Matador Records

02/02/04 — Mogwai return to US
Mogwai will also be playing the Coachella festival, on May 2. There will be further North American tour dates to be announced.

08/06/03 — Full US tour announced
You don't maintain your status as one of the planet's best live bands without visiting places like Montreal, Northampton and Tallahassee. And with said mandate in mind, Mogwai are hitting the road this autumn with more gigs in support of the monumentally shiny 'Happy Songs for Happy People' CD/LP. Check out the tours page.

06/26/03 — setting the (new) record straight
Just so everyone knows, the rumor that US editions of the Mogwai album 'Happy Songs For Happy People' (no. 181 with a bullet in this week's Billboard -- though in light of contemporary events, we want the publication to change it to "with a wizard") were to include a bonus CD was clearly erroneous and/or wishful thinking on the part of persons who cannot be trusted (ie., us). We're sorry for any confusion but we're sure you will agree that the most SILVER-looking album of all time is more than worth the cash all by itself. But for those otherwise unconvinced of the value-for-money thing, the CD versions of 'Happy Songs' do include the album's Cubase PC files for those of you seeking to remix, unmix, karaoke-ize Mogwai, etc. Unless you're using a mac, in which case you are shit out of luck (this wasn't our idea, btw. Whenever you are wondering why something disappointing happened, remember it was someone else's fault besides Matador's).

05/20/03 — Touring news

Check the tour dates section and check it twice -- Mogwai are touring UK clubs as the setup for 'Happy Songs For Happy People' begins, followed by a handful of US shows (NY + W. Coast) topped by an Los Angeles show at the Palladium, a bill including the Magic Band and Mission Of Burma (All Tomorrow's Parties). "Hunted By A Freak" from the aforementioned new LP/CD is available now for download from our MP3 section. Over at http://www.mogwai.co.uk, there's some snazzy video footage from the album's recording.

04/14/03 — Happy Songs, unhappy times:
As we struggle to find a match for "blinding silver" in our color wheel, the absolutely epic 'Happy Songs For Happy People' inches ever closer to June 9 release. The new look Mogwai website launches this weekend and if that isn't a good excuse to bust out the malt liquor and fudge than how about this: there's nothing on the television but brutal atrocities and people lying!

02/14/03 — Only one day and a few hours left to go on the eBay auction for Martin's pacemaker (yes he's got a new one in). Own a piece of Rock Action history. The proceeds go to charity.

04/26/02 — Our good friends will be touring econo style (i.e. no private jet this time — we’re making the entire band hitchhike) hitting North (and South) America for a few shows next month. It may be a while before Mogwai are back in this part of the world, so catch ’em if you can:

14th May Sao Paulo Teatro do SESC Vila Mariana - BRAZIL
15th May Sao Paulo Teatro do SESC Vila Mariana - BRAZIL
17th May Belo Horizonte Teatro Francisco Nunes - BRAZIL
18th May Rio De Janeiro Venue TBC - BRAZIL
19th May Santiago Teatro Novedades - CHILE

21st May Brooklyn - WARSAW
22nd May Baltimore - OTTO BAR
23rd May Pittsburgh - CLUB LAGA
24th May Louisville - HEADLINERS
25th May Chicago - FIRESIDE BOWL
27th May Toronto - LEE’S PALACE
28th May Montreal - CABARET

The following disturbing news comes to us courtesy of the offices of Lost Dog Records, Glasgow, Scotland:

The first release on Scotland’s Lost Dog Recordings will be The Sick Anchors’ eponymously titled EP. It features 3 cover versions which are as unique as they are faithful of Atomic Kitten, The Fall and The Mills Brothers.

The members of The Sick Anchors are Aidan from Arab Strap, Stuart from Mogwai and Sheepy who currently whores his phenomenal ivory-tinkling skills for bands of the calibre of Arab Strap, The Delgados and Mull Historical Society amongst others. He is also a member of The Reindeer Section (then again, who isn’t?!)

This release will be available on the mediums of compact disc and strictly limited edition 7 inch baw-busting vinyl.

