Reviewed on Monday March 2
“The earplugs are here!” It’s minutes before Mogwai take to the stage at the Sydney Opera House’s iconic Concert Hall for the first time ever, and the ushers are frantically pointing to the foam plugs laid out on a table near the entrance for everyone who walks through. It’s almost a higher priority than checking the tickets. Some brave adventurers walk past entirely, but they will pay the ultimate price some 30 minutes later, when the ultimate piano-forte contrast happens as the band shifts from murmuring guitar to fully fledged noise explosion within a second. Some leap out of their seats at the transition, others let the sheer power of the performance wash over them.
It’s one of many moments throughout the near two-hour set spanning 15 songs and nine separate releases that hits the exact right spot in the emotional spectrum, electrifying the senses and leaving one to simply marvel at what the soft-spoken Glaswegians can empirically build up and then disintegrate in an instant. ‘Take Me Somewhere Nice’ – one of the few tracks to feature vocals – is crystallised, quivering beauty; ‘Mogwai Fear Satan’ burns slowly but ever so brightly; and newer cut ‘Remurdered’ mixes a propulsive, incessant beat with explorative electronic undercurrents. Each is substantially different, but it’s a reflection on the versatility of the band members, who are often swapping instruments and including a sixth member, violinist/guitarist/percussionist Luke Sutherland, to further flesh out each song’s arrangements.
Very little is said by anyone, apart from the occasional “cheers” or “thank you” from guitarist Stuart Braithwaite. It’s understandable – this has always been a band that has let its actions speak far louder than words. There is a point toward the end of the set, however, when the grand nature of performing on such a stage becomes too great for Braithwaite, who expresses a world of gratitude for being able to play here – as well as the practically full room for attending. It’s a brief peek behind the curtain, a lapse in which the stone-faced band lets its collective guard down for all of one moment, and it’s incredibly memorable on account of it.
2015 marks the 20th year of Mogwai. Their influence and appeal has transcended and traversed genre and generations. Better yet, they show vital signs of life in tonight’s performance. This is a story, however long and winding, that is far from finished.
