Mogwai IV

Mogwai at its best: with a very good new album and with all the important songs in the setlist, including (finally) Haunted By A Freak


Rating: 5/5
Buddy: David
Merch: the new CD
Again: yes and yes and yes





Setlist:
Crossing the Road Material
Friend of the Night
Brain Sweeties
Haunted by a Freak
Rano Pano
Auto Rock
2 Rights Make 1 Wrong
Battered at a Scramble
Don't Beliefe the Fife
Remurdered
We're No Here
Old Poisons
Party in the Dark
Mogwai Fear Satan

I still remember when during a FaceBook Q&A of Mogwai, I did the one thing that you should never ask a band: I asked them whether they would finally play 'Haunted By A Freak' live during their new tour - and without much surprise, the question remained unanswered. I admit that this is a stupid question that every artist will hate. Just like a DJ will hate if somebody asks this DJ to play this one song that you do not plan to play (for whatever reasons). But I could not help. 'Haunted By A Freak' is one of the greatest gems that Mogwai has to offer - and the live versions I listened to on YouTube and their live CD are all very pleasing.

The even bigger surprise was that they had the song on their setlist, and it just completed this setlist as probably the single best setlist of my attended gigs. It reached through a very broad range of their impressive repertoire. As a second surprise, Mogwai had two new young band members on the drums and on the second guitar. Despite their young age, they acted like having played in that band for ages, still with much passion and dedication. And also like always, when the set reaches an end with the monumental 'Mogwai Fear Satan', you beg for ear tips. The moment, where three heavily distorted guitars, amongst them single coil equiped ones, head for full distortion at inhuman volumes. This is when Arena seems to hover some meters above ground and just finds this perfect pitch. Still the song is far longer than 10 minutes, and despite the low-volume sections, it makes your ears begging for help at the end. But the ringing in my ears was over some short term later, and even after some weeks I remember this gig very well as one of the absolute highlights and probably the best Mogwai gig I have seen so far. See you again mates, you are just perfect - and so many thanks for this one song!