Herald Young Critics reviews: Boroughmuir High School at Sigur Ros, Playhouse

Sigur Ros

Edinburgh Playhouse

Mhairi McDougall

Four stars

THE EDINBURGH FESTIVAL is an eclectic affair. Home to scurrying sightseers and a fair few embittered Edinburgers, featuring slam poetry and rap battles, aspiring actors and committed comedians, and on Monday, Icelandic post-rock trio, Sigur Rós. The band, which dates back to 1994, graced the stage of the iconic Edinburgh Playhouse to put on a nowadays rare show for a sell out (and certainly eager) crowd.

The visuals were novel. A screen masked the trio for the first three songs, putting the music rather than the performers in pole position. When they did emerge, the band’s drummer shed his shirt, possibly considered a less visually pleasing part of the show from where I was sitting (I was sat in the balcony and didn’t avail myself of the £1 binocular rental charge). Although there was something rather refreshing about being sat in a room full of people who had no desire to sexualise the band’s every movement – certainly a rarity in today’s music world – and just simply enjoy the galactic, celestial musical aura.

There was an ever conflicting thought running through my head though; nobody sang along (the band’s music has few lyrics and are sung in Icelandic or “hope-landic”, allowing lyrics to be interpreted as people see fit), nobody danced along (there wasn’t quite a “Calvin Harris headlining T In The Park on Saturday night” vibe to their songs) and audience interaction was close to zero (the band’s front man, Jónsi Birgisson, spoke precisely six words throughout their ninety minute performance). That notwithstanding, there was an ever present feeling of inclusivity that simply couldn’t be ignored.

To avoid ambiguity, I was pleasantly surprised by the whole concert. As a teen who typically listens to what may loosely be referred to as “indie-pop”, I feared that Sigur Rós would be too mature for my taste but I must say the concert felt authentic and raw, with songs ranging from nostalgic infusion to evocations of pure infinity and ecstasy. I arrived a sceptic and left a “wouldn’t skip them on Spotify” type fan – that’s a compliment, right?

Festival Music

Sigur Ros

Edinburgh Playhouse

Tanbir Jalil

HAUNTING basslines, overpowering drums and one hell of a falsetto from the lead singer. And that was just the first song.

Going into the concert the only song of Sigur Ros I could name was Hoppippolla, used in many TV shows and films. Going out of the concert the only track I could name was still Hoppippolla, though this was more due to each track being so difficult to pronounce. Nevertheless every song still left its impression on me. The music seemed to fill every corner of the Edinburgh Playhouse. The visual aspect was as much a part of the performance as the actual song. Strobe lighting paired with backdrops ranging from a rather graphic depiction of a man with nails in his face to a Tron-like environment were pivotal to the whole Sigur Ros experience

There's one very important thing about Sigur Ros: they sing in Icelandic and sometimes in "hopelandic", a completely made-up language that has no real meaning but is used as another instrument in Sigur Ros's arsenal.

Lyrics aren't important to Sigur Ros's music; what they are trying to do is evoke emotion. Their songs are more about making you feel a certain way or to create an atmosphere rather than deliver a message. The concert often found itself creating an eerie, haunting atmosphere through the falsetto of the lead singer (Jonsi) and the use of orchestral instruments but jumped to high tempo, high octane within seconds. What was most striking to me was the sheer energy given off by the Icelandic trio. The passion with which the lead singer played the bowed guitar (a hybrid of a violin and a guitar) and the boundless energy of the drummer, whose arms were a blur at times, added to the performance

The concert made me appreciate Sigur Ros's music and it was certainly a great experience. There's just something unique about the lead singer holding an absurdly long and high falsetto note whilst playing a bowed guitar as the audience gaze with rapture.

Festival Music

Sigur Ros

Edinburgh Playhouse

Abigail Cairns

INTIMACY. The feeling of being connected to yourself and to those around you through a shared ineffable experience such as that of Sigur Ros’s performance at the Edinburgh Playhouse.

