Mogwai w/ Growing & Torche
Whirlyball
March 11th 2006
by Michelle Gilzenrat

If ever a team sport was invented for the intoxicated, Whirlyball is it. After a few plastic cups full of beer, players stumble into slow, unwieldy bumper cars for a lacrosse- meets-basketball five on five competition. Most of the game is spent fumbling passes, missing the ball, and trying to back out of a four-car pileup in the corner.

In between the two enclosed courts is a narrow, carpeted throughway featuring a small bar and a stage typically dedicated to high school punk bands.

All in all, it makes for the most unlikely venue EVER to host the highbrow artistic stylings of Mogwai.

But man, Mogwai love them some Whirlyball. The band challenged fans to several games before the show. Participants signed up in advance at Criminal Records to play against the Scottish rockers. Later that night, literally seconds after their set, the Scots were back in the Whirlybugs, buckled up and ready for another round. Games went on into the wee hours of the morning, only to start once more during a matinee show the following day.

The actual performance sounded remarkably beautiful in such an awkward venue. The only downside was the generally disinterested Whirlyball regulars and employees who were talking loudly during the set. Mogwai even had to shush them at one point, which is a little embarrassing for both parties.

Overall I’m sure the band enjoyed the break from the monotony of touring—and a handful of lucky fans were able to rub shoulders and bump cars with their post-rock heroes.

www.whirlyballatlanta.com
www.mogwai.co.uk