Live Review: Asgeir, Gordi

Icelandic music radiated throughout Astor Theatre as punters flowed through the doors on a cold winter's night to see Iceland's very own Asgeir Trausti Einarsson.

At 8pm on the dot, an ominous-sounding synth motif rang out to introduce Sydney-based artist Gordi to the stage while serving as a signal for everyone to get up off their butts and pay attention. Moving between synths, guitar and electronic effects, Gordi captivated the audience with her unique vocals and creative, minimalist tunes. Her set showcased many songs that will be featured on her debut LP, due for release at the end of August.

There were no fancy introductions as Asgeir casually entered the stage, picked up his guitar and began serenading the transfixed audience in his native tongue for the first three songs (Hold, Fennir Yfir and Higher). Asgeir has an introverted stage presence, saying very little between songs and instead choosing to let the music do all the talking. The light show reflected the mood of the songs. For example, the stage was bathed in a static, icy-blue wash for slow, melodic sections in Underneath it before changing to blinding, bright flashes of light as the energy picked up.

"We are going to try something special for you, well, not that special because we played it in Melbourne last night," Asgeir laughed before launching into a cover of Milky Chance's Stolen Dance, which he performed for triple j's Like a Version a few days earlier. The audience swayed to this slowed-down interpretation of the song.

Asgeir's set consisted of a fair mix of songs from both his recently released Afterglow album and earlier LP In The Silence. Afterglow's title track and recently Gold certified King And Cross were standout moments of the night that were met with rapturous applause. After leaving the stage for a brief moment Asgeir returned to close out the night with new fan favourite, Stardust.