Mogwai’s Stuart Braithwaite talks lyric-free music & Nine Inch Nails ahead of UK tour

In the years since their formation, the band have earned a reputation for their exhilarating and immersive live performances; they have launched their own record label in Rock Action Records and released music that is largely lyric-free, allowing the Scottish four-piece to communicate through soundscapes. It’s a decision that still connects on a deeper level with audiences and helped the Scottish four-piece build a strong international fan base, according to Braithwaite.

“I think that music is very universal,” Braithwaite admitted. “I love music with lyrics. But there's a connection that you're missing if you don't understand the language or the nuances. So I think it's definitely helped us in some ways. Although I'm sure if we had loads of big choruses, we'd probably be on the radio a bit more, but I'd probably rather get the trips to Japan,” the guitarist said with a chuckle.

Alongside the release of their studio albums, the band have built a successful sideline in developing film and television scores, namely a documentary film on French football legend Zinedine Zidane, the soundtrack album for ‘The Fountain’ and a collaborative soundtrack album for Fisher Stevens’ documentary film ‘Before The Flood’ – an album that involved Nine Inch Nails bandmates Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, who contributed to Mogwai’s ‘Midnight Flit’. An experience that Braithwaite remembers fondly.

“First of all, it was a huge honour,” Braithwaite said when reflecting on the experience. “I grew up listening to Nine Inch Nails. They were one of the first bands that I got into. So, to actually be in a project with someone whose music you grew up with was a massive honour. I can't say much more about it. I mean, I actually remember the day that we got the song of ours that Trent and Atticus had kind of made their own version of. It was like a real ‘Is this happening?’ kind of moment. It was really cool. And they're one of the really big bands that I look up to a lot. They're very true to their vision, and they're incredible live. I saw them in Italy over the summer. It was amazing,” the guitarist finished.

Starting with their seventh studio album, ‘Hardcore Will Never Die, but You Will’, in 2011, Mogwai have released their own records under their aforementioned Rock Action Records label, including the recently released ‘The Bad Fire’. But what challenges does running their own label while performing on a full-time basis bring?

“I guess we just have to deal with a few things that some bands don't,” Braithwaite admitted. “I'm really proud to do it and really glad we employ some of our friends to help us with it. I suppose a lot of bands once they've finished making a record and decided on the sleeve, they don't have to think anything more about it, whereas we have to think about every element of it. I was nosy anyway, even when we were on other labels and wanted to know what was going on. So yeah, it's all fine,” Mogwai’s frontman concluded.

In 2021, the Scottish four-piece earned their first UK No. 1 album in ‘As The Love Continues’ – an honour that came as a “massive shock” in Braithwaite’s admission and came after the band’s dedicated fanbase also made ‘As The Love Continues’ the best-selling album in independent record stores and the best-selling vinyl record of the week at the time. And for Braithwaite, his appreciation for his fanbase is evident.

“I'm just super grateful that people buy our music and come and see us,” Braithwaite said. “I would urge anyone who likes someone’s music to buy something from them whether it’s a record or a t-shirt or something because that’s the way musicians survive these days. We're very privileged. We're doing pretty well. But I know that it's harder than it's ever been, so I'd definitely urge people to support any music that they like by buying something from the band, the guitarist concluded.

Following the addition of keyboardist Barry Burns in 1998, the band has maintained a consistent line-up in the years since, but what has been the secret to the band’s longevity? “I think we're quite self-critical and we don’t take anything too seriously. We are lucky that we've found a bunch of people who could all put up with each other,” Braithwaite said with a laugh.

Mogwai’s tour comes to Manchester’s O2 Apollo on February 27th - and tickets for the tour are available at https://mogwai.scot/pages/live