In the low-lit intimacy of Malmö’s Plan B, the tectonic force of Mogwai met the haunting fragility of Kathryn Joseph in a night that blurred the lines between devastation and beauty. Known for their seismic shifts in dynamics and ever-evolving sonic landscape, Mogwai’s latest tour in support of The Bad Fire brought them deeper into uncharted territory.
Mogwai
Plan B Malmö, Sweden – 3 September 2025
Words And Photography: Tim Bugbee
Primarily known for their QuietLoudquietLOUDER approach to music and associated dynamics, Mogwai have certainly branched out a lot over the last handful of records, incorporating more vocals and electronic textures into their songs.
It is always good for a band to get out of their comfort zone and do a little more mapping of the available sonic realms, and it led to the unlikely top chart position of their next-to-most recent record, As The Love Continues.
The pop-friendly melody of Ritchie Sacramento was the sole offering from that record, as the bulk of this second leg of European dates continued to focus on material from their latest excellent record, entitled The Bad Fire. 
This string of tour dates also gives fans of long-neglected cities a chance to see the band in full rock action, with many cities either hosting for the first time, or at least the first time in years.
I had the luck of being close enough to catch their show at Plan B in Malmö, and while it was pretty close to the show I saw back in Boston earlier, there were a few key differences.
The start was the same, Barry Burns and touring member Alex Mackay (almost celebrating a decade with the band on the road) directly across from each other’s synths, weaving a hypnotic pattern that could mesh nicely with any number of films or TV shows as God Gets You Back ushered in the show.
It is no surprise that they have created nine soundtracks, some of their finest work that rarely gets played live. The second song Hi Chaos was also the second one from The Bad Fire and belied the band’s foundational deference to the seminal US band Slint.
With such a sizeable discography, it is not an easy task to juggle the new material along with cherished classics. But Mogwai does a good job with selecting a core of songs and then pulling from another pile to help satiate the diehards, such as Allan from Scotland.
Allan came with his Scottish Young Team flag draped at the barricade and will catch a good chunk of this run. From that pile are established epics that stretch for minutes, creating their own sonic world.
As a Bostonian, I have often gnashed my teeth that Mogwai Fear Satan usually gets selected, as other cities get to bask in the maelstrom of Xmas Steps or My Father, My King.
Don’t get me wrong, Mogwai Fear Satan is a monumental track and a testament to their wall of sound and their preternatural grasp of dynamics, the calmness giving way to one more massive crescendo as blinding strobe lights complete the experience.
Their pedal boards almost need their own dedicated generator, and there is some sort of alchemical wizardry that allows Stuart Braithwaite and Mackay to coax that sort of tone from a Telecaster.
Two songs I really was not expecting to hear were the early track Ithica 27 Φ 9 and Remurdered from Rave Tapes, which has an electronic breakdown that might have dislocated a few spinal discs.
The gentler side of Mogwai was on display as well. Cody is a plangent, pining song with delicate Braithwaite vocals that inspired an unlikely cover via Deafheaven, albeit with a few more bristles. But back to the Sturm und Drang. There was a final ace up Mogwai’s sleeve when they came out for the encore. 
For a movie with a ton of memorable quotes, nestled near the top is when Nigel Tufnel is talking to Marty DiBergi about his custom Marshall amp, and how it goes to eleven. For when you need that last, final push off the cliff, you go to eleven.
Apparently, Mogwai have been in a secret development with Orange, and the output is an amp that goes to 12.
Nothing else can explain the cataclysmic power of when My Father, My King peaks. Based on the melody of a traditional Jewish folk song, this monster was uncoiled and shook the building at its foundations.
Thank you, Mogwai, it was the catharsis we all needed.
Kathryn Joseph
Fellow Scot Kathryn Joseph was handpicked by the band as support, and she has some history since the last three records have come out via Mogwai’s Rock Action label.
I was not familiar with her prior to tonight, and she had a minimal stage setup with a keyboard and microphone, a few yards away from Lomond Campbell, who had a similar setup.
Mostly backlit, the duo played engaging songs that echoed strains of Kate Bush, Sharon Van Etten, Radiohead and especially the dark musings of AA Williams. 
