encore:

thanks to david gill and david rowland.

support from kling klang

reviews/comments

from david gill:

a fantastic gig and a good venue, it was heaving and there was a great atmosphere. mogwai came on at about 8.20, to accomodate the disco, a fact which stuart pointed out. 'ex-cowboy' was my highlight, it being the first time i have heard it live. the new songs were all excellent, with 'ratts..' being happy songs' stand out track. i even enjoyed 'jewish hymn' which, for once, wasn't the last song. tremendous.

i asked john afterwards if they would be playing reading/leeds. surprise, surprise they aren't. the disco began and the first song was by my bloody valentine. quality.

liverpool gig was great too, a really good venue, with the band being kind of below the crowd. nice to see the boys playing to bigger audiences.

from david rowland:

if ever proof were needed that mogwai are one of the most monumental live bands in the world then this was it. the idea of doing a tour of 'small' venues was fucking mint. the new songs were obviously unfamiliar but nestled nicely in amongst the old classics. they tore into 'you dont know jesus' second [? recording of showw suggests not ?], sending white noise out in shock waves that peaked and apexed in oceans of sound. beautiful, and they played 'ex-cowboy' - i couldnt believe it!!! dominic's unforgettable opening bassline sent shivers down my spine. 'xmas steps' soon followed, and as always was a monumental exercise in nasa-engineered precision guitar dynamics. soaring, beautiful, melancholy, and when that guitar cames in it's like peering into the deepest abyss on earth. you are scared, you are fearful, and right in those few seconds before it spills over and you topple in, all you feel is an ecstatic rush of ecstasy. mind-blowing.

'my father my king' was limited to 13 mins, (thankfully) and was all the better for it, what a fucking way to end a set. then the encore had to be rushed as there was, as stuart sweetly pointed out, a disco to be had. after a gentle 'golden porsche' their guitars hummed the intro to '...satan' and the audience responded with an avalanche of cheers and applause. they played it like ive never heard it before, tighter, harder, more beautiful. i must have said beautiful so many times in this review, but that is exactly what it was - one of the most beautfiul things i've ever heard.

my mogwai virgin friends were suitably blown away. the band only lose points because they didnt play helicon or ithica like they have on other dates on this tour *sob* but that would have been too perfect. tonight, hearts were broken, ear drums were shattered, and bonds were forged. this was something special.