Sigur Rós brushed off the “brackets” and proved that they are still a unique musical phenomenon
The current Sigur Rós tour is an important milestone in many ways. They perform in almost the same line-up in which they are known from earlier years, they are said to be preparing a new record and this year they are celebrating their twenties parenthesis album. The return to Prague after fourteen years was extremely successful – it was an evening full of emotions.
Live: Sigur Rós
place: O2 universum, Prague
date: October 9, 2022
set list: set 1 – Untitled #1 (Vaka), Untitled #2 (Fyrsta), Untitled #3 (Samskeyti), Svefn-g-englar, Rafmagnið buêtis, Ný batterí, Gold 2, Untitled #7 (Dauðalagið), Untitled #9 (Smáskifa)
set 2 – Glósóli, Untitled #6 (E-Bow), Sæglópur, Gong, Andvari, Festival, Kveikur, Untitled #8 (Popplagið)
After almost a decade, keyboardist Kjartan “Kjarri” Sveinsson, who was an essential creative element of Sigur Rós for years, returned to the band. The new drummer is Ólafur Björn “Óbó” Ólafsson, who switched from the keyboard he played on the previous string. In the strongest possible line-up, the musicians of this line-up will also release a new edition of their collection “()” towards the end of the year. There were enough reasons to hit the road again and show that this sonically unmistakable group has something to say even today.
© Filip Kůstka
The concept of the current tour offers two completely different sets, in which the group around Jónsi and guitarist Goggi offered different ones. The central actor himself often declares that they are not a group, but music without borders. The first half of the evening thus built rather on calmer waters, quite possibly it was also more diverse in terms of mood and creative approaches. If you know their individual stages, you may have noticed that it was more of a selection of Kjarri’s tracks, and this is a surprise in the form of the B-level “Smáskif” (which is the side-released ninth part of the “bracket”), which appeared almost alone on the scene. The second half of the set was more dynamic, in which a lot of energy was accumulated, but also anger (“Kveikur” in my opinion indirectly pointed to the current events in Ukraine). The scenography of the entire show made full use of sophisticated lights, including light bulbs spread across the stage that managed to simulate waves and similar effects. The projections were not far behind, they were based on slightly abstract figures, natural scenery, fragments of band video clips and visualizations of themes and transformed into many color shades. The minimalistic sequence with the departure and arrival of a flock of birds in the mentioned composition “Smáskifa” completely drew out the touching parallels. There was smoke, screens, everything shaped the story of the music itself, which under the direction of Sigur Rós can bring you to your knees with its urgency, majesty and a series of unexpected twists.
![Sigur Rós, O2 universum, Prague, 9 October 2022 Sigur Rós, O2 universum, Prague, 9 October 2022](https://musicserver.cz/img/187832.jpg)
© Filip Kůstka
The sound was again balanced by O2 Universe standards and offered quite a few moving sensations that are a fixed part of the group’s music, for example when he had to thunder some drum beat. For example, “Dauðalagið” was perfectly chilling in this – every sound detail or guitar ornament, everything sounded as it should. Perhaps to Jónsi’s disadvantage, in several moments it was not possible to mask his possible haste and a slight cold in his voice (Prague was the third concert in a row), but in such a demanding repertoire that these Northerners have, no one lowers the bar of his speech. The introduction logically belonged to the first three songs “bracket” – the touchingly fragile “Vaka” rang out quite inconspicuously, signaling the first block. “Fyrsta” only deepened this undertone, and in “Samskeyti” it was symbolically nice that the quartet played it flat in the left part of the ground, in the vicinity of Kjarri. With the first notes of the unmistakable “Svefn-g-englar”, the Prague audience really came alive and didn’t stop propelling their heroes with applause for even one of the following parts of the setlist. “Ny batterí” worked in the same way, which was preceded by her single partner in the form of the composition “Rafmagnið búy”. Of the novelties in the set, only “Gold 2” remained.
After the mentioned “Smáskifa” came a twenty-minute break, which was a (perhaps unnecessary) break. In the first part, there were a few surprises on the part of the song selection, and the kaleidoscope of moods changed more, the highlight of which was “Dauðalagið”. The second part already consisted of a selection of the more anticipated gems from the group’s discography, while during the “Glósóli” that started it, some of the visitors were still running to their seats.
![Sigur Rós, O2 universum, Prague, 9 October 2022 Sigur Rós, O2 universum, Prague, 9 October 2022](https://musicserver.cz/img/187835.jpg)
© Filip Kůstka
“EB” evokes memories of the mysterious “Atmosphere” by Joy Division, and his emotions began to thicken after that. “Sæglópur” and “Festival” literally delighted the audience, who at the end of the latter clapped to the beat by themselves. The rush of melancholy graduated to the rawer alternative “Kveikur”, after which the frontman took the floor for the very first time to give a brief thank you. At that moment, it was already clear to everyone what would follow. The age-old and solid cap “Popplagið” resounded in its full beauty. If any of the visitors expected more of those overcooked songs, they had to be disappointed. But that doesn’t change the fact that it was a powerful experience, which suddenly erased the long wait since the mentioned last stop in Stověžáta or the festival rebirth in Ostrava nine years ago. That evening, Prague was treated to a cleverly designed audiovisual performance that hinted at what to expect from Sigur Rós in the near future. Everything here came together beautifully, the musicians told one magical story after another, as only they can. With its Nordic tenacity and grit.