Mogwai - Live
[Connect Festival]

Starting their set just as the sky turned a purple dusk colour, Mogwai used the stunning mountainous scenery behind them and the adverse weather conditions to their advantage. The swirling rain was reflected by the impressive array of lights, the heavy drizzle in turn glistened like a million fireflies. Such factors created an atmosphere of anticipation as Mogwai kicked off a set that could really be deemed a triumphant homecoming amidst Inverary’s beautiful backdrop.

It’s Mogwai, so you should know the drill by now; ominous build-up’s, distortion, distortion, a little more distortion and then they unleash their fury, detonating their guitars like bombs. It’s a tried and trusted method (one that many have copied) and old favourites “Yes! I’m A Long Way From Home” and “Helicon 1” sounded absolutely gargantuan.

Given their preference for long instrumental passages, the Glasgow-based quintet displayed a rather surprising handle of vocal harmony dynamics for the excellent (and most conventional Mogwai song) Travel Is Dangerous. Friend of the Night, meanwhile, benefited from the festival atmosphere, lifting a languid song on record to a truly stunning cinematic piece in the live arena.

Even after all these years and having witnessed some fourteen Mogwai performances prior to this set, this band still have the ability to amaze and stun me. Ending with a thunderous rendition of “We’re No Here”, the sound emanating from the stage was powerful enough to level a small forest. Leaving the stage to the now standard screeching feedback, I was left feeling sorry for Mogwai’s Glaswegian counterparts Primal Scream, who had the unenviable task of having to follow such an epic performance.

It’s hard to see how Mogwai could top a display like this. A place high on the bill of a top Scottish festival, a ‘greatest hits’ laden set and a 10,000 strong crowd lapping up every single chord change and percussion fill. Perhaps they have finally reached a plateau in their career, maybe it is all down hill from here on in?. Whatever the case may be, the view from the top is spectacular. As Carly Simon once sang, ‘Nobody does it better’.