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Mogwai's
brand of visceral cerebral-core creates a euphoric wall of
sound that initiates an aural orgasm enjoyed by anyone within
earshot. Like other bands of their ilk, Godspeed You Black
Emperor, Explosions In The Sky and Sigur Ros,
their music relies more on substance over style. If you go
to a Mogwai show expecting KISS Alive I & II, complete
with theatrics, you'll quickly discover you're at the wrong
show. On this June night, whatever the band lacked in showmanship
(they were pretty much motionless for the majority of the
set, in fact, they even sat down for a few songs) they more
than made up for solely on the strength of their compositions.
Stuart Braithwaite (guitar/vocals)
introduced "The Big E" with tongue firmly in cheek,
"Due to noise restrictions, we'll be quietier than usual
tonight.." A statement that later proved to have absolutely
no merit. As mentioned earlier, the entire band remained seated
for the entirety of the song, before getting up for a dreamier
than usual renditions of, "You Don't Know Jesus"
and "Helicon 2".
Braithwaite's sedate and breathy vocals
are always mezmerizing, but on this night his plainative vocals
on "Cody" were honey-dipped and as soothing as a
lover's whisper, post coitus. Which contrasted nicely against
the swirling vortex and somewhat menacing cacophony the rest
of the band created on the next song, "Ex-Cowboy"
from their brilliant 1999 full-length, Come On Die Young.
I'm still not so sure they lived up to
the hyperbole that has surronded their live shows for the
last several years, but damnit, they sure came pretty close.
Even though seeing them live is at times equally as powerful
and pleasurable, I'm just not entirely convinced that something
doesn't get lost in the translation. Make no mistake, I think
to truely appreciate Mogwai, you need to listen on a set of
headphones.
— Dave Rothroc
Setlist:
The Big E
You Don't Know Jesus
Helicon 2
Cody
Ex-Cowboy
D to E
Helicon 1
Secret Pint
2 Rights Make 1 Wrong
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