Masters of sound and silence

POST-ROCK BAND MOGWAI

- Sanjoy Narayan

They arrived at Helsinki’s cultural palace, Kulttuuritalo, with no fanfare, no theatrics: just four musicians (Stuart Braithwaite, Barry Burns, Dominic Aitchison and Martin Bulloch) striding onto the stage with the quiet confidence of a band that has been doing this for nearly three decades.

In minutes, the venue was vibrating. The sound didn’t just fill the room; it possessed it. That familiar tidal wave of guitars began to build, threatening to overwhelm before suddenly retreating into passages so hushed one could hear people breathing in the crowd.

This is what they do best: trade in contrasts that disorient, overwhelm, and move you. Nearly 30 years after they came together in Glasgow, now touring Europe with their new album, The Bad Fire, they are still making music that treats dynamics not as a technique but as an art form.