Review: Mogwai at Northumbria University, 01/02/2018

Mogwai played an enjoyably noisy show at Northumbria University this week. The Glasgow band played a career-spanning set, ranging from early pieces such as ‘Ithica 27/9’ and ‘Mogwai Fear Satan’ to new album tracks such as ‘Party in the Dark’ and ‘Every Country’s Sun’.

Mogwai have now been around for over twenty years, and even if some of the newer tracks (such as slightly pedestrian opener ‘Crossing the Road Material’) are somewhat eclipsed by the earlier ones, they still know how to structure an entertaining live show.

Moody mid-period pieces such as ‘I’m Jim Morrison’ and ‘Rano Pano’ stood up well, and helped to bridge the gap between the slow-building majesty of ‘Helicon 1’ and the more immediate new material.

After a very brief break, 2003’s ‘I Know You Are…’ proved an effectively subtle lead-up to the noise immolation of ‘We’re No Here’. And then they were gone in a cloud of dry ice, leaving the audience to stumble out with the feedback still ringing in their ears.

Setlist:

01. Crossing the Road Material

02. I’m Jim Morrison, I’m Dead

03. Party in the Dark

04. New Paths to Helicon, Part 1

05. Ithica 27/9

06. Rano Pano

07. Battered at a Scramble

08. Every Country’s Sun

09. Don’t Believe the Fife

10. Remurdered

11. Mogwai Fear Satan

12. Old Poisons

Encore:

13. I Know You Are But What Am I?

14. We’re No Here.