The Thousands

Watching Iceland’s Sigur Rós perform live is a revelation. A coming of age/lightbulb/otherworldly moment. Their music singles you out in the crowd as a gently rolling ethereal wave of raw emotion anoints your forehead. Anyway that’s what I’ve heard. Unfortunately my first encounter with Sigur Ros coincided with my first experience of Happy High Herbs. Needless to say, the chance to see them live in a climate controlled environment is much appreciated.

To clarify, this is a film, not a live performance. But for all it’s worth, Inni really ticks both boxes. The follow-up to 2007’s Heima, it is built on much the same principles: an intimate look at the band through live recordings and archival footage. Unlike its predecessor, Inni is more focused on Sigur Rós’ live performance and channeling their stage presence.

Drawing on the ‘darker end’ of their musical spectrum, Inni features 75 minutes of full-flow concert footage of the band as a stripped-back four piece, filmed at Alexandra Palace over two nights in 2008. Post-production analogue techniques, namely transferring digital footage to 16mm film, projecting it through glass prisms and other objects and re-filming it again, adds another dimension or two to the experience (see you really don’t need any herbs).

Inni’s production team is an impressive line-up: Mirror Noir’s Vincent Morisset is responsible for the camera action and Godspeed You! Black Emperor visual collaborator Karl Lemieux is among the other creatives involved. Enjoyed sober in the intimacy of the GoMA theatre amongst a small crowd, this is sure to be a ‘memorable’ moment.