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"After the mixed reception for Lady Gaga&amp;#039;s opening night at the iTunes Festival on Sunday (September 1), today offers marked contrast in the form of Sigur R\u00C3\u00B3s, fresh off the back of headlining performances at Cheshire&amp;#039;s Jodrell Bank observatory and End of the Road festival in Dorset.   Tonight, they&amp;#039;re supported by Poli\u00C3\u00A7a. The formula may be tried and tested (charismatic female vocalist with an especially powerful voice, upbeat pop stylings), but they sure do it well. &amp;#039;Form&amp;#039; and &amp;#039;Wandering Star&amp;#039; are the standout tracks of their set, as Channy Leaneagh&amp;#039;s breezy vocals soar over looped, ascending synths and the relentless rhythm of two drummers. It&amp;#039;s certainly enough to pique interest in their forthcoming endeavours, with new album Shulamith imminent. J\u00C3\u00B3nsi Birgisson and company file onto a stage illuminated with small, bare lightbulbs and littered with an intriguing array of instruments, and the stage is set for an impressive show. What follows is good, but it takes the band a while to get going. &amp;#039;Hrafntinna&amp;#039; from new record Kveikur impresses early on - its dramatic transition from unyielding torrent of noise into melancholy horns is something to behold.  &amp;#039;Festival&amp;#039; (from 2010&amp;#039;s Me\u00C3\u00B0 su\u00C3\u00B0 \u00C3\u00AD eyrum vi\u00C3\u00B0 spilum endalaust) is the first moment where band and audience really connect. Birgisson&amp;#039;s enchanting, haunting falsetto, allowed to fly solo, commands the attention of everyone in the room, and triumphant brass and string scales lift the room immediately. Then, it&amp;#039;s straight into a joyful, rousing rendition of &amp;#039;Hopp\u00C3\u00ADpolla&amp;#039;, in marked contrast to the group&amp;#039;s darker, more recent material from earlier in the set. There&amp;#039;s time for some old favourites, too. &amp;#039;Svefn-g-englar&amp;#039;, from the group&amp;#039;s international breakthrough \u00C3&#129;g\u00C3\u00A6tis byrjun, is the evening&amp;#039;s clear highlight, ending with Birgisson literally serenading his own guitar. &amp;#039;S\u00C3\u00A6gl\u00C3\u00B3pur&amp;#039;s opening hook is greeted with howls of recognition in the stalls, and from then on in the audience finally lose themselves in a sea of head-nodding and foot tapping during closer &amp;#039;Untitled 8 (Popplagi\u00C3\u00B0)&amp;#039;. Although their performance doesn&amp;#039;t always touch the heart as sharply as you might expect tonight, at least it ends on a euphoric, ethereal high.  "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.digitalspy.com/music/live-reviews/news/a511742/sigur-rs-and-polia-live-at-itunes-festival-review/>