The band itself is defined by individuality and personal experience hence why singer Jónsi Birgisson named the band after his little sister Sigurros who was born just before the band was formed in 1994 in Reykjavik. This atmospheric and elevating band are often labelled as post rock or dream rock due to the classical and heavenly tone of their vocals and bowed guitar. This combined with the revelation that they sing in either Icelandic or the bands own personal language of “Hopelandic” left me dubious as to if I would enjoy Sigur Ros. How could I like music I didn’t understand?

The curtain started to rise and an ominous alarm-like sound began, accompanied by an image of curling and twisting smoke on the back screen behind the artists. The suspense in the room was tangible as everyone anxiously awaited the start of the song. The sudden thudding of the bass and electrifying guitar shattered any doubts that the band could not continue on as a newly formed three piece. The contrast between the intense overwhelming music and the ornate and delicate building was breath taking as the audience gazed on, entranced by the celestial sound.

As Sigur Rós’ ethereal sounds enveloped the room I looked around at my fellow audience members and could clearly see the depth of emotion they were each experiencing in their own individual ways. It is often a goal of a band for their music to reach into the hearts of those listening and allow them to connect to it on a completely unique and personal level but no band can encapsulate this feeling quite like Sigur Rós. Its thanks to them that I’ve realised you don’t need the same language to feel the impact of music. This band is about saying what you want to say, in your own voice, in your own way. Their music is to be felt not understood.

Festival Music

Sigur Ros

Edinburgh Playhouse

Alicja Rachowska

AFTER a day filled with stress, running last minute errands and an undoubtedly dominating “I don’t like Mondays” feel, there was no better way to spend it other than utterly mesmerised by Sigur Ros’s performance at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. The Icelandic post rock band’s rare performance in the Scottish capital drew overflowing crowds outside the Playhouse theatre – perhaps a slightly unexpected venue for the group. Despite popular presumption that their music may feel incomplete following the departure of one of the members in 2013 Kjartan "Kjarri" Sveinsson, the guys pulled through - to say the least.

Their undeniable talent and passion captured the audience instantly, commencing the show behind what initially appeared to be a cage, only truly revealing themselves and their rawness once the crowd was completely absorbed in their ethereal creation. However, it was only once the guys stepped out that the stage came to life and lead the audience on a musical journey through vibrant and tectonic soundscapes accentuated by resplendent visuals. As I can imagine I was most likely part of the dominating percentage of the audience who did not understand a word of the Icelandic lyrics, this astoundingly did not detract anything from the gig.

The electrifying and powerful symphonies conveyed every emotion, leaving the audience in awe and proving that with Sigur Ros language isn’t a barrier when it comes to expressing their artistic capabilities. The band created a world of fantasy through its dynamic and falsetto vocals luring each member of the audience in until the very last note. Perhaps a slightly unusual aspect of the performance was the minimal – to put it nicely – interaction with the crowd, aside from a very brief and obligatory “thank you very much…for coming” the artists mainly put their focus into their music and allowed it to speak for them, and it did just that.

Festival Music

Sigur Ros

Edinburgh Playhouse

Laura Morrison

Three Stars

AS AN Edinburgh native, it is a joy and an honour each year to have artists descend on my city from all over the world. Some, like Sigur Ros, seem to arrive from somewhere beyond that.

The music is in both Icelandic and the language famously created by the band, Hopelandic. This lyrical and melodic language is interesting, but I mostly just wanted a song to make sense, so that I could understand exactly what the band was looking to express. Perhaps the joy is in the interpretation but I always found myself wanting more concrete emotional weight.

The skill of the stage designers cannot be underestimated: often the projections behind the band overshadows the music. The shots of Icelandic landscape were both powerful and haunting.

The softer songs, such as the lovely Vaka, stand out the most for me. Keeping the music quieter and more mellow is incredibly powerful.

The most outstanding member of the band was the drummer, percussionist and keyboardist Orri Pall Dyrason: his keyboard-playing is the heart of the lullabies. The vocal range of the band’s lead singer, Jónsi Birgisson, is certainly impressive, but often lacks clarity: the softer songs bring his voice more into focus.

