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Mogwai

 

The next band that we saw was Mogwai at the Corn Exchange in Cambridge back in February. Apart from resurrecting Brainiac as the support act it was a good, noisy show.

Mogwai is a rock band from Scotland that formed in Glasgow in 1995. The band consists of Stuart Braithwaite (guitar, vocals), Barry Burns (guitar, keyboards), Dominic Aitchison (bass guitar), and Martin Bulloch (drums).

I was first introduced to the band by a Scottish friend in 2005 and the song ‘George Square Thatcher Death Party’ was my theme tune when Thatch did in fact die. I also greatly enjoyed the soundtrack for the film that they did for the Zidane film and I might be alone in this, but the latest album, ‘As the Love Continues’ is one of my favourite albums and my favourite by them.

Mogwai’s music is known for its dynamic range, featuring quiet, atmospheric moments that build to powerful, intense crescendos. The band's sound is often instrumental, but they occasionally incorporate vocals into their songs as well.

Mogwai have released numerous albums and EPs throughout their career, with their early releases including "Young Team" (1997) and "Come on Die Young" (1999). In the years since, they have continued to release critically acclaimed albums, including "Happy Songs for Happy People" (2003), "Mr Beast" (2006), and "Rave Tapes" (2014), “Every Country’s Sun (2017) and “As the Love Continues” (2021).

The band has also gained a reputation for their live shows, which are known for their loud volume and intense energy. They have toured extensively throughout the world and have played at many major music festivals. I don’t think that the venue of the Corn Exchange really suited them when we went to see them, but some of the songs really did boom out, “Ceiling Granny” particularly stood out.

Mogwai has had a significant impact on the post-rock genre and is widely regarded as one of the most influential bands in the genre's history. In fact they were my gateway band into post-rock.






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