There are few bands that evoke the subtle pleasures, the melancholy and sense of awe in the ebb and flow of life and bring us to reminisce as well as anticipate enchantment in the simple joys of being. Bands that do achieve such heights on record often cannot meet those lofty expectations in the live arena. Such trepidation is proven completely baseless when the band in question is the triumphant Icelandic ensemble known as Sigur Ros.

Even on a particularly frigid Friday night at the beautified cattle-shed known as the Festival Hall, the cold could not stop a marching-band-uniform clad Sigur Ros from warming the hearts of a throng of adoring fans. With large white orbs glowing like a family of full-moons in the background, they filled the stadium with an assortment of mellifluous sounds. The centrepiece of this impressive performance was the siren call of the glitter-faced Jonsi Birgisson who crooned, hummed, cooed and whistled to literally fill the cavernous hall with his angelic voice.

Sven-g–Englar off the wonderful Agaetis Byrjun album started proceedings by pinging submarine-sonar tones through the hall and cranking up the keening drone Jonsi extracts by drawing a cello bow across the strings of his guitar. While Agaetis Byrjun provided many highlights throughout the night, tracks from () and Takk were also unveiled with the whimsical Hoppipolla being a standout. The subtleties on the latest record Med Sud I Eyrum Vid Spilum Endalaust came across even better than on record with Orri Dyrason’s robust drumming and Kjarri Sviensson’s emotive keys proving astonishingly impacting.

A horn section, dressed in white – looking more like gourmet chefs than musicians, traipsed through the stage halfway through Festival – their impeccable timing adding a lovely floridity to the midsection of the song before marching right back off. The ‘chefs’ re-emerged later to support the band with their brass-wind embellishments, additional percussion and backing vocals for the rest of the show. Gobbledigook was another glorious celebration that prompted mass-hand-clapping and stomping support from the crowd, concluding in a rain of confetti as the crowd erupted.

It was not just the proficient musicianship that elevated this concert above the usual throwaway gig. A palpable sense of delight and camaraderie swelled inside the venue as the night progressed. The smiling band-members returned twice, conceding to the whim of the doting fans that made it clear they were not leaving without an encore. Even after the final song, the only Sigur Ros tune with English lyrics – the lonesome All Allright, the crowd milled around stomping and chanting. The band returned for the third time but only to lap up the adoration and bow out in thoroughly deserving fashion.

In an age of disposable trends and manufactured flavour-of-the-week acts that unashamedly flaunt their mediocrity, it is the passionate craftsmen like Sigur Ros that prove to be the essential diviners of our times. If anything this gig was an affirmation for those with any belief left in art, music, life and Sigur Ros.