact they sometimes felt less like a band and more like session musicians
performing in an interesting experiment.
Yet their sound is so unique that musicianship is thrust ahead of
performance. The new tracks (taken from
their forthcoming second album ‘Shulamith’) provided a welcome, more upbeat
sound – expectations are high for next month’s release.
Sigur Rós,
of course, feature the remarkable vocal of Jonsi Birgisson for a similarly
ethereal (yet lyrically indistinct) sound.
His is a vocal of purity and vulnerability, filled with emotion that negates
any language barriers. The held note in
the middle of Festival left the
audience especially captivated.
What’s most remarkable about Sigur Rós, however, is their incredibly rich,
lush sound. Watching the technicians
beforehand was a show in itself, with such a plethora of instruments – from percussion,
drums and guitars to piano, strings, horns, xylophones, organs and more. The result is music with huge resonance and impact
that completely overwhelmed the audience, including techniques synonymous with
the band like bowed electric guitar and singing into the guitar. The muscular sound was matched by cinematic and
abstract visual projections and a stunning light display. Together, they brought a touch of frosty
Iceland to a sweltering Roundhouse crowd, with shuddering tectonic tracks from
recent album ‘Kveikur’ slotting in amongst lofty fan favourites from ‘Takk’ and
beyond: queasy yellow lighting matched the sulphuric Brennistein; the all-female chorale of Varúð was a haunting penultimate track; and the
crescendo of Hoppípolla was the closest the venue could have to a firework
display.
As
a whole, though, the performance was equal parts hypnotic and monotonous. For all their moments of magnificence, some
tracks tend to blur together in a watercolour wash of sound – in particular
lesser known tracks from ‘()’ that frequently lack the recognisable bittersweet
melodies of more popular material. The
slow-motion pace, endless crescendos and self-indulgent playing aren’t for
everyone, but when they hit their peak the effect is spine-tinglingly magical.
3/5
Watch: The full set can be streamed on the iTunes Festival app.
