Review: Mogwai play well despite Celtic loss

DUE on stage at 9.15pm (before moving it back to 9.25pm), it wasn't until 9.35pm that Mogwai finally made their appearance at the Corn Exchange last night.

In the capital to promote their new album, The Hawk Is Howling, while the organisers were right in saying "things would be running a little late", (mostly) everyone knew the real reason Mogwai were a little slow in taking to the stage – they were busy watching their beloved Celtic take a hammering from Manchester United in the UEFA Champions League on TV.

Indeed, when the morose-looking quintet did eventually meander on stage, the Glaswegian post-rockers were about as animated as you'd expect from five lads who just saw their favourite football team take a sound thrashing.

"Gubbed three-nil," moaned Mogwai's de facto leader, Stuart Braithwaite, before kicking off his own band's set.

It was about the only thing the 32-year-old said all night other than "thanks" after every tune. But as most people with even a scant interest in Mogwai should know it's their music, not their talking (or singing), that matters. After all, not many instrumental bands within the indie bracket can boast such a large worldwide fan-base, and it's to Mogwai's credit that they have successfully proved you don't require a charismatic singer in order to entertain a rock-orientated audience.

Kings of the quiet bit/ loud bit, like every Mogwai gig, the brunt of the tunes all follow a familiar formula: slow, brooding build ups, followed by lots of ethereal bleeps and burps, before an explosive splash of sonic colour is unleashed upon listeners' ears. Such tracks have names, too, and strange ones at that. When you consider names such as The Sun Smells Too Loud, I'm Jim Morrison I'm Dead, I Love You I'm Going To Blow Up Your School, you have to wonder if being an instrumental group merely gives Mogwai an excuse to come up with silly titles.

Then again, consider Scotland's Shame. One of the band's finest tracks in years, its title is (allegedly) inspired by the ugly, bigoted section with Rangers football club's support. An eight-minute-long epic that bestowed Mogwai's finest characteristics – tension, dynamism and the ability to capture your imagination – only grandiose versions of Stanley Kubrick and Christmas Steps came close to overshadowing it.

The audience, meanwhile - the majority of whom are male, approximately 30-years-old and wearing leather jackets – simply smiled, nodded, or swayed gently in content agreement.

With thirteen years of practice behind them, a solid, professional performance is nothing less than you would expect from Mogwai.

Scotland's Shame may have reflected the dark, sordid themes in their latest work, but for the most part the Glasgow outfit seemed quietly (and loudly) intent on buffering their aesthetic qualities. One thing's for sure, though. With Celtic's hopes of advancing in the UEFA Champions League all but over, there's a good chance those fortunate enough to see Mogwai perform a mid-week gig on their present tour won't have to wait until after half past nine to see their favourite instrumental band.