setlist:

svefn g englar
glósóli
sé lest
við spilum endalaust
hoppípolla
með blóðnasir
festival
sæglópur
inní mér syngur vitleysingur
hafssól
gobbledigook
popplagið


times online

they didn't have a hope of starting a singalong, but sigur rós still pulled the largest crowd at latitude. the icelandic band, who sing either in their native tongue or in an even stranger-sounding, made-up language, may have breached the british top ten for the first time in their 14-year career with their current album með suð í eyrum við spilum endalaust, but as festival headliners they arrived on stage with scant experience.

they did bring along a splendid collection of gigantic globe lanterns, which were suspended above them, and enough dry ice to turn a picturesque hillside in suffolk into what looked like an eerie scene from an old movie. if that was the intention, the frontman jónsi birgisson played the flamboyant villain to perfection. sporting silver, glittery stripes on his cheeks, with feathers protruding from the high collar of a black, buckled jacket with fringed sleeves, he sawed manically at his guitar with a bow and sang in a searing, spooky falsetto.

did it matter that no one knew the words? not a jot. backed by a sumptuous band that, from old number glósóli onwards, included a female string section in victorian dress and, later, a brass band in white suits and matching bowler hats, sigur rós delivered a majestic set that was spellbinding from start to finish. their elegant, pounding surge of othe-worldly sounds reached its peak on hoppipolla, best known as the theme from the tv series planet earth, when fans could no longer resist the urge to join in and chanted ludicrous, fabricated lyrics. as confetti rained down during the aptly titled, but still utterly incomprehensible festival, sigur rós had achieved what few thought them capable of - enchanting an enormous crowd outdoors in the dark.

(lisa verrico)

daily telegraph

saturday night headliner sigur rós finally pulled off the ideal latitude trick of being all things to all people: men were playing guitars, but they did so oddly with bows, backed by a symphony of other sounds: strings, music boxes and a brass band.

they sang in their weird, elfish mix of icelandic and their own made-up language, but for all you could tell, they were reading off a map of the local area: saxmundham, walberswick, eye and diss. whatever it was they were singing, it sounded beautiful, emotional and dramatic; full-moon lullabies for adults and children alike.
(bernadette mcnulty)

the sun

they may be a tough band to get into – with their gibberish lyrics and lead singer jonsi birgisson’s falsetto style – but with the headline slot on the main stage, sigur ros pulled off a brilliant performance.

there was never a dull moment during a set which called for virtually every instrument known to man – including a bass guitar played with a drumstick.

at this rate, the icelandic stars will be competing to top the bill at the major festivals in 2009.

rating – 9/10
(mike anstead)

the guardian

... the weekend belonged to the icelandic band sigur ros, who took to the main stage on saturday night as the sky finally cleared for good. their lush, dreamlike music - fortified by a white-suited and bowler-hatted brass ensemble - rolled over the crowd and the thousand little lights of mobile phone faces, as above them the stars came out and a yellow moon rose over the trees. down by the lake an overspill crowd was listening to a late-night poetry reading. and in the woods, a party was starting.

(alice wignall)


uncut.co.uk

a snoozefest. zzzzzzzzz. pretty bloody boring – just a few of the predictions about sigur ros’s latitude headline set from some of my colleagues and friends this afternoon. i have to admit that, after seeing metronomy’s dancey geek-pop about half an hour before, the prospect of a bunch of deathly slow ethereal meanderings sung in a foreign language (or, of course, a completely made-up language) didn’t seem like the most appealing prospect.

as obvious as it may sound from the set-up above, as soon as the first submarine ping of “svefn-g-englar” begins it’s clear their set is going to be some spectacle. i remember hearing the track on a free nme cd about eight years ago and it’s still as powerful now as it was then, especially when jonsi por birgisson lets out an amazing falsetto note at the end and holds it for what seems like at least thirty seconds.

joined by their regular string section amiina on the molten “glosoli” , it suddenly hits me that sigur ros, unlike what seems like most of the bands performing this weekend, aren’t using any backing tracks. the number of instruments onstage is pretty impressive too, consisting mostly of glockenspiels, xylophones and other bizarre keyboard instruments alongside harmoniums, pianos, samplers, drums and guitars.

the songs might be about eight minutes long (on average, of course), but there’s enough going on to keep most of the audience occupied. in fact, this is the biggest crowd we’ve ever seen throughout the last three years at latitude; amazing, considering their turnout appeared to dwarf franz ferdinand last night, an indie-pop band whose last album went to the top of the charts. birgisson’s flamboyant get-up – feathers, glitter, stylised military jacket - probably helps entice some of the audience, of course.

other highlights include the entrance of a five-piece brass band, who parade around the stage before settling in to their positions at the back of the stage, and the band’s backdrop, seven giant globes which changed colour throughout.

interestingly, hearing tracks like the anthemic "vio spilum endalaust” makes me think that this is the kind of music coldplay wish they were making on “viva la vida or death and all his friends” . the most anthemic moment comes during “that one from that david attenborough thing” – sorry, “hoppipolla” – where some of the crowd even sing along with the piano part and there’s a feeling of collective ecstasy possibly better suited to the ending of “hey jude” .

ending with a powerful version of “( )” ’s “popplagio” , which reaches a stunning four-minute crescendo reminiscent of post-rock compadres mogwai complete with confetti cannons, jonsi practically destroys the violin bow he uses throughout. it’s a surprising moment of grit and violence from a band who many, including perhaps myself, wrongly thought were masters of ethereal blandness, wielders of impressive but insubstantial smoke and mirrors. there’s something euphoric and heartening about sigur ros’ live performance tonight. some of the band’s slightly more insipid recorded work might not stick in the mind long after the cds stopped spinning but the thousands of people who were here at latitude tonight probably won’t forget this in a hurry.

(tom pinnock + farah ishaq)

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