About this Event
Join us for an intimate and electrifying evening with Stuart Braithwaite, founding member of Mogwai, as he discusses Spaceships Over Glasgow: Mogwai, Mayhem and Misspent Youth — a raw, funny and deeply honest memoir of music obsession, life on the road, and the strange magic of live sound.
This event forms part of The Long Play Sessions, ICMP’s curated series celebrating artists and writers who shape how we experience and understand music culture. Each session explores the stories beneath the noise — where creativity, identity and lived experience intersect — offering audiences a rare chance to engage directly with the people who make and document the music that defines generations.
In Spaceships Over Glasgow, Braithwaite traces his journey from a music-obsessed childhood in Scotland to the global stages of one of the world’s most influential post‑rock bands. With warmth, self‑deprecation and startling candour, he recounts formative gigs, life‑changing records, chaotic tours and the friendships that sustained Mogwai through decades of relentless volume and evolution.
Set against the backdrop of Glasgow’s fertile underground scene, the book is both a love letter to live music and an unfiltered account of the realities of life in a band — the exhilaration, exhaustion, excess and uncertain balance between creativity and survival. From teenage discovery of Sonic Youth and My Bloody Valentine, to tinnitus‑inducing shows and international acclaim, Braithwaite captures what it means to build a life around sound.
Far more than a rock memoir, Spaceships Over Glasgow reflects on youth, belonging, and the ways music can serve as escape, identity and salvation. It speaks to anyone who has ever stood in a crowd and felt their life rearranged by noise — or dreamed of stepping onto a stage and making that feeling happen for others.
What to Expect
- An intimate talk from Stuart, exploring the stories, memories and moments behind the book
- Insight into Mogwai’s journey, Glasgow’s underground music culture, and the realities of long‑term life in a band
- Discussion of creativity, obsession, touring, friendship and the sustaining power of loud music
- Reflections on youth, risk, resilience and the transformative experience of live performance
- Audience Q&A, offering the chance to engage directly with Braithwaite about writing, music and Mogwai’s legacy
- Book signing — bring your copy or purchase one at the event
We look forward to welcoming you to The Long Play Sessions for a candid, joyful and uncompromising evening celebrating music as a lifelong force — told by someone who has lived it, loudly and without filter.
Event Venue & Nearby Stays
ICMP | London, Queen's Park, 76-78 Salusbury Road, London, United Kingdom
GBP 6.13 to GBP 12.50
