By Lauren Archer
I’ve toyed with the idea of writing this post for well over a week now… How to write informatively about this infallible group when all I really want to say is a resounding “OMG?!” The night at the Sage was undoubtedly one of the finest musical experiences I’ve ever had, Mogwai managed to keep us all drawn in and hypnotised for a good 1hr 40 mins and if I’m honest, I could have stayed all night. Kicking things off beautifully with ‘White Noise’ from their latest album (Hardcore Will Never Die, But You Will), the group had us all mesmerised with tracks spanning across their impressive back catalogue of 7 studio albums.
My personal highlights were ‘Cody’, ‘Letters to the Metro’, ‘How to be a Werewolf’ and their incredible encore performances of ‘Helicon 1′ and ‘Xmas Steps’. All in all however, I can honestly say that I’ve never been so moved or entertained at a live event. The entire audience fell into a respectful and appreciative silence from the start and the very gracious Stuart Braithwaite was extremely thankful for the rapturous applause after each track. I’ve sifted through various live performances of Helicon 1 to find a one to match the awesome show at the Sage and this will hopefully give you an idea, it’s ‘New Paths to Helicon part 1′, which is a longer, even more intoxicating version of what I saw last week:
Those of you who’ve been to a show in Hall 1 at the Sage before will comprehend how jaw-dropping the entire venue is, with superb acoustics and top-spec equipment. Again, Stuart was very complimentary, rating the Sage as one of “the most interesting venues” they’ve ever played. The intricate elements of their performance were enhanced by the surroundings and acoustics, for example the crystal clear violins and distorted vocals which reverberated through the room wouldn’t have worked in a venue like the Academy. The whole experience was so astoundingly brilliant that for about 3 days afterwards I found myself in a post-Mogwai depression, so much so that I tweeted Stuart himself (@plasmatron FYI) to request that they do a pit-stop in Gateshead soon for another show (as yet, I’m still awaiting reply, maybe he’s just thinking about it…)
My parting comment is merely this: if you ever get the opportunity to see Mogwai live then I implore you to do so. Their music has spanned over 2 decades and shifts seamlessly between beautiful tranquil guitars and electronica to ear-numbing white noise with heady bass lines and even further on to instrumental metal. It sounds slightly clichéd but each person in a Mogwai audience will take away their own experience, nothing is generic or contrived. It is this charm and innovation which will see them through decades to come.
