What struck me most about Riceboy Sleeps was that the audience response seemed unanimously positive.

Those in the concert hall sat in complete silence and awe throughout the hour-long event; at the start of one piece of music, a woman behind me whispered “this one’s my favourite!” with a great deal of enthusiasm. I later received personal messages from friends asking if I’d attended and shared the experience of this outstandingly beautiful affair.

Admittedly, I felt like a lone wolf in this crowd – I was unfamiliar with the music, and therefore made the conscious decision not to listen to it prior to attending. I wanted this event to be an ambitious introduction to the soundworld of Riceboy Sleeps, an album here celebrating its 10th anniversary through live orchestral performance. Because of this, I found myself anticipating the progression of the music, rather than allowing myself to collapse into an unconditional envelopment in the ambience, alongside hundreds of others who indulged.

Jónsi and Alex Somers 

Staged as part of Tasmania’s provocative Dark Mofo program, Riceboy Sleeps was presented in a dreamy Federation Concert Hall. Above the side balcony seats hung enormous black curtains; and most...