Mogwai @ Usher Hall

With the recently released 'Mr Beast' consisting of a slightly more metallic leaning venture than has been their previous form, the post-rock of Mogwai delivered within the prestigious environs of Usher Hall nevertheless called on the endurance of spells of spaced out lethargy tonight. For all the distortion, there still remained many clear moments of well-calculated pathos- which have clearly informed the likes of Explosions in the Sky and Team Sleep - but not enough to justify the encore of a 15 minute squall of an effects peddle medley, which seemed to serve the sole purpose of making the pores of a thousand or so punter's ears run red. Then again, the premise of post-rock is after all to discard of the rulebook and become devoid of all conventions, it's just a damn shame that it also happens to seem a little lost and induce acute tinnitus at times in a grand live setting. [Johnny Langlands]