Live Review: Ásgeir

12 January 2015 | 12:56 pm | Mick Radojkovic

Iceland's Ásgeir left Sydney shivering with delight at the Opera House.

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It’s a venue that inspires, awes and intimidates. The Sydney Opera House is a daunting place for any artist or performer, so when you’re a 22-year-old from Iceland that has been catapulted from obscurity to international cult stardom, it is little wonder if you have some nerves.

Ásgeir Trausti Einarsson’s apparent shyness appeared to show initially, but as the show progressed, he warmed to the occasion and revealed that he had known of the famous venue since he was eight years old and was honoured to be playing here. We were just delighted to share his opening night at The House – a location he will surely return to.

Singing his first selection of songs in Icelandic gave us a chance to appreciate the production of his performance without the distraction of lyrics. Ásgeir shared the stage with 11 other performers, including a seven-piece horn and string section that performed a selection of songs during the show. Several keyboards adorn the stage and add the experimental electronic sound that Ásgeir has become known for.

While the crowd delighted in singing along to his popular tunes, such as Going Home – complete with strobe lighting – and King And Cross, it was the intimate stripped performances of Frost and On That Day that really captivated the audience and demonstrated the impressive acoustics of the Opera House Concert Hall. A somewhat surprising cover of Nirvana’s Heart Shaped Box gave a nod to his early musical tastes. Nirvana’s Nevermind was apparently his first album.

Similar to compatriot, Sigur Rós, Ásgeir’s music is a combination of intricate layers and harmonies along with time signatures that would impress any percussionist. The music is truly beautiful to behold and as the full band reached a crescendo with the triumphant Torrent to complete the 70-minute set, we were left shivering with delight on a balmy evening on Sydney’s harbour.