There are currently no plans to release the record in the states or Canada, but that doesn’t mean you won’t be able to find it if you look hard enough. Or you can order it from the label directly.

09/07/01 — Mogwai — Unjudicious Use of the Word “Extreme”
The following was sent to us from Pias Recordings. The single in question will be out in the US via Matador on October 23 on CD:

“Mogwai are set to release their most extreme record to date and announce a UK tour for November.

Mogwai have just completed recording a version of “My Father, My King” — a traditional Jewish hymn — with Steve Albini. “My Father, My King” is the most extreme recording Mogwai have ever committed to record. Running in at over 20 minutes, the track will be released as one track single on October 22nd in the UK through PIAS Recordings.

Mogwai originally recorded the song over a year ago for inclusion on Arthur Baker’s as yet unreleased LP. It has since become a live favourite and was their set-closer at last weekend’s Carling Weekend Festival. Albini has managed to capture Mogwai at their most intense for the new recording: two parts beautiful serenity and one part death metal. Due to the single’s length it will be ineligible for inclusion in the single charts.

Mogwai are also pleased to announce a UK tour for November. Dates run as follows:

November
2 - Bristol University
3 - Wolverhampton, Wulfrun Hall
4 - Leeds, Met University
6 - Belfast, Queens (Belfast Festival)
7 - Dublin, Olympia
8 - Glasgow, Barrowland
9 - Liverpool, L2
10 - London, Brixton Academy

Advance tickets are £12.50 everywhere except Belfast & Brixton (£14) and Dublin (£14.50).

Mogwai will also have two LPs released in the UK on October 1st through Chemikal Underground. The first is ‘Kicking A Dead Pig,’ which originally appeared on the Eye-Q label (Jetset in the U.S.); it includes remixes of Mogwai tracks by the likes of Alec Empire and Arab Strap and also a bonus CD of mixes from u-ziq and Kevin Shields. The second LP collects the three EPs — ‘4 Satin,’ ‘Fuck The Curfew’ and ‘EP’ — which were released on Chemikal Underground. Entitled ‘EP +6’ the CD comes complete with a CD-ROM section which includes the video for “Stanley Kubrick” and a Mogwai screensaver.

For more information go to http://www.mogwai.co.uk

We’d like to note that the “My Father, My King” single will also be ineligible from the U.S. singles chart. Not due to running time or anything, just because we think there’s too much competition in the world already. The UK reissue of ‘Kicking A Dead Pig’ and ‘EP + 6’ will not be coming out on Matador in North America; the former is still available via Jetset, and the latter includes tracks from ‘EP + 2’ which is currently available from Matador.

08/29/01 — The video for “Dial: Revenge” and a new, live video for “Xmas Steps” has been posted in the music & video section.

05/24/01 — Mogwai sat with us last month to talk about their new album, their upcoming tour and why they hate just about every band in Glasgow.

05/23/01 — Big contest, folks. Probably our biggest, next to when we gave away a copy of the entire catalog at our 10th anniversary weekend. The prize for this one’s a custom-made “Mogwai: Rock Action” Big Muff pedal, built by Electro-Harmonix especially for Mogwai. I think they had maybe a couple dozen made. You can’t get this anywhere, and we’re lucky to be giving this one away. Go and enter the contest!

05/23/01 — Available only on the current Mogwai/Bardo Pond US Tour: Special limited-edition vinyl 10" with 2 never-before-released songs from each band. Mogwai presents “D to E” and “Drum Machine” while Bardo Pond gives us “Despite The Roar (In Spite of Themselves) Alternate Take” and “Highlands.”

05/10/01 — We didn't get much in the way of an update this month from Mogwai, their management, their product manager, their families, their tailor or their manicurist 'cause when you're that busy reducing the planet to rubble, who has time to brag about it? 'Rock Action' is currently soaking up worldwide acclaim, and the band in the process of leaving European audiences as thunderstruck as those of you who caught the U.S. dates in April. More shows are coming up this autumn, but if you want real detail in a real way, the newly revamped Mogwai site is a good place to start.

