So I think it’s time for me to write a review about one of the most overwhelming concerts I’ve ever been to. But before that, I need to start from the beginning. It was July 14th. I was preparing my first visit to Iceland and was checking out things to do and see on different websites when I found the Harpa website. Harpa is this amazing concert hall and conference centre that recently opened and is part of the project to revitalise Reykjavik’s eastern harbour. It is beautiful to watch from afar and when it’s sunny the reverberation of the light on the glass façade makes it look quite magical! On the website’s front page were the upcoming events and pictures of artists that would play there. I was caught by Bjork’s picture and absolutely thrilled when I clicked on it and found out she would give a series of concerts in October. “Wouldn’t it be amazing to see her play in her hometown?” I thought. I made up my mind very quickly. I booked a ticket immediately and was lucky enough to select the date I wanted. So it was confirmed: October 22nd would be the night where I’d finally see Bjork live.

I am not the absolute fan who’s seen her several times, who has all her albums and who loves all her songs. But I like her creativity enough to go to Reykjavik for a weekend. Besides, after my horrible experience in the UK – I am not blaming English people here - I needed something to make me see the beauty in people.

My first stay in Iceland was amazing (I really recommend to visit this beautiful country) but I was really happy to go back even for a couple of days. Needless to say I was really excited when the plane landed on Friday. The concert was planned on Saturday but I wanted to enjoy Reykjavik and to go shopping. The whole Saturday went well and the prospect of seeing her in the evening made me feel happy…quite simply! Doors opened at 6pm but the show would only start at 8.

To make people wait, screens are placed in the hallway. You can watch videos of Biophilia’s songs and hear her music played inside the venue. I am surprised to see that a lot of foreigners and especially French are queuing. After all, coming to Reykjavik for a concert isn’t as crazy as I thought
7.15 pm: at last they let us enter the venue (only 700 people are here). People are so eager to get a nice seat (there are only 250 seats) that they keep pushing me. I almost fall but eventually make my way and find a seat at the end of the third line. The stage is at the centre. It is surrounded by a harpsichord, a drum, a whole range of digital devices, this amazing bespoke digitally-controlled pipe organ. Screens are placed in circle above the stage and next to it a 30 foot pendulum that “harnesses the earth’s gravitational pull to create musical patterns - creating a unique bridge between the ancient and the modern and a bespoke gamelan-celeste hybrid. These devices reveal some of the physical processes that are the subject matter of the songs.”

I cannot wait to see her and when the lights go out, my heart starts beating faster. For this project, Bjork performs with a choir of 24 girls, Graduale Nobili. They come first together with the musicians. Suddenly, I see the shape of a small woman with a big wig who walks to the centre of the stage. “There she is!” I think with a smile on my face. An off-stage commentary gives you an explanation of each song. The show starts with “Thunderbolt” – one of my favourite songs of Biophilia. She is facing people at the opposite so I can only see her back. Still, I am pretty overwhelmed to hear her sing and I can feel tears rolling down my cheeks. Most of the time, my friends don’t really get the fact I easily cry during concerts. I think that’s the beauty of music. When you can feel sounds and voices getting in every part of your body…I don’t know if that makes sense to you guys but that night that’s pretty much what I felt!

She makes sure everyone get to see her in turning around every two songs! The girls look so happy to be here and that’s understandable. For anyone who loves Bjork, being close to her and part of this project must be an amazing feeling. I enjoy myself as a little girl, smiling all through the show. She plays the whole Biophilia album but also some of her greatest songs like “Pleasure Is All Mine”, “Pagan Poetry”, “Jóga” or “Declare Independence” that ends the show in a crazy but happy mess. Her voice is clear as crystal. I can see her face pretty well. It’s silly to say but to me Bjork was kind of ageless. I realise she’s almost 46 and she has been in the business for a long time now…she still looks amazing tho
She doesn’t communicate a lot with the audience, only to say Takk fyrir (thank you very much). But she asks if there’s a lot of foreigners before addressing the crowd in English to present the musicians and the girls.

The show lasts for 2 hours. It is definitely one of the most beautiful moments I’ve experienced in music. I am still pretty much overwhelmed the day after and I have no regret whatsoever about the money spent for this very short stay. It was far worth it and I will remember this night for a long time!

Below is the setlist:

01. Thunderbolt
02. Moon
03. Crystalline
04. Hollow
05. Dark Matter
06. Pleasure is All Mine
07. Mouth’s Cradle
08. Jóga
09. Virus
10. Sacrifice
11. Vertebrae by Vertebrae
12. Pagan Poetry
13. Mutual Core
14. Cosmogony
15. Solstice
_______
16. One Day (a great accoustic version)
17. Náttúra
18. Declare Independence

As a non-English speaker, it’s not easy to write reviews and I’d love to write more but I hope you’ll get what I felt .