MOGWAI // USHER HALL, EDINBURGH
MOGWAI RETURN TO SCOTLAND’S CAPITAL AS PART OF THEIR SCOTTISH LEG OF THEIR CURRENT UK TOUR WHICH CONTINUES IN FEBRUARY 2023.
★★★★☆ (4/5)
MOGWAI PERFORMING AT EDINBURGH’S USHER HALL - DECEMBER 2022
PHOTOCREDIT: STUART WESTWOOD PHOTOGRAPHY
I have never seen Mogwai live and had no real idea what to expect from this gig, I’m obviously familiar with their work, Zidane a twenty first century portrait or they work they did for Michael Mann’s Miami Vice, for instance, is an example of how music can tell a story in an incredibly elegant and emotional way.
I went along to the Usher Hall with no preconceptions of what the night would be like, I’ve never been to a non-classical music event that I knew wouldn’t have vocals in the main performance before, I was slightly unsure as I am someone who loves a good vocal performance.
I got there early for the support act, thankfully as I was intrigued by the group in front of me who I think were from Hull who, while collecting their tickets, stated loudly they weren’t that bothered about seeing Mogwai, they were there for the support act. A support act who bring along their own fans who make it clear the main event wasn’t of as much interest to them, how good were this band going to be?
Bdrmm, the support act, turned out to be from Hull, which partially explained the focus of the group from Hull. They are an act on the rise, one very much being tipped for greater things. I do think they need to work on their entrances and they were almost apologetic in the way they wandered onto the stage. What became clear quite early on in the set is that while they sound a bit like your standard shoe gazing band there is something else going on. They were intriguing, I tried to isolate what it was that got my attention but failed. I think there is a hint of greater ambition here, a willingness to try things and experiment which should bode well for the future, it’s a real shame their set was cut short due to technical difficulties as the song they played just before that was their best song of the night, I really wanted to her the next one!
Mogwai wandered onto the stage like they might have done this before, a real sense of purpose and belonging in the way they appeared but, at the same time, almost a hesitancy, I was intrigued.
It’s really hard to write a review about Mogwai without using the words cinematic or loud, both were true in equal measures. They are not a band to get a crowd dancing but you could tell everyone in attendance was already in love with Mogwai’s music and looking forward to a fantastic show.
The band didn’t disappoint, moving from song to song in their repertoire with the occasional ‘thanks very much’ to acknowledge the crowd reaction. They may not be dance merchants but the intensity they brought to their performance and the joy and devotion of their audience were self-evident.
Mogwai are a band who create soundscapes, who lure you in with a combination of stillness and full on aural assault. You can’t always see where the song is going to go but you know that it will be highly accomplished, intriguing, emotional and played with a level of skill that most other bands would give their right hands for. So they don’t do banal love lyrics or rousing chorus’s, who cares? They do produce amazing, wonderful pieces of music, the kind that linger and challenge you in equal measure.
Live they are, in my opinion, slightly more full on that they are on record but that’s not a bad thing. The unique skill they have is their control of pauses, of silence, of knowing where one note will have more impact than a cacophony of sound. Yet, when the moment is right, they unleash a wall of sound, not in the same style as Phil Spector, more a combination of an intellectual and emotional challenge to all of your senses.
I found myself sinking into this gig, letting the music wash over me, they are a very unassuming band, down to the way they all dress in a similar manner, this is very much a case of letting, and succeeding, in letting the music do the talking. You don’t need vocals when you create music with this much depth, all you need is Mogwai.
