Live Review: Bjork (DJ Set)

Lines had already gathered outside the venue well before Bjork's DJ set was set to start at 6pm. Tonight was the first of two nights the Icelandic experimental/art-pop visionary was to DJ at her virtual reality project, running 3 — 18 June, a centrepiece at Vivid. Whoever's task it was to organise the layout and set-up of the stage had either previously never worked in events or had (successfully) attempted to troll everyone in the crowd by making sure no one had a decent view of what was actually happening. 

In a huge venue easily fitting a crowd of over a thousand, Bjork was situated in a tiny corner of the room, without a stage or platform and surrounded by an army of superfans superglued to the barricades surrounding her, almost completely immobile. Despite it being a DJ set and club space (think impossibly high ceilings, dim lighting), it still felt very much like an oddly thought out performance piece. Her DJ set was everything you would expect from a collection of Bjork's music, ranging from traditionally oriental-sounding music to tribal tunes, nature-inspired soundscapes, with a hint of hip hop, R&B and even James Blake's My Willing Heart off his latest 2016 album The Colour In Anything. She appeared in a neon green headpiece that covered almost her entire face, wearing a futuristic white cutout one-piece and standing behind DJ decks surrounded by palm trees.

Those patient enough to spare at least a half hour waiting in line for the virtual reality experience were guided through smaller dark rooms in groups of 50, and were treated to one of several experiences curated for the show. Mouth Mantra was a video featuring the inside of Bjork's mouth, off her latest 2015 album Vulnicura, and Black Lake had audiences surrounded by two screens depicting a semi-naked Bjork tumbling through an Icelandic cave. As a completely immersive experience, the virtual reality tour was well worth the wait, but for your average ticket holder, the night was a waste of dough.