Onstage chat does not come easily to Sigur Ros, given it took nearly an hour for singer Jonsi Birgisson to acknowledge the crowd.
That wasn't surprising, nor was it an issue, but there were greater grievances that hampered the group's lengthy two-hour set.
At least creating a visually impressive show wasn't one of them. Videos frequently played, the stage was bathed in lights and the opening trio of numbers featured the group, ramped-up to a 10-piece with the addition of brass and string sections, behind a screen, silhouettes dancing above all like giants marauding in desolate woodland.
The effects were consistently clever and often complemented the music neatly. Yet despite that striking nature, and a mix that spotlighted Birgisson's excellent falsetto, there often seemed a disconnect between band and crowd, partly caused by the SECC's all-standing nature, partly by the nature of the music. More ambient moments, like the languid Vaka, should have washed over neatly, but instead drifted along.
Such tracks dutifully replicated their recordings, but there is something overly dry about never varying matters, and at times it was a set that resembled listening to some CDs while watching a DVD standing up. The buzz, the uncertain excitement, of a live performance was hardly ever there, and the rare whoop of appreciation that greeted certain songs seemed almost intrusive.
There were moments that did sparkle. Ny batteri was suitably pounding, Glosoli finished on a flourish of heavy noise and the closing Popplagio climaxed in thrillingly loud fashion. Yet for all that Sigur Ros are easy to admire, moments of true exhilaration were surprisingly few.
HHH
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