Review
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The EELS in
Concert "A hundred times the doctors say I am OK. I am OK. I'm not OK," goes the title song from the Eels' 1998 second album, Electro Shock Blues. Much of the Eels's back catalogue is in a similar vein; songs about depression, feeling like the odd one out, culminating in living in a mental institution. The latest album, however, takes a slightly different stance - it's okay to be crazy, because the world is crazy - as well as replacing the samples of yore with beautifully melancholic orchestral parts ("no samples were harmed during the making of this record," proclaim the liner notes). The Eels are definitely not a mosh-pit band and a theatre like the Apollo is by far a more appropriate venue. Indeed, the arrival of the main attraction provided no doubt that this was a performance rather than a gig. Drummer Butch appeared in a nun's habit, as did the saxophonist; the flautist was wearing an inexplicable giant golden swimming cap. The band started with an orchestral medley of their bigger hits; a taster of things to come, which already was beyond the musical capabilities of most acts. When singer Mark "E" Everett finally showed up, dressed in pyjamas and hugging his accompanying guard, the band became an improvisational, raucous delight. Each song was transformed, particularly those from the band's 1996 guitar-bass-drums first album, Beautiful Freak. It was as if each musician was acting up and trying to upstage the others, but not enough to upstage the songs, which came across brilliantly. Disappointingly, E's vocals were the only let-down of the evening, although this was not entirely his fault. Because the music, great though it was, was so loud, one had to strain to hear what he was singing. A tiny adjustment to the sound levels would have seen this right, but it remained unchecked for the entire evening. I knew the songs, but someone less familiar with the band would have been at a loss. Similarly, during Susan's House he spoke through a telephone that distorted his voice to such an extent as to make it unintelligible. Occasionally, he would get so caught up in the music that his words would run ahead of the rhythm, which marred slower songs like Beautiful Freak's "My Beloved Monster". That said, his performance was still brilliant, and the band returned to the stage for two encores, taking in another three songs each, and increasing the band's performance time to almost two hours. They didn't play "Last Stop: This Town", the song I was holding out for, despite including it in the medley. Strangely, they also didn't play their latest single "Mr E's Beautiful Blues". There is, however, always the hope that they will next time. I'll be there. Ben Werdmuller, 18/07/00 |