The concert is like a dream, in the realest sense of the word: it’s disconcerting and confusing at times, often veering into the nightmarish. The event seemed to take place in a wholly different dimension from my own.

Festival Music

Sigur Ros

Edinburgh Playhouse

Emma Mason

four stars

IN A time when the charts are swamped by glossy, auto-tuned tracks carefully engineered to be successful, real music doesn’t stand a chance. English and American artists have taken over the whole world – every European country seems to listen to the exact same formulated tracks as we do.

So it’s honestly amazing to me that an Icelandic band like Sigur Ros, which doesn’t even try to compete, instead doing completely its own thing, could get anywhere near mainstream Western music. But they did; maybe exactly because of that.

Their performance on Monday was honestly like nothing I’ve ever heard or seen. The music was almost supernatural in style; it was unusual and eerie; at times the singing was like some sort of ancient tribal chant. The way it was played made it seem almost distorted, like an echo. The backing tracks were full of vibration, and added to the unworldly feel of the whole thing.

The singing, music, backing and light were connected in such a way that at times they were almost impossible to tell apart. At the same time, though, the performance was full of contrast; one track started off with nothing but drums and rumbles that almost seemed to pulsate through you, full of screeches and rumbles that sounded like the most spectacular car crash ever – before a warm strumming suddenly started out of nowhere.

Throughout the performance, sudden crashes of noise were also frequent, against previously calm, steady music. In this way, the performance completely threw the audience, capturing the heart one moment, and shocking them the next.

It was a piece of art, really; looking down at the stage was like looking into a dark cave, or tunnel, which perfectly compromised the echoed, distorted nature of the music.

The thing I liked most about the performance, though, was that it held so much meaning and atmosphere. It was almost inhuman; the foreign language just added to the mystery and meaning of the lyrics. Honestly, even comparing it to “popular” music would be an insult. It was so much more than that, in every way.

Festival Music

Sigur Ros

Edinburgh Playhouse

Hannah Mosz

MEDICAL studies have proven that if the human ear is exposed to a sound that exceeds 100 decibels for as little as 15 minutes then permanent damage will occur. I sit here writing this review with my hearing fully intact, however, I fear that those sitting in the rows nearer the stage may not be so lucky. To say the performance was "loud" would be an understatement entirely.

Although in saying this I'm not sure I would have noticed if I had damaged it. 15 minutes felt instantaneous. Right from the beginning the backdrops behind the three performers encaptivated me, and with the vast range of ever changing images, colours and strobe lighting the sense that is sight had been totally consumed. The electricity that that the lighting brought to the stage far surpassed my expectations. The lights lead, and my eyes followed. They danced in perfect harmony.

Personally, I feel the vast majority of the set played was extremely similar to song before, and the song after. Perhaps I am mistaken and my interpretation of the songs and the meaning behind their lyrics would have been much different if I had been able to understand the language, but as a result of it being Icelandic I can only reflect on the impression I got. Perhaps the approach of keeping the songs similar to the ear was a tactical one but for me it was the two completely different songs that I connected to. They were softer, less harsh.

The lead singer, has an undisputedly incredible voice. The range of pitches in his voice is to be in awe of and something that I imagine even some of this century's greatest singers can only aspire to achieve. He deserves recognition for it, and that he most definitely received through the roar of the audience and their standing novation at the end of the show. The guitar, and drummer especially is who I cheered for. There was a only perhaps 3 very brief occasions in the entire performance where the drummer performed a solo but it was those instances that I enjoyed the most. The simplicity, yet intensity of the sound he produced is something I shall not forget. Perhaps the saying "less is more" isn't so far-fetched after all.

A massive congratulations and all the best to them for the rest of their performances, if they can pull it off like that every time there will never be a disappointed face in the audience. Maybe just a deaf ear or two.

These reviews were written, to a journalist’s deadline, by pupils at Boroughmuir High School as part of The Herald Young Critics project with the Edinburgh International Festival.

Before the end of EIF 2016 there will also be reviews of Scottish Ballet, by Royal High pupils, the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra (Broughton), The Toad Knew (Holyrood), and Cosi fan tutte (Portobello).