Majestic.
It can be hard to properly convey the sense of a Sigur Ros gig and if you haven’t heard the music, there is no real chance of informing you how it was. Mind you, if you haven’t heard the music, what are you doing on this page, get yourself off to a download site (a legal one please) and introduce yourself to this act.
There is a majesty and imperial quality to the music of Sigur Ros, full of grandeur but you never feel the band are pretentious or above their station. There is something immensely likable about the band and the way the move between instruments and show how talented they are.
‘Hoppipolla’ is far and away Sigur Ros’s best known song in the UK and its inclusion in the set was greeted rapturously. The thing is, even if it didn’t have any media exposure the quality of the song would remain the same but more people have been able to enjoy it. Given the wonderful setting for Connect, even in the dark, there are few festivals more fitting to have this track played at it. The ovation that greeted the end of this anthem was almost as loud and as long as some of the songs themselves and Sigur Ros must be one of the most loved non-English language bands to hit the UK. Okay, there maybe aren’t many others but it is clear that this band transcends lyrics and standard music opinion.
The warmth and beauty comes in the shape of the vocals appearing as another instrument in the mix, adding melodies over the top of an already impressive musical backdrop. No doubt some people would be disappointed if they actually knew what Sigur Ros were on about half the time but thankfully that’s not the case.
Ably assisted by Amiina and other kindred souls, Sigur Ros were in party mode and their second last track of the night was one of the most joyous seen on site all weekend. An infectious clapping rhythm was taken up by most of the crowd as the crowd was filled with extra musicians beating out the infectious rhythm. With the Inverary sky being covered in confetti by the songs end, it was obvious there was a lot of fun and frivolity going on.
As the set finished, a large portion of the crowd drifted away and never returned to the main stage. Perhaps tents were an enticing alternative or perhaps making a start on the head home was what many people wanted. Regardless of the reason for the exodus from the Oyster stage after the Sigur Ros set, no one was complaining about the quality of the show they had seen.