Review: Sigur Ros, Lloyds Amphitheatre

For a country with a population of 330,000 (the same as Leicester) Iceland punches well above its weight when it comes to musical talent. While it’s tempting to extend the comparison to football success, that urge will have to be resisted at least until next week.

But Iceland is home to artists of the calibre of Bjork, contemporary classical composer Olafur Arnalds, glitchy electronica innovators múm and indie-folkie-popsters Of Monsters and Men, while Leicester has Kasabian, Showaddywaddy and Engelbert Humperdinck. Iceland is also home to post rock band Sigur Ros, who blew hearts and minds on the second night of Bristol’s Summer Series.

Lloyds Amphitheatre was an excellent choice of venue for this most intense of bands, and there was a genuine sense of intimacy and connection between band and audience. This may be due to the excellent sound: no bouncing off the Lloyds building or drifting away on the chilly breeze. Or it may be because the bars were slightly apart from the main auditorium area, so there was little jostling for not-cheap drinks.  

Even the bizarre choice of support act – singer, songwriter and loop station prodder James Canty, who singularly failed to engage the crowd with his sub-Libertines songs whining about women – couldn’t diminish a generally good natured, anticipatory atmosphere. 

When Canty finally finished the changeover between bands was impressively speedy. Sigur Ros took to the stage at around 9pm and for the next 90 minutes or so entranced the huge crowd. 

The set began in low key fashion with singer Jonssi Birgisson’s ethereal vocals drifting over some gentle electronica as he stood at the back of the stage framed by the impressive lightshow, all LED lighting in whites and blues creating a cage effect. Two songs in and he and the rest of the band stepped forward and launched and lurched into an intense post-rock workout – all squalling guitars, grinding bass and monumental drums – which did not drown out the vocals at any point. Birgisson utilised his trademark bowed guitar work to stunning effect during this piece. That man can make some very special sounds and drones with his guitar, and continued thus throughout the set. 

The intensity of the band and the music did not diminish at any point as they rattled through a selection of old and new material, erring on the side of guitars rather than the electronics which may be more familiar to people (at one point a few years ago Sigur Ros seemed to soundtrack every BBC documentary about huge natural occurances and nature’s giants). This could have been relentless and cold – all technique and little passion – but Sigur Ros elevated the genre above sheer quiet / loud to an intense yet connected level. The band moved on stage, they felt the music and they just went with it, though being post-rock they didn’t speak to the crowd. They didn’t need to. 

After a rapturous closing song the band left the stage but didn’t keep the crowd waiting for the encore they knew was coming. They played two more songs, took a bow, chucked a pair of drumsticks into the crowd, applauded the crowd and left everyone wanting more. And that was how it should be.