Review: Sigur Rós bring stirring sounds to Vancouver

One of the perks of living on the edge of a continent is that you often get to see great bands finishing up their tour. On Tuesday night it was Icelandic post-rockers Sigur Rós who brought their earthy, stirring anthems to Vancouver's Chan Centre.

Touring as a four-piece for the first time in seven years, the band opened with the haunting, falsetto-laden Svefn-G-Englar from their second album Ágætis Byrjun. And they took us through the next hour and a half with a selection of rich, ethereal tunes that alternated between mournful, joyful and sometimes downright silly.

Front man Jónsi Birgisson thrashed at his guitar with a violin bow, moving the set of sonic treats along, but it was when the four-piece came together and played in close quarters that their musicianship and impeccable sense of timing shone through.

An amazing light show referenced their documentary Heima, which tracked their 2006 tour of Iceland in which they went back to their roots, playing small venues, coffee shops, disused factories and hillsides. Themes of home, nature and the elements were present throughout the film and we saw them here again - fire, water, grass, children - serving as a backdrop to the band.

A highlight was one of their most famous tunes, the anthemic Hoppipolla, though in their stripped-down, four-piece state it lacked the stirring strings that has made it such an epic track. Saeglopur was another tune that showed off their versatility in switching from fragile and delicate to outright, thrashing rock.

Closing their main set with their latest, joyous single Gobbledigook, they were joined on stage by support act and compatriots Parachutes. Dressed as Star Wars stormtroopers, Parachutes drummed their way through the tune. Of course, it wouldn't have been complete without Darth Vader, who also found his way on stage - and confetti blew throughout the auditorium.

Sigur Rós haven't always had a reputation for being at ease with their audience but tonight they certainly seemed to have developed a fondness for Vancouver. They returned for an encore, and asked: "Play... more?" "With pleasure," we said.