Live music review: Bjork, Airwaves Festival, Iceland

You could hear an icicle melt in anticipation of Bjork coming on stage last Saturday. Headlining the five-day Iceland Airwaves music festival, fans of all ages gathered in the luxurious Eldborg concert hall of Reykjavik’s Harpa hall for this special homecoming gig.

A 31-one string section of the Icelandic Philharmonic orchestra sat in an arc as the petite figure walked on stage, and with no introduction launched into songs from her last album Vulnicura. Heart wrenching, intense, visceral, her phrasing and clearly articulated words (all in English) were classic Bjork. Her deeply personal ‘History of Touches’ was heartbreaking. The beautifully arranged opulent strings smoothed the plaintiff sounds, leaving the audience stunned.