Mogwai TivoliVredenburg (Ronda) Utrecht The Netherlands October 29, 2014 RECORDING: Type: Audience master, recorded just in front of the soundboard, approximately 12 metres from the suspended PA. Source: Factory-matched pair of Schoeps CCM 41V microphones (DINa mounted) -> Marantz PMD661 recorder with Oade Concert Mod (-18 dB gain/44.1 kHz/24 bit WAV) Lineage: Audacity 2.0.6 * Amplified right channel by 0.5 dB. * Applied variable envelope amplification across recording for consistent listening experience. * Attenuated audience noise. * Added fades. * Split tracks. * Converted to 16 bit. -> FLAC (compression level 8) [libFLAC 1.3.0 20130526] Taper: Ian Macdonald (ianmacd) SET LIST: 01. [05:39] Heard About You Last Night 02. [05:55] Friend of the Night 03. [06:56] Take Me Somewhere Nice 04. [07:47] Ex-Cowboy 05. [06:34] How to Be a Werewolf 06. [05:19] White Noise 07. [04:36] The Lord is Out of Control 08. [05:52] Deesh 09. [06:27] I'm Jim Morrison, I'm Dead 10. [03:29] Teenage Exorcists 11. [06:38] Remurdered 12. [01:40] [banter/aborted song] 13. [09:19] 2 Rights Make 1 Wrong 14. [03:35] [encore break] 15. [04:24] Hunted By a Freak 16. [12:19] Mogwai Fear Satan Total running time: 96:35 NOTES: Mogwai are one of those old perennials that you can always rely on. They make a bloody good din, don't have a pretentious bone in their body, and are willing to shake up their set-list from one night to the other; probably for their own sake as much as the audience's, but everyone wins. Well, I say Mogwai are reliable, but their performance at the Paradiso in January was decidedly lacklustre. They played a shorter set than on other nights and chose a set-list that excluded the well-known fan favourites. That's their prerogative, of course, and the inevitable occasional consequence of a band who are willing and able to decide their set-list on the day of the show. Some days are going to be better than others. So, I set off to Utrecht with high hopes for this evening's gig. It's my first time at the new TivoliVredenburg, which is not to be confused with the old Tivoli (on the Oudegracht and now closed), its satellite (De Helling, still open), or Vredenburg Leidsche Rijn (on the very outskirts of town and now also closed). TivoliVredenburg is a new entertainment complex on the site of the old Vredenburg, which, if my memory serves me correctly, I last visited in 1996 to see Cocteau Twins. The new TivoliVredenburg is a beautiful venue, boasting multiple auditoria. The main problem with it is its location: Utrecht. Not that I have anything against Utrecht -- quite the contrary: it's a lovely city -- but it's not Amsterdam, is it? TivoliVredenburg now competes directly with venues like the Paradiso and the Melkweg for the attention of artists wishing to play in the Netherlands. It's not just that I'm a lazy, spoilt Amsterdammer. I've demonstrated that I'm willing to travel for a gig. It's just that I lead a busy life with four young children and getting to Utrecht on time for a gig is that much more difficult than it is to ride my bike through the Vondelpark to the Paradiso. It ultimately means that there will be gigs in the future, of borderline interest to me, that I'll end up skipping because of the location, whereas I would have still made the effort if they had been on my doorstep. Anyway, Mogwai are playing in the Ronda auditorium this evening, which is a beautiful hall, apparently able to accommodate 2,000 punters, although it appears somewhat smaller than that to my eye. The PA is mounted very high for a room of this depth, so I'm forced to retreat to the back of the auditorium, just in front of the soundboard, to make my recordings. Let's hope there isn't too much noise from the audience; at least, not at inappropriate moments. First up is RM Hubbert, who might be many people's idea of the stereotypical Scot: big, bearded and foul-mouthed; and those are just the start of his endearing qualities. He's also a phenomenal guitar player, with a percussive style all of his own. This evening, we catch him in fine fettle. He's incredibly funny, much funnier than I recall him in the past. He's like a stand-up comedian who also plays guitar; a bit like Bill Bailey, only a lot funnier. Hubbie surprises me tonight by singing some new material. Previously, he was strictly instrumental. Although he fails to hit a few of the notes, I'm still pleasantly surprised by what he's capable of, given that he's seen fit to keep his voice to himself until now. It's one of the best support slots I've seen in quite a while and I'm very glad I was able to capture it. Hubbie is still quite an obscure artist and I hope that my recording of him can generate some interest amongst people who otherwise might not get to hear him. The stage is cleared for Mogwai, who, compared to Hubbie's garrulousness, are a bunch of monks. Stage banter is confined almost entirely to Stuart Braithwaite's post-song 'Cheers'. Something goes wrong with one of the guitars at the start of the last song of the main set and it is abandoned in frustration. I have no idea which song it was, but '2 Rights Make 1 Wrong' replaces it. The band return for a two song encore, bowing out with the signature 'Mogwai Fear Satan'. After diminishing into a murmur, its sudden grizzly roar of death never fails to shock, even though I know it's coming and in spite of the fact that I see the guitarists take a step forward to re-engage the foot pedals. It's so loud that it still manages to jar every nerve in my body, every single time I hear it played live. Fucking great! Only seven of the fourteen songs played tonight were also played at the Paradiso in January, even though this tour is ostensibly to promote the same album. Other bands, take note. The recording is excellent and easily attains my usual standard, which is something I had thought might not be possible in the circumstances. I am very pleased with how this has turned out. As always, samples are included to help you determine whether the recording is worth your while. App\Http\Controllers\Api\FileDownloadController::download(): Return value must be of type string, none returned