Mogwai & The Blitzkrieg Bop!

Mogwai, ABC, Glasgow

A lot is made of Mogwai’s live shows being really loud, but what’s really incredible is how they manage to create some of the world’s most emotive music despite the abstinence from lyrical intimations and penchant for metal brutality. Cheeky grins, cheeky song titles and wide-o interviews aside, Mogwai are as serious as your life. They finish with Like Herod: of course you’re fucking terrified! You know it’s coming, you expect that explosion, but you just can’t prepare for such an incredible noise, such evil wailings from a place you don’t want to end up in. Bang! It’s as good as live music gets, and as close to genuine terror as a guitar song can get you.
Before that, though, you had bliss, ecstasy and pure joy from a 3-chord progression drawn out over some noisy guitar swathes over a 20-minute dance. Astounding control of rippling noise appropriated from Growing’s best Kevin Shields collaboration, building and evoking like it has no right to; it kicks as jetplane metal, fades out like Tortoise dub, sparkles and just dances to the short film of a beautiful life. Like Herod’s ying, Mogwai Fear Satan is just wonderful.
Before that, we had plenty of fun: 2 Rights Make 1 Wrong’s tragic happiness, Helicon 2’s majestic clarity and Ratts Of The Capital’s triumphant menace; harder, faster new songs indicating a shift from the wishy-washyness of Happy Songs For Happy People and lessons learned from contemporaries like Pelican or even Electrelane.
But what was before that? Well, life of sorts, all that genuine emotional stuff that Mogwai bring to a head. What does that make the ABC gig then? An end? Somehow, that makes sense. Live, Mogwai are like you’d want your death to be: dark, serious, wordless and emotional, but beautiful and ultimately worth it.
Gary Thom

Meanwhile, we'd like to bring this fine night to your attention. Some great bands and it's for a good cause! Hurrah!

BLITZKRIEG BOP - TUE AUG 30th

at Oran Mor, Byres Road, Glasgow 8pm-2am

Featuring live music from:

LUCKY LUKE

DATA PANIK (Formerly Bis)

THE BEAT TRAP (Supported Franz Ferdinand and Kaiser *cough* Chiefs)

THE NEEDLES (If they're good enough for Mick Jones hell they're good enough for us! )

ALSO DJs playing the usual punk/post-punk/ska tunes - the most fantastic DOUGIE of MOTHER AND THE ADDICTS will get you dancing like crazycats until 2.

TICKETS can be bought for a fiver at Oxfam Music, Avalanche and http://www.thebop.tk (site also has forum/list/links etc)
Band/Promoter*DJ/Flying Monkey; email us at thebop@hotmail.co.uk! x