Mogwai have announced their first show of 2010 headlining the Metamorphose Festival in Japan in September. The Glasgow band will also be premiering their new concert film ‘Burning’ later this month in Berlin. Details below:
The German premiere of the Mogwai live film by Vincent Moon and Nataniel La Souanec will be at the Babylon Berlin Theatre on 28th May at 8pm. The film comprises footage shot over three nights at sold-out shows in Brooklyn on April 27th, 28th and 29th 2009 at the Music Hall Of Williamsburg.
As part of the screening the film will be introduced by a member of Mogwai. Preceding the film will be a selection of videos from the Rock Action Records roster including Errors, DeSalvo, Part Chimp and more. After the showing there will be a short Q&A session and then band member Barry Burns will be playing records upstairs in the theatre.
For more information on the screening and the Japanese festival, follow the links in the listing below.
Happy Birthday to Stuart too by the way.
During their last tour of the US Stuart Braitwaite spoke to Tiny Mix Tapes about Mogwai’s song titles and the thought of Mogwai unplugged:
A lot of your songs are instrumental and they have some very interesting titles. For example, there is one called “I’m Jim Morrison, I’m Dead,” on the new one. How do you title a song that doesn’t have any lyrics?
It’s just totally random, really. It’s just something someone says. Right from when the band started, either in [drummer] Martin’s bedroom or a room in my parents’ house, News Paths to Helicon was a book that was lying around and “Like Herod” was something someone misheard when they actually meant to say “light-headed.” It’s just nonsensical things.
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Do you feel the music forms to the title afterwards?
I think so. I think it’s the same concept with band names as well. Like when someone mentions The Beatles, you think about the band and not a creature, the beetle.
Even New Order was a joke name. People just forget. Mogwai is a terrible band name, but I guess after awhile people think of the band rather than the thing. Also, the songs titles. Some of the new ones are pretty ridiculous and people are going, “Why are they suddenly having ridiculous song titles?” One of our songs is called “Hunted by a Freak.” It’s the most ridiculous song title I’ve ever heard. But after awhile, people come up to me that like that song and they’re like, “I really love ‘Hunted by a Freak.’” They don’t think that fucking song title is like a fake slasher movie title. They forget about that sort of thing.
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Have you thought about not titling your songs?
I would like to, but it would get annoying, not knowing what song is what.
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It would make a setlist pretty hard to read.
It would make the setlist hard. Sometimes, when we’re writing songs, we’ll just call them after the chords. We have one song called “Sad D-C,” which is a sad song, and the two chords of the song were D and C. We also have a song called “D to E” that I thought was really lazy. Usually I will think of something vaguely entertaining on some level.
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So we can’t expect an unplugged Mogwai?
I think it could be the worst experience of all time. Mogwai unplugged would be fucking horrendous. Just the thought of Martin hitting bongos. I suppose it could be pretty funny, but no, it would be terrible.
Full interview by David Harris at Tiny Mix Tapes, September 2008
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Mogwai “Burning” Teaser #2 – “Batcat”
Mogwai “Burning” Teaser #2 – “Batcat” from Nathanaël Le Scouarnec on Vimeo.
Photo Credit: ikoon