Mogwai: Stayers
Mogwai are returning to Adelaide after a nine-year absence. We caught up with the multi-instrumentalist and vocalist Stuart Braithwaite to chat about their forthcoming documentary, the band’s soundtrack work on Black Bird and recording their latest album.
Words by Will Oakeshott // Image by Antony Cook
“Old songs stay ’til the end.”
Stuart Braithwaite whispered these words on Mogwai’s track ‘Cody’, part of their second full-length album, Come On Die Young. It was released in 1999, back in Stuart’s wild youthful days when he wouldn’t have realised how prescient that sentence would prove during his career.
Twenty-five years since the release of that progressive record and after nearly 30 years with Mogwai, Stuart has had a lot to reflect on. In his 2023 memoir, Spaceships Over Glasgow, he explores his commitment to live rock and roll; now there’s also a documentary entitled If The Stars Had A Sound, premiering at Austin’s South By Southwest (SXSW) in March.
The film explores the making of the quartet’s tenth studio LP, As The Love Continues, which was recorded during the pandemic. It also showcases archival footage of their “underground” days when the “old songs” were crafted – songs which still have their place in the four-piece’s legacy today.
“I’m excited for people to see the documentary,” says Stuart, speaking to us from his home in Scotland, where he’s relishing the warmth of a glass of red wine. “It’s pretty different – it’s not the usual presentation featuring tonnes of talking heads. There’s a lot more ambience and there’s loads of cool footage. Some of it is literally from our earliest shows. It’s quite an emotional film… it’s not just about us in a weird way.”
At this juncture, he takes a long pause before collecting himself to reveal the difficulties involved with the movie. “A lot of it was filmed during the pandemic, when we were making our album. People are probably going to get PTSD from having to remember all that stuff.”
As The Love Continues topped the UK charts in the first week of its release and was nominated for a Mercury Prize in 2021. The album was also met with universal acclaim from critics; however, with all these successes, it’s probably easy to forget how difficult it was for Stuart, as well as muti-instrumentalists Dominic Aitchison and Barry Burns, and Martin Bulloch (drums).
The band had to construct the final 11 tracks via Zoom meetings with long-time producer and friend, Dave Friddman in New York, a complication exacerbated by the time difference. “It was a nightmare for me. If it had been with a new producer, it would have been impossible. But because Dave knows us so well, it [worked out] fine.”
Mogwai won the Scottish Album Of The Year for 2021 but this wasn’t the only award-winning project the Scotsmen were part of. Black Bird is the Golden Globe and Emmy award-winning show who’s soundtrack was composed by the quartet. The four-piece have worked on film and TV scores for nearly two decades, bringing atmosphere and emotional depth to the cinematic experience. Which begs the question, how does writing for film differ from writing for themselves?
“Yeah, it’s a different challenge. We don’t really think about what our music evokes while we’re making it, normally. But, when you’re doing a soundtrack, you have to think about it [all the time]: ‘This has to be scary, this has to be hopeful, this has to be nostalgic…’ You also have to really [define] what it is that our music does, which we’ve never really done before. We’re lucky that people ask us to do projects that kind of fit our style and vibe.”
Asked how was it to see the success of Black Bird, Stuart exclaims, “It was really cool! Because, by most people’s standards, we’re an underground band. To be part of something that’s been seen by, oh my gosh, how many people? Millions of people? It’s a really good feeling. And there’s that thing that maybe some people are out there going, ‘They are really great!’”
Stuart says he enjoyed working with the Black Bird team. “Dennis [Lehane, writer] is a legend, isn’t he? He has made some of the coolest movies and written some amazing books. He was a good guy and had a really good philosophy for the show. He didn’t want to make the kind of show that slightly fetishises murder. I’m really proud of having been involved in that.”
Mogwai’s last visit to Adelaide was nine years ago. “It’s been quite a long time,” he admits, “and we’re really looking forward to it! Actually, it’s going to be more than a year since we played a show – one of the longest gaps we’ve ever had without playing a show. It’s going to be nice getting back onstage and playing songs from our past to now.”
Old songs – staying until the end..
Catch Mogwai playing at Hindley Street Music Hall February 25. Tickets are on sale now.
