SHE might be small in physical stature and come from a small country but Icelandic queen Bjork has built an awesome tower of sound around her idiosyncratic songs and plainly daft lyrics.
Oh, Bjork is in the big league alright. But she's done it without the help of second hand guitar licks or Britpop kleptomania.
The diminutive diva packed Dublin's Point last night for an evening in front of the big speakers, but anyone expecting to either rave up or whig out to Bjorkpop would have been sorely disappointed, she might lack subtlety when it comes to dealing with the paparazzi, but Bjork's music works on a far deeper levels than your average handbag could reach.
The Icelandic pop pet took the stage at around 10.45 p.m., announcing her arrival with the whispering backbeat of headphones, trying to establish a bedroom intimacy with the 6,000 plus crowd. She pushed them away again with Army of Me. However, this was only a short burst of friendly fire before Bjork settled into the primal atmospherics of The Modern Things. Diaphanous screens descended on to the stage, casting a shadow of Bjork over a forest of pearl white trees and it set the scene for Isobel. Venus As A Boy and Possibly Maybe held fast to the subdued vibe, part trip hop, part trance, and part delicious sonic seduction.
Whether all this cerebral sexuality was seeping through to the audience was anyone's guess, but Bjork did not wait around to find out. Cranking up the pace a tiny teasing notch, she began to dance around barefoot to a dark discocentric tune, doing a Michael Jackson out take by repeating the line "gotta be starting something".
Violently Happy began with church like keyboards, but soon the reverence was replaced by devilish loops and sinful beats as Bjork raised wonderful hell in the house. This was indeed a night in front of the biggest squeaker in pop, and Bjork was in fine voice as she whooped wildly into a clubbed up climax.
Her encore was a wilful rendition of Its Oh So Quiet. For anyone with restless feet this could not have been a very satisfying show, but for those with an ear for the unusual and exotic, this was a feast fit for an Ice Queen.
