Mogwai Play Atomic at Admiralspalast

Mogwai Play Atomic

30.08.2016 Admiralspalast Berlin

Judging by the crowd gathered outside the Admiralspalast on a calm Tuesday evening for the German premiere of Mogwai Play Atomic, two things were clear:

a) it was an event not to be missed and

b) there was no way it would start on time.

Thirty minutes after the scheduled “doors open” time, the queue stretched all the way along Friedrichstrasse to the edge of the river Spree, while amused waiters and passers-by wondered what on earth was going on. The waitress at the Café Madrid had never seen a queue like that outside the restaurant.

Once inside, there were more queues for the toilets, but the most impressive one was for the drinks. As the bar queue got longer and ticket-holders still kept streaming in through the main doors, an usher spoke in an agitated tone into his walkie-talkie: "We have run out of cold beer!". Clearly, this was not your typical evening at the Admiralspalast, a rather grand 1920s Art Deco theatre, which normally hosts more mainstream events. As if by magic, a crate of cold beer materialised within five minutes and was delivered to a relieved barman.

As the venue finally filled up, the lights were dimmed and Mogwai quietly settled on stage, while the projection of the film began.
The documentary itself was a collection of powerful images based on the atomic theme. The majority focused on the deadly aspects of nuclear energy: the atomic bomb on Hiroshima and its horrific impact on the land and its inhabitants, as well as the devastating effects of Chernobyl and Fukushima. There was also interesting footage of the anti nuclear movement, the Cold War, as well as instructions to the British population on how to prepare in the event of an atomic bomb. Towards the end there were some references to the more hopeful and positive applications, such as nuclear medicine. 

Mogwai’s music entirely captured the mood of the film and reflected both the horrors and the more hopeful and beautiful moments.  The live music experience made the emotions generated by the images on screen all the more powerful.  As the film came to a conclusion, the sounds continued to propagate from the amps and one by one the musicians left the stage. The lights came back on, while a satisfied crowd applauded warmly.

Mogwai’s live performance of their soundtrack to Mark Cousins’s documentary Atomic: Living in Dread and Promise was part of the Pop-Kultur festival.

Special thanks to Nils for the photographic contribution 
http://www.nilswittephotography.de/