mogwai makes the best of the starlight ballroom
scottish post-rockers mogwai, came to the starlight ballroom on sept. 19 in support the newest lp by the band, "the hawk is howling." the ballroom isn't the nicest of places, but it gets the job done with some charm to spare. the sloppily strung lights placed awkwardly around the wide-open room were a nice touch, in particular.
fortunately, mogwai and opener f**k buttons had no trouble making the best of the odd venue. kicking things off, f**k buttons was better live than on record. the duo allowed the audience to actually feel the pulse of the music rather than simply hear rather unexciting noise, which is what synths became on "street horssing," the band's debut album released earlier this year. tribal beats accompanying birdlike sounds created by each of the members merely supported the slow chord changes of the synthesizers at the forefront of the wall of sound. "bright tomorrow" was especially memorable as the static-sounding noise became so loud at points that groups of people began covering their ears. neither band would make much use of a microphone, at least not in the traditional sense, except to say their "thank yous" at the end of each song.
once mogwai arrived, they started slowly. the band used bells early on to seemingly signal the calm before a massive storm. throughout the night, the band created, at times, an atmosphere of anxiety, and at times, one of calm and even ambiance.
a few songs in, the band began to hit its stride. each member, most notably drummer martin bulloch, played the thunder to the flashing lights which shone during the most intense places in each song. it was a spectacle at its heights and a time of rejuvenation at its most peaceful. the loud and resounding bass filled not only the room but probably the block. the bass was almost too loud at times, as it would overpower the three glistening guitars.
one noteworthy aspect of the performance was that the music did not come across as emotional as the music of bands like explosions in the sky, who seem to get teary-eyed whenever they feel the audience needs to have some kind of divine reaction. mogwai was much more raw and uninhibited. playing music from the most pretentious of all genres, this group didn't come across as condescending at all and they seemed to genuinely enjoy performing. although the music was occasionally melodramatic, it was never too sappy or disingenuous.
during one highlight of the show, "mogwai fear satan," the audience seemed to collectively be at peace with the tranquility of what was ostensibly the end of the performance, until the band shocked anyone unfamiliar with the song by thrashing through a sudden crescendo.
pianos were used sparingly throughout the night and, again, vocals were very rare. in fact, there were more sampled vocals played than vocals actually spoken or sung by any of the band members. like most post-rock, it was almost purely instrumental and, while it didn't always sound pretty and majestic, the music impressed consistently throughout the night.
