Since their earliest days in Glasgow’s mid-90s rock underground, Mogwai have gone from strength to strength, and the Welsh leg of their tour this month will air songs from latest album As The Love Continues, amidst plenty more definitive tracks from their quarter-century lifespan. To get you in the mood, India Munday counts down five of the noisy four-piece’s finest moments.

MY FATHER MY KING

Clocking in at a hefty 20 minutes 13 seconds, My Father My King – the sole track on a 2001 EP – is a huge song in more ways than one. As the name hints, there are some religious themes in this slowburning odyssey: the base melody of the song borrows from a traditional Jewish Rosh Hashanah hymn, praying to God for salvation for sins committed. The foreboding way the song builds is almost nailbiting – despite its length, it keeps me on the edge of my seat as it soars from Middle Eastern melodies to heavy white-noise chaos. 

CHRISTMAS STEPS

Not many bands can hold such a strong presence whilst having their 10-album discography chiefly comprised of instrumentals. But Christmas Steps proves Mogwai’s sound is more than ample in achieving this, from its opening two notes right up to the heavy jam that begins around the midpoint of this 11-minute banger. Perhaps not the Father Christmas you’d expect from the song name, but Mogwai are certainly godfathers of post-rock. Maybe don’t mention that to them, though: in a 2008 interview, Mogwai multi-instrumentalist Barry Burns outlined the band’s discontent with being pigeonholed into the genre.

KIDS WILL BE SKELETONS

It’s difficult to discuss Mogwai without mentioning Kids Will Be Skeletons, a monumental moment from their 2003 album Happy Songs For Happy People. Nostalgia-twinging and reminiscent of New Order and The Cure, it’s one of those songs that gives you main-character energy: Mogwai really are masters of soundscaping, as demonstrated by the way the guitars weave in and out of each other, swelling into a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it climax. The song also featured in the video game Life Is Strange and Netflix series After Life, and the atmosphere instilled by the melodies makes its purpose in enhancing such emotional and existential visuals evident.

RITCHIE SACRAMENTO

The first song on this list that includes discernible vocals, courtesy of guitarist Stuart Braithwaite; its title, he explained in a Clash interview, “came from a misunderstanding a friend of ours had about how to say Ryuichi Sakamoto.” The track’s shoegazey ambience is abetted by haunting lines (“Your own ghost running away with the past”), Braithwaite’s lyrics tipping their hat to departed friends. The album on which it features, 2021’s As The Love Continues, debuted at #1 on the UK chart: Mogwai’s first time at the top, almost exactly 25 years since their first single. 

TAKE ME SOMEWHERE NICE

Last but certainly not least, Take Me Somewhere Nice (from 2001’s Rock Action LP) is a gorgeous, math rock-esque harmony of violin, piano and drums. The lyrics are simple yet impactful and nuanced in their meaning. “What would you do if you saw spaceships over Glasgow? Would you fear them?” Braithwaite sings, his vocals almost melding with the instrumental. Those evocative words fit so well within a track I can only describe as being the perfect late night drive song – doubly apt, as it certainly transports me somewhere else. Somewhere nice, indeed.

Mogwai’s back catalogue is extensive and impressive enough that it’s hard to do justice in just five songs. Still, one thing has become obvious over the years, and been maintained: they hold their legacy as a firmly rooted band, whose trademark sound is reinvented it remarkably well on album after album. Their live performances are just as majestic – but you might want to bring some earplugs, as it can get pretty loud.

Mogwai, Great Hall, Cardiff University Students Union, Thurs 16 Feb.

Tickets: £32.50. Info: here

words INDIA MUNDAY