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Sigur Ros Jonsi Eats Geetar
Lineup: Sigur Rós
Date: 15/07/2005
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by Sean Adams
Tonight is all about experience.

The seagull, what would the seagull think as it swoops and soars above a usually empty courtyard, now full of drunk pale indie kids cooking in the sunset listening to ice flowing lava-like silkily through glacial netherworlds. Read also: the prettiest music being made on earth right now…

Rewind. Last time DiS caught Sigur Rós it was dusk on the Other Stage at Glastonbury, just as it began to spit with the lightest of rains, it was beautiful. Whereas this is set in the grounds of the Inland Revenue only a few days after London’s ass was bit by suicide bombers. Helicopters sneak overhead. Silly rumours about a new direction toward the land of KoRn are mocked in the moments before the band come on stage.

The sun is setting and a Sunday afternoon of drinking has paid off. The first tears begin to trickle down the faces beside me as people begin to sit down, pretending they’ve got a headache or are sleepy. Or even shutting their eyes to take in that little bit more. The ushered excuses are not necessary. This is music that loses you for an hour.

All I remember are glimpses :
Jònsi at some point in the set begins to sing into his guitar pick ups.
Girls fill the back of the stage adding alsorts to the symphonies.
Planes make cloud trails in the sunset sky.
The Viking rowing oar-cum-violin bow grows longer and longer.
Fairies fly into the night sky and are reborn as angels.

And then it’s all over until the encore of ‘popplagið’ which is almost too much. Even the memory gives me goosebumps. Nothing tonight sounded like Korn and no noticeable morphing into a major label band, but it's still a lot like Smurfs or Trolls or Moomins or othersuch things we'll try to daydream, until the next time. What a night...

To my utter disbelief, loser emo kids™ sit to the side, moaning that this is boring... BORING? Are you really alive?

Setlist
intro
glósóli
ný batterí
svefn-g-englar
sæglópur
vaka
njósnavélin
sé lest
gong
andvari
olsen olsen
hafssól
popplagið

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Sigur Rós

In my experience, emo kids aren't really alive. They're fragments of our nightmares. Hence why they like emo. Mmm, Sigur Ros. But no Untitled 7 (Dead Song, or whatever the hell it's called in Icelandic)? Mmmph.

Re: Sigur Rós

Which one is Untitled 8? I didn't know they'd actually christened the stuff from (). I can remember seeing them and it being a truly unforgettable experience - that crushingly heavy bit at the end of Untitled 8, the drummer pounding away on cymbals and Jonsi doing the crazy wail. Oh man.

Can't wait to hear the new record.

Re: Sigur Rós

you can find the unofficial names for the songs on their website.

Sigur Rós

Begs the question: What the hell were the bored emo kids doing there?

Sigur Rós

I was down the front with my buddies. We stood, barefoot (which was very refreshing), watched in awe, and I nearly cried several times. Thinking about the final three songs, I really wish I had.

Throughout the gig I felt like I was sucked into a bubble that held only me and the music, the haunting drones of noise coming from the air. I felt no pain, no worry, no sadness, no joy, no happiness. I was lost. By the end I was on the verge of tears and felt like I'd just been born. I felt worn out, exhausted, and yet I'd barely moved in an 2 hours. The most heartbreaking, beautiful thing I have ever witnessed. End of fucking story.

Sigur Rós

i wish i'd had a ticket...

Sigur Rós

olsen olsen....sonofabitch i missed out, bad.

Sigur Rós

Sean, you're one lucky, lucky man. Getting to see the mighty Sigur Ros and all that. If only they'd visit Nottingham...

Sigur Rós

Wow, who's been to that sigur ros site where there is an abundance of tracks you can download and videos you can watch, sweet.

Sigur Rós

Absolutely stunning.

Olsen Olsen was, quite simply, the most beautiful thing ever... The flute, the string section... It kicked seven shades of shit out of the recorded version, and that's not an easy thing to do. Untitled 8 for the encore was stunning, I cried during Vaka (Untitled 1) and Njosnavelin (Untitled 4) as well...

There were a lot of people there looking bored off at the sides, I just can't understand.

Sigur Rós

This was the show I couldn't get anyone along to. I missed this and went to Bright Eyes two days later. I wish I went to both and should and would have prioritised Sigur Ros anyday. When will they play UK or Europe again? I have no excuses next time round...

Sigur Rós

i saw them in paris at the olympia the day before (i think) this. it was so amazing, the sounds...the sounds! there were so many different languages in that room, it was like being drunk on inflections.

Sigur Rós

I aint no loser emo kid, and I'm most certainly alive. And Sigur Ros were very very boring in Manchester.

Sigur Rós

i saw them in paris also, they were unbelievable, so so good. the only downside of the paris gig were all the french people telling us to be quiet when we spoke in between the songs. tossers....

Sigur Rós

i adore sigur ros, haven't seen them live but suppose your environment is important when going to watch them, can't wait!!! Njosnavelin (Untitled 4) and Olsen Olsen are favs, some people won't like sigur ros but hey that's music, horses for courses and all that