Tyne theatre, Newcastle
The Scots heavy instrumentalists are riding on a wave of acclaim. And live, Mogwai's eclectic mix of delicate melodies and thundering noise is at once deafening and charming
• Listen to our exclusive album stream of Mogwai's new album Rave Tapes
Not many bands make it into their 19th year, never mind hit a creative roll with their seventh and eighth albums. However, Mogwai's 2013 television soundtrack Les Revenants (The Returned) and the new Rave Tapes have received some of the most glowing reviews of their career. The latter even looks set to enter this Sunday's top 10.
Watching them perform emphasises the unlikeness of it all: a left-field band who perform mostly instrumental music, who sometimes play so loud that hearing them feels like standing next to a jumbo jet, and whose only concession to having a conventional frontman comes when giant bassist Dominic Aitchison wanders towards the centre of the stage.
The Glaswegians' music is even harder to pin down. Their towers of noise and haunting, delicate piano/guitar melodies could suggest a sombre, po-faced band, yet their humour makes them watchable and endearing: the private jokes between members, the way leader Stuart Braithwaite says "Thanks very much. Cheers!" after every single song, or the fact that they share a stage with a wooden owl. At one point, when an extra synth player comes on and makes no sound, guitarist John Cummings audibly shouts: "'Ere mate, you need the volume button."
None of this tomfoolery detracts from their huge electric symphonies, including half of Rave Tapes. Blues Hour – a rare vocal, by keyboardist Barry Burns – is hushed, hymnal and beautiful. Remurdered sounds like the ghost of techno, wandering around some old deserted rave. Batcat is so loud it literally shakes the theatre, and Braithwaite sips his dram of whisky and delivers his final "Thank you" with a noticeable mischievous twinkle in his eye.
• Listen to our exclusive album stream of Mogwai's new album Rave Tapes
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by Dave Simpson via Music: Electronic music | theguardian.com
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