Despite the unusual setting of 4pm on the Pyramid Stage (somehow seeing them in daylight doesn't seem quite appropriate), Mogwai still managed to lull Glastonbury to a state of sleepy bliss with resonating melodies and waves of sonic beauty ... and then woke it up again with some extremely loud noises indeed. Although, with this being Mogwai, you would really want them to be one hell of a lot louder.
Despite the setting, the tracks came over extremely well and Mogwai gave an almost completely wordless but surprisingly cheery performance, obviously relishing the opportunity to play to a wider audience. The set leant (slightly too) heavily on their new album, 'Happy Songs For Happy People', and virtually ignored most of their early work except for a transcendent performance of fan favourite 'Helicon 1'. I'm sure it will have pleased the faithful however that they stayed true to their punk attitude in the end and, despite the time restrictions and non-partisan audience, climaxed their set with the 20 minute ear-munching epic 'My Father My King', the last 5 minutes leaving Stuart Braithwaite alone on stage giving the Glastonbury crowd a much appreciated lesson in how to make a guitar scream like nothing on earth. Excellent.
Glastonbury Festival 
more pages about Mogwai
