Another evening with…Sigur Rós

When I heard that Sigur Rós were bringing their orchestral tour back to Europe, I knew immediately that I had to see it. With no Scottish dates announced, travelling was the only option — the only real question was where.

London would have been the obvious choice, but if I was going to get on a plane, I figured I might as well go somewhere new. Amsterdam had always been on my list, and suddenly I had the perfect excuse.

Thanks to the band, I was also travelling with another photo pass…

I arrived in Amsterdam to cold rain and grey skies, but even that couldn’t dull the atmosphere of the city. I made the most of my time exploring, visiting the Zaanse Schans windmills and the Rijksmuseum, and wandering endlessly through the streets lined with those iconic canal houses. Despite the weather, I could still feel Amsterdam's cool vibes - Good food, nice walks, and plenty to look at through a photographer’s eye.

The concert itself took place at the beautiful Royal Theater Carré, with Sigur Rós joined by the Noordpool Orkest and once again conducted by Robert Ames.

Having already photographed an orchestral show in Reykjavík, I knew roughly what to expect. As before, I was limited to two songs at the start of the second act, and restricted to shooting from the back of the auditorium. With that in mind, I kept things simple and brought just one camera, a Canon 6D Mark II paired with the Canon 70–200mm f/2.8L.

From the back of the hall, the setup worked perfectly. At 70mm, I could capture the full scale of the stage, while 200mm allowed me to pick out individual moments on an extremely crowded stage. With the orchestra, music stands, and instruments filling every inch of space, visibility was constantly changing.

I managed to isolate shots of Jónsi, Goggi, Robert Ames, and sections of the orchestra, but Kjartan, positioned at a grand piano near the centre of the stage, was unfortunately obscured during my two-song window.

The lighting was subtle and understated, beautifully suited to the music, but technically demanding. I stayed wide open at f/2.8 throughout, and thanks to the slow, calm nature of the performance, I was able to drop my shutter speed slightly to let more light in without pushing the ISO too far.

I chose my shots carefully and kept my movements to an absolute minimum. The audience was completely absorbed, and the last thing I wanted was to break that immersion. Venue security were understandably strict, and I remained very aware of their watchful presence throughout.

The two songs passed incredibly quickly. I got what I needed, packed the camera away, and returned to my seat to simply experience the performance.

As with most of the orchestral tour over the past few years, the setlist had remained largely unchanged, something I was more than happy with. Still, I had one lingering regret about not attending the London show. The band had surprised everyone there by playing Ára bátur, a fan favourite, never performed live before, and one of my personal favourite songs of all time.

London’s performance had been made possible by the Royal Albert Hall’s famous organ and a full choir, and I’d been led to believe it would be a one-off.

From my seat in Carré, though, I could see the setlist resting on one of the music stands. I noticed “All Alright” had been scored out, and beneath it, was:

“Ára bátur?”

That question mark was enough to fill me with equal parts excitement and nervousness.

When Sé lest came to an end, I watched Kjartan walk over to the grand piano, and then it began.

There was no organ, no choir, just the band, the orchestra, and space. It was a more intimate version, but the strings filled every gap, and Jónsi’s voice carried the emotion with incredible control. I don’t think I’ll ever forget that moment when the initial piano chords were played - I simply melted into my seat. 

Once again, I left a Sigur Rós show in complete bliss. Hearing Ára bátur live, especially when I never expected it, is a memory that will stay with me forever.

Thank you, once again, to the band for allowing me to photograph the concert.