Iceland review - 2007, Qupperneq 68

74 ICELAND REVIEW
auDiOfile
hOMeWarD Bound
Sigur Rós goes back to their roots
By Trevor Baker PhoTos By John BesT
F
or a notoriously shy and reserved band, Sigur Rós looks remark ably
unconcerned by the fact that a BBC cameraman is slowly circling them
on the sunken floor of their studio. Vocalist Jón Thór “Jónsi” Birgisson is
strumming calmly on his acoustic guitar while the rest of the band, drum­
mer Orri Páll Dýrason, bassist Georg “Goggi” Hólm and Kjartan “Kjarri”
Sveinsson, inspects their instru ments for a short acoustic set.
It’s probably just that they’re used to being filmed by now. During their tour of Iceland
in the summer of 2006 they had cameras watching them constantly and we’re here
as the result: Heima is to have its world premiere in Reykjavík.
When Orri comes to sit down in a small room above the studio, how ever, he
immediately looks much more tense. Especially once he is remind ed that all his
friends, family, everybody will be there tonight to see how Sigur Rós has portrayed
their country.
“I’m really nervous,” he admits, visibly squirming.
For those who haven’t seen it, Heima is half tour diary and half love letter to
the Icelandic landscape. It also provides a rare insight into what the band
members are like as people. It seems as though the band is trying to destroy the
popular myth that all Icelandic musicians are zany pixie folk who live in igloos and
talk to puffins…
“Trying!” Orri laughs.
Isn’t it fun to be seen as an exotic, mythical creature?
“I just want to be seen the way I am,” he says, quite reasonably. “I don’t want
to be referred to as ‘the pixie person!’ It has been a bit like that. But I don’t think
we’re that weird.”
Sigur Rós may not be weird but they’ve had some pretty weird experiences.
After the release of their second album Ágaetis byrjun in 1999 they became the
name to drop among Hollywood stars and their music reached people a million
miles away from the esoteric world of arty post­rock.
“One really weird moment was when we met Courtney Love backstage at one of