Mogwai © Steve Gullick 2026
MOGWAI & IGGY POP
‘UNDERGROUND’
NEW SONG LIFTED FROM FORTHCOMING
CAREER-SPANNING COLLECTION HAPPY TEARS
TOURING EUROPE & SCOTLAND IN NOVEMBER
Mogwai today announce a new 30-year, career-spanning compilation Happy Tears, heralded by the release of a pulverising brand new song ‘Underground,’ featuring the legendary Iggy Pop, available to stream and download now.
In his book Spaceships Over Glasgow: Mogwai, Mayhem and Misspent Youth, Mogwai’s Stuart Braithwaite writes of how Iggy – solo and with his band The Stooges – is a defining artist in his life: “Hearing the Stooges had been a life-changing moment for me. Their self-titled album was pretty much my bible. It was druggy, dumb and completely primal. I’d never heard anything quite like it and even though that band had pretty much fallen apart by the time I was born, I grew to love the three Stooges albums as much as any music I’d heard. I had a VHS video of Iggy playing live and I watched it over and over. His performance was unlike anything or anyone I’d seen before. The spectacle was great, but it was his voice and songs that really captured me.”
Speaking about their collaboration, Iggy says: “I’ve always liked Mogwai. The opening of the track reminded me of the crushing modern loneliness. The sung vocal, which was arranged by Matt Sweeney, felt like it was made for someone who is pissed off and doesn’t mind saying so.”
As with their debut single ‘Tuner’ in 1996, Happy Tears is being released via the band’s self-owned and run record label Rock Action Records, also celebrating its 30 year anniversary this year. Alongside the new single, Happy Tears features highlights and rarities from across the band’s discography, including a previous digital only single and a special new re-working of ‘New Paths to Helicon 1’, titled ‘Brand New Paths to Helicon 1,’ featuring the Budapest Art Orchestra, orchestrated by Adam Wiltize (A Winged Victory For The Sullen, Stars Of The Lid). Happy Tears will be released on 8th January 2027 and available in 2xLP and 4xLP versions, as well as 2xCD and digital download. The special 4xLP edition of the collection features 13 additional tracks, six of which are previously unreleased, alongside two remixes, two live tracks and three rarities.
Alongside the new collection, Mogwai have teamed up with creative studio Cup & Nuzzle (Transmissions: The Definitive Story Of Joy Division And New Order) for a new feature-length audio documentary Happy Tears: The Story of Mogwai, telling the band’s story in their own words for the first time. Narrated by Cup & Nuzzle founder and BBC 6 Music presenter Matt Everitt, Happy Tears: The Story of Mogwai is an oral history of three decades of inspiration, independence, music and friendship. The documentary is also released on 8th January 2027 and is available for pre-order now as part of the Happy Tears deluxe bundle as a 2.5-hour audio file or as a standalone download.
Pre-order / pre-save Happy Tears
“I never thought we’d be making 11 records, because hardly any bands I liked ever did. We’re doing it being weirdo Scottish instrumental misery mongers. Like, yeah, that’s pretty wild.’” – Stuart Braithwaite in Happy Tears: The Story of Mogwai
Happy Tears tracklistings
2xLP
- Yes! I Am A Long Way From Home
- I’m Jim Morrison I’m Dead
- Hunted By A Freak
- Take Me Somewhere Nice
- Boltfor
- CODY
- Brand New Paths to Helicon 1
- How To Be A Werewolf
- Auto Rock
- Remurdered
- Ritchie Sacramento
- Lion Rumpus
- Underground (feat. Iggy Pop)
4xLP & 2xCD version additional tracks
- Angels vs Aliens
- Die 1 Dislike!
- Ether (with The KNDS Fairey Band – Live)
- The Sun Smells Too Loud (Holden remix)
- If Not Destroyed: True
- Full Blast Michael
- Hingmy Malmsteen
- Dracula Family
- Harry Patter
- Ritchie Sacramento (Other Two remix)
- Nick Drake
- Owl Mince
- Mogwai Fear Satan (Live)
Pre-order / pre-save Happy Tears
The band have announced a run of shows in Europe this November, culminating in two special hometown shows at Glasgow’s Royal Concert Hall. The tour follows a summer of festival dates and one-off shows across the world. Mogwai will be performing songs from across their discography, including their 11th studio album The Bad Fire, released last year to considerable critical acclaim. Produced by John Congleton (St Vincent, Angel Olsen, John Grant) at Chem19 studios in Blantyre, Scotland, the album features the singles ‘Lion Rumpus’, ‘God Gets You Back’ and ‘Fanzine Made Of Flesh’. Dates are below; see www.mogwai.scot for details.
Mogwai – 2026 live dates
5 November – Le Forum, Liege, Belgium
6 November – Elbphilharmonie, Hamburg, Germany – sold out
8 November – Opera House, Copenhagen, Denmark
9 November – Theater des Westens, Berlin, Germany
10 November – TivoliVredenburg Grote Zaal, Utrecht, Netherlands
11 November – La Laiterie, Strasbourg, France – sold out
13 November – Bozar, Brussels, Belgium – sold out
20 November – Royal Concert Hall, Glasgow, Scotland
21 November – Royal Concert Hall, Glasgow, Scotland
Connect with Mogwai:
Instagram/ Website/ Bandcamp/ YouTube/ BlueSky/ Facebook
About Rock Action Records
While it may have originally started as a way for the band to release their own music, Rock Action, like Mogwai, the band that birthed it, has continued to grow and thrive, and has since become a successful home for a diverse range of artists, whilst remaining fiercely independent.
From the very beginning the label has operated with an ethos that not only reflects the independent spirit of its owners but chimes with the DIY scene that has defined Glasgow through the eras, and made it one of the most celebrated musical cities in the world. Rock Action has gone on to release more than 150 records from local and international artists, and supported notable Scottish independent acts including Arab Strap, The Twilight Sad, Kathryn Joseph, Cloth, Sacred Paws, Errors and Remember Remember.
The label is celebrating its 30th anniversary with a string of special events and limited edition merch releases; follow their social media for further information.
Connect with Rock Action:
Instagram/ Website/ Bandcamp/ YouTube/ BlueSky/ Facebook
