Eleven studio albums, nine live albums, with nearly as many film scores, composed over the course of 30 years. A discography this plentiful is enough to be the envy of most well-established bands. Mogwai, the owners of said discography, have achieved this through a combination of creative vision, technical virtuosity and instrumental skill to become one of the metaphorical heads on the “Mount Rushmore” of post-rock. The Scottish band’s delve into the genre has seen them appeal to an expanding fan base, evidenced by the acclaim of their 2021 album As the Love Continues… which went to #1 in the album charts and earned them a Mercury prize nomination...
Speaking to LeftLion a few weeks ago, frontman Stuart Braithwaite said, “We were really surprised with the level of acclaim as it was something we hadn’t really experienced before.”
I find this quite shocking, personally. Mogwai have cemented themselves as masters of their genre, and in doing so, have become part of the British music canon. Their performance at Rock City is proof, if at all needed, of that very fact.
Tonight is Mogwai’s first performance at Rock City since 2023, which was then their first performance here since 2004. After admitting they didn’t do extensive UK-wide tours very often, it’s clear that Braithwaite & Co are setting out to make up for lost time. The tour of course not only coincides with their 30th anniversary, but with the release of their latest album The Bad Fire, an emotionally-charged album with heavy elements of tragedy played out in a euphoric fashion. The term itself is one native to Scotland meaning 'hell'. A very telling title for something so tragic.
It's Sunday evening and the 11pm curfew posted up around the venue is alarming for those worried about Sunday bus times. However, this thought takes the back seat when music is concerned. The expressions of eager anticipation on the faces around me tell me all I need to know. In front of me are two Scottish lads who have picked this weekend, of all, to see Mogwai. I end up overhearing one saying to a few locals: “this is only my 13th pal, I see them more than I see my wife.” This is made funnier with the strong Glaswegian accent reminding me of Rab C Nesbitt. I half-expected a “Beat it ye schwines!” to follow, but it didn’t. It's the stuff “Overheard in Notts” is made of. I always have a thing for accents!
Providing the support is the sound artist Matthew Barnes, better known by the stage name Forest Swords, whose set consists of works inspired by different environments and the many forms of beauty shown in them. The experience is all very monastic, Barnes commands the stage like the bishop addressing his silent congregation at the altar, invigorating a focus on the deeply contemplative pieces he is about to play. The pieces are intense, occasionally incomprehensible – though thankfully not ‘Stendhal syndrome’ inducing. A mass fainting spell caused by the emotion of art is the last thing this crowd needs before returning to work on a Monday morning.
The textual sounds of Forest Swords lead to the arrival of Mogwai in a wall of sound and colour. The lights and sound will become a motif throughout this performance.
Stuart Braithwaite announces “We’re Mogwai from Glasgow, Scotland.” This will be one of only a few crowd interactions with post-rock's typical tendency to keep vocals at a minimum letting the instruments speak for themselves. Without further ado, they open up with God Gets You Back, the opening track from The Bad Fire. The use of an extended synthesizer sequence gives this all an intergalactic feel even more so with the indigo lights giving an aura of deep space to proceedings. The concept of “deep space” and alternative reality is not unusual for Mogwai given their dive into film scores about the subject - the films Kin and Atomic are prime examples of this.
This voyage ends then goes into Hi Chaos which shows Mogwai at their guitar-shredding best. The reverberations on this are extreme to the point it goes beyond “tuned up to eleven”. Despite the thickness of my earplugs, the cacophonous rain of amplified guitars break through like a dam being busted. Seeing Stuart Braithwaite strum faster while going higher up the neck is both admirable but brutal for first timers and seasoned fans alike.
While the majority of the set covers the most recent album, there are also dips into the archive with Ritchie Sacramento (arguably the song responsible for the band's recent revival in the past five years) featuring to rapturous approval. This is much better live as I could really feel the affectionate tone of Braithwaite's elemental vocal style, which complements the music so well.
Accompanying all of this are the extremely impressive stage lights, all of which put Light Night to shame. To have this many lights displayed in one space is very impressive with the abstract geometric installation in the background possessing equal amounts of creative thinking and expression. The show of kaleidoscopic lights varies in relation to the mood of the music. Rano Pano is accompanied by fuzzy orange and blue to contrast the melancholic and fiery feel of the song, whereas Lion Rumpus is a multitude of vibrant colours with the song capturing more of a joyous mood among the crowd. The mood-altering colours and percussive strobe lighting strikes capture a battlefield, every colour an explosion of light and vibrance.
It’s really great to see stage light handlers work in tandem with musicians to such a degree. How many times have you seen it where the lights are beamed onto the performer/s just to signify their presence to those at the back of the venue? This goes to show that they can use a little more than just to light up a stage.
Following rapturous applause, whistles and whoops, Mogwai finish with an encore of Helicon 1 and Were No Here. The former, off their debut EP compilation Ten Rapid, is an all-out voyage to the peripheries of the mind, a reminder of the voyage we take as individuals through the course of life. It brings heartache, despair, but also appreciation of life, reminding us of our place in the world and the plethora of possibilities out there. This is the sort of experience that both young and old in the audience can appreciate and reflect on despite being at different ages. It is emotional artistry at its finest.
We’re No Here brings heavier tones, but captures a similar mood. It offers closure to a night of intense music gift-wrapped in a gamut of emotions. The marriage of screeching guitars singing via a regiment of reverb and delay pedals in addition to thunderous drums is far from a harmonious one. The descendant from this “marriage”, however, is a band whose impact has captivated audiences for 30 years and shall do so till the very end; it is a unique sound that tells a thousand stories.
The silence now is deafening…
Mogwai performed at Rock City on 15th February 2026.
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