Eels
– ALBERT HALL, MANCHESTER –
“Don’t think twice ‘bout whatever keeps you itchin’. Ice water, flyswatter gonna get you through the day.” Lyrics I could not relate to anymore, after a summer of working in a pub in the middle of nowhere, getting bitten by insects daily. Flyswatter is the first of the band’s original tracks to get a response from this sold out Albert Hall on a Sunday night. It is the last date of the tour for E and his gang and they start the night with a trio of covers.
To the crowd’s delight we’re greeted to Princes iconic ‘Raspberry Beret’ and The Who’s ‘Out in the Street’. One of the most daring openings to a set I have seen from a band of this scale, although it has worked and the crowd are having a great time.
Watching from the balcony it’s looking like you could not fit another person into the venue, it’s packed to the rafters, after quite a disappointing opening act ‘Chaos, Chaos’ the bands lively intro was much needed. Eels are a band notorious for sometimes “pulling a Radiohead” in terms of a set list consisting of B-sides and new material, often leaving fans disappointed by leaving the hits out. Tonight, the crowd are getting treated to a set filled with songs from the bands wide back catalogue.
E brings the set back into a dreamy atmosphere, well suited for a Sunday night with the classic ‘I need some sleep’, with the lyrics as delicate and beautiful as the venue we are stood in. Before we can drift off too much though, we are hit with a Stones cover to bring us back into the groove. I am more than happy myself to hear a couple of tracks off the band’s 1996 seminal album Beautiful Freak. ‘My Beloved Monster’ along with a blistering version of ‘Novocaine for the Soul’ are set highlights, the electrifying solo at the end the track rockets around the Albert Hall.
The main set is ended with ‘I like birds’ and then into the melancholy ‘PS. You Rock my World’ the the band leave the stage briefly before coming back for a duo of encores.
Unsure to whether we would hear the track or not, ‘Mr E’s Beautiful Blues’, is greeted with applause and a sea of heads rocking up and down. It may be the end of summer but the crowd are still belting out “God Dam right it’s a beautiful day” along with E.
The night ends with a glorious version of The Beatles ‘The End’ with E shouting out to the crowd “Are you with me, my beautiful people?!”. Asking for the lights to shine on the crowd, we are all with him, it’s a truly triumphant night for both the band and fans.
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