Mogwai at Field Day 2009
There is a golden rule at Mogwai gigs that should apply to all gigs really, but it is particularly important for Mogwai. It is that you do not speak at any point when they are playing their songs. The reason that this is so pertinent at Mogwai gigs is that as much reliance is put on the delicate moments of their songs as there is on the balls-out thrashing, as they both complement each other so perfectly. What would ‘Like Herod’ be without the total breakdown and single guitar gently strumming before the storm of fury is unleashed and every instrument is bashed to within an inch of its life?
As it turns out, probably 70 percent of Mogwai’s set is made up of these teasing, delicate moments and as a result a festival is probably not the best place for them. From the opening glorious chords of ‘Yes! I am a Long Way from Home’, it’s very noticeable how much chatter there is going around the crowd. As many of the audience probably aren’t devoted Mogwai fans, these quiet moments probably seem quite boring, but then, frustratingly, they ruin it for everybody else, by chattering away through the whole set.
This is made all the more frustrating by the fact that the volume isn’t really loud enough in the first place, so when Mogwai do unleash the rage, rather a firm slap in the face, you get more of wet stroke.
What’s important to point out is that though this set never seems to really take off, this is nothing to do with the Glasgow band themselves, it’s all down to various other factors conspiring against them. Although the set does lean a bit too heavily on material from their latest album ‘The Hawk is Howling’, there are moments that still make the hair stand up on the back of your neck, most notably the aforementioned ‘Yes!...’ along with ‘Mogwai Fear Satan’ and ‘Auto Rock’.
But in the end this was a gig that was running away from them from the start and Mogwai never seemed to catch up.