The clamour for tickets in the months leading up to the Australian leg of Sigur Ros’s world tour meant that not only was the Opera House sold out, but a few weeks before they agreed to perform in the round, meaning that seats were sold on the other side of the stage. The ethereal nature of the music and the magical orbed lighting design already gave the feeling of a fairy scene being witnessed, but with the faces just visible in the darkness behind the performers, the whole stage felt like a clearing in a nordic forest glen. If there’d been a band in Shakespeare’s A Midsummer’s Night Dream, this would have been it.
Loyal fans came to experience the transcendent majesty of one of the most important bands to come out of Iceland, for whom the genre of dream pop seams to have been invented, which was perfect as the band were in Sydney for three nights as part of the fantastical light-show-cum-festival VIVID, which has a theme this year of Dream. Performing with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra under the conduction of Robert Ames. band members Jón Þór “Jonsi”Birgisson, Kjartan Sveinsson and Georg Hólm have explored new frontiers to take their music to. Jonsi could be spotted sometimes at the centre of the orchestra, sometimes well off to the side deep in the string section. His otherworldly vocals and guitar playing with a bow was wonderful to see, but more than most concerts, this really was all about the music. It wasn’t so much watched as experienced. The music carried everyone in the Concert Hall up up and away, so that the two hour set, even with its intermission, flew past in what felt like a moment. The congregation were at church.
It feels like it can be remembered as one stream of consciousness, but there were definitely tracks that jolted people out of the collective hypnosis into recognition. In the first half, 8 and Starálfur came as pinch- yourself moments, and Von from their debut album swam out and captivated the audience wearing its new orchestrally- arranged clothes. Untitled #3 was unsurprisingly a winner out on the sonic dreamscape, and at the opening notes of Hoppípolla there was a collective coo from the crowd, wooing one of their biggest hits out into the night to be swallowed up whole by every soul in the place. The Sydney Symphony Orchestra finished up with Avalon, and the lucky attendees left the Opera House with a Sigur Rós glow that will stay with them for weeks, if not months and years- calmer, happier, more in love with the world, awed and inspired- they really should give Sigur Rós out on Medicare.
SIGUR ROS
Sydney Opera House
25th May 2025
SET 1
Fljótavík
8
Von
Andvari
Starálfur
Dauðalogn
Varðeldur
Untitled #3 – Samskeyti
Ylur
Skel
All Alright
Untitled #5 – Álafoss
Sé lest
Hoppípolla
