Mogwai

Mogwai Artistfacts

  • 1995-
    Stuart BraithwaiteGuitar1995-
    Martin BullochDrums1995-
    Barry BurnsUtility instrumentalist1998-
    John CummingsGuitar1995-2015
    Dominic AitchisonBass1995-
  • Mogwai drummer Martin Bulloch once cooked at a Glaswegian Chinese restaurant.
  • Their music could be compared to My Bloody Valentine, the Jesus and Mary Chain, Tortoise, and God Speed You! Black Emperor. They were part of what some critics called the "post-rock" movement. Of course, the band despised the term.
  • Guitarist Stuart Braithwaite and bassist Dominic Aitchison (both from Glasgow) met at a concert by the British band Ned's Atomic Dustbin.
  • The name "Mogwai" came from the 1984 movie Gremlins. Mogwai is the name of the fictional species that the film's central character, Gizmo, belongs to. He's soft and cuddly until pushed too far by dangerously mischievous gremlins.
  • Mogwai had a genuine hatred for the English band Blur. In fact, the members of Mogwai were the ones who came up with "Blur Are Shite" T-Shirts.
  • When they play live, Mogwai use lots of effects pedals and boxes to create a very immersive sound.
  • The band consistently recorded and performed for 25 years before landing their first #1 album on the UK chart with As the Love Continues in 2021. It was their 10th album, and even they were shocked by its sales. No one had ever thought of them as a mainstream band, and they never wanted to be one. When their new producer, John Congleton (Blondie, The Killers, Modest Mouse), met to discuss working with them, he commented that it was "weird" that they topped the charts. Mogwai agreed.

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