Mogwai @ The Forum, London (16th October 1999)
Mogwai live performances always entertain me, because Mogwai clearly
wish that half the audience weren't there. When Stuart Braithwaite
asks for some quiet prior to playing 'Stanley Kubrick' you know that
those kids who cheer when they get to the loud bits of the songs are
starting to get to him. And to be fair to this band and their art, he
has a point. After all, the quiet parts of Mogwai songs are
(unsurprisingly) just as important as the loud bits. The thought
behind the music is the mechanism that allows the frighteningly real
emotional tension to build and the intent to be communicated. It's
hard to describe how beautiful those manipulations of volume make
these songs, and how right it often seems that there are no words. Add
the ever impressive lights for maximum brain stimulation and the songs
walk right into the centre of your being. From the opening nagging
demand of 'Superstars of BMX' through the shattering defiled beauty of
'Helicon 1' to the final tumultuous fury of 'Like Herod', Mogwai are
here to carry you away. Awesome. (Drew)
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