Sigur Rós @ Vista: A Winner’s* Review

As you’re no doubt aware, we host an inordinate amount of concert giveaways out of the Sandalwood Conference Room here at the Marina Del Rey Courtyard Marriott. Sometimes signals get crossed and when guest lists are involved, the number of ways things could go wrong increases exponentially. Such are the rules of the game, and such was unfortunately the case at the Vista week but that didn’t deter our reader (and winner in theory) from sending in a detailed review of Sigur Rós’ mini-concert and movie screening. Read all about it and find out how you can personally get involved with Beggars Group - specifically the Matador imprint, if interested - after the jump.

Sigur Rós @ Vista: A Winner’s Review

Thanks again for the tickets. (As it turns out, for whatever reason we didn’t actually make it on the list, but the guys at the door were cool, so we got in anyway.)

It was a fun night. It took me awhile to get to this email, so I’m not going to get into too much detail given the numerous reviews/experiences already posted, but it really was an interesting experience. I’d seen them once before at Coachella two years ago. I had enjoyed their music for some time before that, and didn’t expect that to be the ideal location to see them live, but they did put on a pretty impressive show. Last week, I was actually expecting even less from their set - they didn’t strike me as a band that I wanted to see acoustically, but the three songs were pretty impressive. They’re obviously talented musicians, the sound at the Vista was surprisingly decent, and they were definitely able to convey the passion/emotion that comes across in their studio discs. Jonsi’s vocals sounded pretty damn good, even with everything else stripped down.

All of that said, there was something missing in the set, and it became apparent pretty much immediately after the film started — which in my opinion, is the full, somewhat overwhelming ATMOSPHERE that they convey through their music. Heima provided that in spades, and the visuals that accompanied the music were spectactular. The film varied between a number of quick interviews with the band and their fans in Iceland, shots of them performing live, and simply gorgeous imagery. Think Sunrise Earth with various visual effects added to the scenic shots, Sigur Ros as a soundtrack, and live music/interviews interspersed throughout. Unlikely to appeal to everybody, but absolutely recommended to fans of the band, well-executed concert filmmaking, or nature documentaries with beautiful music as an accompaniment!

Well said indeed, Reader X. For the record: Beggars made a list, checked it twice, and has apologized profusely for the lack of your name on said list , whatever the cause. Glad you were still able to make the show.

Let’s take this opportunity to mention that Beggars is looking to beef up the Matador street team presence in Los Angeles. If you’ve got free time on your hands and are a fan of the Matador roster (who isn’t), this could be right up your alley. E-mail Claire Taylor at Beggars Group directly for full details.

Top photo by Sung @ UCLA; more here