Mogwai live wasn't so much an audiogasm, but audio-S&M if you get what i mean. The teeth shattering volume, bursts of sonic assault and the sheer wall of sound pounded my ears but it was sweet pain for my eardrums. Shoegazy guitar textures and distortion, LOUD but brilliant rhythms, gorgeous reverb, build-and-release song structures that crescendoed in ways that can only be described as 'holy crap'.. I've only listened to Hawk so i didn't recognize alot of the songs (apparently they played alot of old stuff) but it didn't really matter. Their songs are so well crafted, the textures mesmerizing and the impact so great that i was taking it all in. The reverb from the three guitars often felt like it could just swallow me up, it was almost tangible. It's hard to describe but there's such a sense of volume and weight to their sound that if i closed my eyes i didn't just hear it but i almost could feel it. Okay enough pretentious talk.
My favourite part of Mogwai is probably their rhythm section though. Martin Bulloch was AMAZING on the drums. Together with basslines that literally shook me, his pounding rhythms formed the backbone of their lengthy instrumentals and was responsible for the whole dark, foreboding, almost menacing feeling to alot of their songs. There were tender moments too, like the only song they played with vocals.
I have to mention the lights as well, great light show. And i guess the Esplanade concert hall was a good setting for Mogwai's sound. Crowd was good and lively too. All in all if i needed to describe this show in one word it would be 'epic'. (but obviously i didn't need to)
Anyway the picture above was the only nice one i took, the ugly ones are here.
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