04/10/01 — New Mogwai EP that should by no means distract you from the important task of purchasing ‘Rock Action’ the day it comes out
On the heels of Mogwai’s recent US tour selling out venues all over the place, we have news that the band have released a new CD EP on the Temporary Residence label, ‘Travels In Constants Vol. 12.’ We don’t have any free copies of this EP to give you, so please ask someone else.

03/07/01 —
Sometimes no news is a blessing
It might mean that everyone is healthy (wearing hats and lifting with their legs, not their backs) and preparing for a global onslaught on behalf of the greatest album ever to bear the word “Action” in the title, (though possibly only the 3rd or 4th best to feature the word “Rock”) ‘Rock Action.’

01/22/01 — Matador & Music Industry Conventions —
A Match Made In Biz Heaven
Are there 2 words more despicable in the english language than “label showcase?” This could be a good contest (no SM tickets this time). Anyway, the following artists will be playing at Matador’s officially approved evening during South By Southwest 2001:

Stephen Malkmus & The Jicks
Mogwai
The Soft Boys

(Possibly one additional artist, but we’re not saying who today. Not because it is a big secret, but because we haven’t figured it out yet). The venue is the Austin Music Hall. The date to remember is Saturday, March 17. Austin is the capitol of Texas, the largest state in the Union. We would never in a million years seriously suggest that this great state be handed over to Mexico and would sincerely like to apologize for any confusion or offense that might’ve resulted from an ill-fated promotion that took place during our last visit. The person responsible for that promotion, no longer works for us, but can be reached in care of Warp.

Mogwai — Official News You Can Use
Looks like we finally scooped NME.com on something. The forthcoming Mogwai album, subject of intense speculation and adjectives like “huge,” “throb-tastic” and “succulent” is really / truly / seriously entitled ‘ROCK ACTION.’

10/19/00 — New recordings, lots of travel, new stuff in 2001
If you run into someone who looks a little like Stuart Braithwaite in or around NYC this week, there is no need to call the police. Unless he was running after you with a tire iron. Mogwai are in & out of town, toiling furiously over the long-awaited follow-up to 1999’s ‘Come On Die Young.’ Recorded once again with the assistance of good friend Dave Friddman, we are expecting something substantially different from the last Mogwai album. For one thing, they’ll probably call it something else and manage to come up with a new sleeve. Beyond that, you’re just gonna have to wait.

10/05/00 — Dave Martin reports:
“Out now on Mille Plateaux is Bit Sand Riders a Pluramon remix album. Mogwai remixes ‘Hintergrund’ and Matmos also fuck w/‘Hintergrund’ adding banjo, toy piano and a bunch of other crap. The record also features such names as: High Llamas, Lee Ranaldo, SND, Merzbow, FX Randomiz, Sensorama, Hecker, Atom and Pluramon them/himself. It isn’t as good as the ‘regular’ Pluramon records, but it is listenable all the same.”

04/14/00 — Mogwai are proud to report that their All Tomorrow’s Parties festival in Camber Sands (UK) April 7-9 was a huge success, and they’d like to thank everyone, except that one guy (you know who you are).

Good luck finding one, but the April issue of the UK’s Select Magazine has a cover-mounted CD with an exclusive track by Mogwai (a fantastic version of "Helicon 1" recorded for Radio One), among other great (and no-so-great) bands, including erstwhile Matador faves the For Carnation.

Mogwai have also completed remixes for Pluramon (due out on the Pluramon remix album in late summer on Mille Plateaux) and Datach’i (due out on Caipirinha in July).

And finally, look for the band’s new offial website launching (hopefully) in late May at abandcalledmogwai.com.

04/07/00
This weekend’s thrill-packed All Tomorrow’s Parties event in Camber Sands, England is being webcast. If you tune in on Sunday you’ll hear live sets from festival curators Mogwai and festival attendees Bardo Pond. There will be performances during the rest of the weekend from superstar talent like Sonic Youth, Stereolab, God speed you black emperor, Sigur Ross, Papa M, The For Carnation, Wire, the Delgados, Arab Strap, Two Dollar Guitar (featuring Fuck’s Tim Prudhomme guesting) and Color Me Badd.