Mogwai at Brooklyn Steel (photo by Kevin McGann)
Last week Mogwai made their way back to NYC in support of their latest Temporary Residence Ltd album, As the Love Continues. And true to form, they went on to blow the roof off Brooklyn Steel with a blistering set that left fans screaming for more.
I probably started seeing Mogwai back in the late 90’s/early 2000’s at NYC’s now defunct Brownies on Avenue A. Even then they would hit you with a wall of sound you could feel in your toes and you’d be transported to some other world during their set. While their sound has evolved over the past two decades, that feeling hasn’t.
The set featured a lot of material from the new album, like beautiful opener “To the Bin My Friend, Tonight We Vacate Earth” to the electronic beats/sounds of “Here We, Here We, Here We Go Forever,” and “Dry Fantasy,” to the vocal driven “Ritchie Sacramento,” as well as rocking versions of “Ceiling Granny” and “Drive the Nail.” Those songs all fit in nicely with a set that included older songs like “How to Be a Werewolf,” “New Paths to Helicon Pt.1” and 2017’s “Old Poisons.” They closed the show with fan favorite “Mogwai Fear Satan” from 1997.
The night also included two great openers. First up was Ye Gods (Antoni Maiovvi) who brought an industrial, beats driven set that reminded me at times of Nitzer Ebb. Whether behind his keyboards or out-front screaming on a mic, Ye delivered an intense set that I hope to get to experience again. Next up was Nina Nastasia who brought an acoustic guitar driven set to support music from her upcoming new album, Riderless Horse. I’m not familiar with her catalog but based on her songwriting and pure voice I’m excited to work my way through it.
The night of course though belonged to Scotland’s best, Mogwai. Check their tour schedule and grab a ticket to any show you can!
Scroll down for pics of the show (photos by Kevin McGann)
YE GODS
NINA NASTASIA
MOGWAI
