Just before Go Do Jonsi addressed the crowd. “Hello,” he said, shyly. “How are you?” We just screamed in response, “You’re good? That’s excellent. Thank you all for coming.” Then, Go Do! The “boop boop boop be-de-boop” was enough to get everyone going, and the ukulele was present! As soon as Doddi kicked in with the suitcase thumping drums- we were all blown away.

New Piano song calmed us down after his two hits, and Around us started acoustically, pretty, but gentle. Then Jonsi got up, left the piano on the left hand side of the stage and stepped up to the microphone- and the full blown “Studio” version started. Again- I can’t even put it into words. It’s a great track on the album, but live? I’ve never ever heard anything like that. By the end Jonsi was screaming into two microphones, on the floor, throwing himself up and down, shaking his head from side to side like a dog with water in its ears. The shy was gone.

Then they’d gone and we were still trying to breathe. There was a few minutes to steady ourselves, and then the crowd, who knew that couldn’t be it starting shouting for him, stamping feet. Then I glimpsed him backstage- and they were back! Jonsi the headdress on - orange and green feathers half a metre high and a feather bower to match!

Animal Arithmetic. Alive and amazing and strong and jaw-dropping, and Jonsi dancing and moving and feathers everywhere, on his face, he wouldn’t stay still. Then Grow Till Tall- gentle and ethereal. When I first heard that song I thought it was the most reminiscent of Sigur Ros, but this was again different live. Strong but lonely, and then it crescendoed. AMAZING!

Again, words do no justice. There was flashing flickering pulsing lights, the sounds had blurred into everyone on stage attacking their instruments and Jonsi hunched and screaming into the microphone. The sound was so loud and powerful it was vibrating through me (admittedly I was by the speakers!) and then, it ended.

They came back for a curtain call, and Jonsi was cupping his hands and yelling “Woooo!” back at is, and clapping us too. And I got the setlist, thank to the feather I had in my hair I reckon. The tech guy saw me and gave one of the last ones to me. (Thanks if you’re out there!) I bought a T-shirt and scarf, more to hang onto the memory of the concert than for the actual items, although they are beautiful too! Waited for ages for an autograph, but no luck. Sadly!

Best, thing, ever. Go and see Jonsi. It’s very very very, very worth it. I’ll be back in November!

Go Do!!!

Though better known as the front man and superb, powerful falsetto vocals of beautiful Icelandic soundscape band Sigur Ros, 2010 has seen Jonsi Birgisson take his talents into a solo direction, first with the March release of the single ‘Go Do’, then the April release of the album ‘Go’ and culminating in this Autumns’ solo UK tour, and what an utter treat opening night was.

Powerful and hypnotic from the opening solo track right through to the climactic encore, Jonsi’s faultless, perfectly pitched falsetto vocals were undaunted by the live environment and substantial crowd in the Colston Hall. Jonsi, singing in Icelandic, Hopelandic and English and wearing a military style top adorned with colourful feather like rag oddments, participated in very little interaction with the audience, mainly singing with closed eyes and devoting 100% commitment and concentration into his performance; most definitely not a criticism, in fact he maintained an utterly transfixed and well-entertained audience throughout the duration of the hour and a half long set.

Including Jonsi himself, there were five musicians on stage alternating between a selection of instruments; piano, harmonium, glockenspiel (initially bowed owing debt to Sigur Ros), bass, drums, percussion, electric and acoustic guitars, the ukulele during the energetic live rendition of the albums’ lead single ‘Go Do’, among a host of electronic effects. The talented five played a varied setlist incorporating both the upbeat, happier tracks from Jonsi’s outstanding solo album ‘Go’ interspersed with calmer, more down-tempo, mellow pieces. Waves of intensity of different kinds swelled through the set from Jonsi’s beautifully mesmeric solo opener and the tear-jerking ‘Saint Naive’ through to a contrasting energetic crescendo into the intense stomp of tracks such as ‘Boy Lilikon’ and second single ‘Animal Arithmetic’.

Jonsi and company, in conjunction with a superb and sensitive visual display of animation mixed with live video feed and lighting design produced in collaboration with 59 productions, could reduce the Colston Hall’s main stage down to the ambience of a small, intimate venue by performing in a smaller, tighter group under more subtle lighting or, in contrast, utilise and completely own the entire space. For the encore, Jonsi donned a feathered read Indian style head dress and charged animalistically across the stage through strobe lights bringing the show to an intense and dramatic finale with ‘Grow Till Tall’.

A magical and mesmerising transportation into another emotionally intense world through superbly powerful live music and visual. Divine.