The Eels - Friday 29th March - O2 Academy

Mark ‘E’ Everett is one of the funniest front-men in rock.  The wizened singer/songwriter joins the latest incarnation of one time Brit Award winners The Eels to the stage, adorned in a band uniform of black Adidas tracksuits, flat caps and aviator shades for a set that’s certainly high on entertainment although frustratingly assembled. 

It’s a rather static sell-out audience at the O2 as they tour their 10^th studio album ‘Wonderful Glorious.’  With a four-pronged guitar assault and all-action drummer Knuckles set up in an unusual front left position things look ominous for those expecting E’s moving cathartic cocktail of death and loss.  Live, the Eels have often irked die-hard followers with their tendency to ‘beef up’ their back catalogue, sometimes bypassing the well-loved mid-paced songs inspired from the tragic deaths of E’s parents and sister for a weighty slab of stodgy rock.  That aside the current tour is every bit as bonkers as the last one which spawned the epic desire, loss and redemption album trilogy and saw E dressed in a white jumpsuit giving out ice-creams to the front row.

The jutting mangled opening guitar from Honest Al compliments the familiar husky vocals well on ‘Bombs Away’, a solid start to an underwhelming/sluggish early trio of new material.  A well-received cover of Fleetwood Mac blues classic ‘Oh Well’ revives the crowd, the ending of which sees chaotic guitar contests met with some fervent audience head bopping.  ‘Tremendous Dynamite’ is a joyous two dimensional scuzzfest that sees the charismatic E at his throat-scratching best.  Into the middle of the set and there’s more bro-hugging and genuinely funny banter orchestrated by the razor-witted hairy ringmaster.  ‘New Alphabet’ has a Beck style funk that seamlessly fits the biographical update, E revelling in his new positive outlook on life “You know what? I’m in a good mood today, well I’m so happy it’s not yesterday, man it was brutal, but it’s all in the past, it’s good to know that it don’t have to last.”  Glad to hear it.

There’s a rather bizarre/hilarious (you decide) renewal of rock vows between E and legendary picker Chet Atkins’ talented grandson (The Chet), the acting certainly less hammy than certain BBC dramas of late as Knuckles parodies ‘Wind Beneath My Wings’.  The superbly executed mash-up of ‘My Beloved Monster’ and ‘Mr E’s Beautiful Blues’ is a definite highlight.  Flicking effortlessly between each track to ‘fool the curfew’ the crowd is well rewarded for enduring a night of mostly new material and a distinct lack of ‘hits’.  Into the second encore and the sumptuously moody ‘Fresh Blood’ has E werewolf howling to seemingly end proceedings as the house lights go up.  The band though has other ideas as they kick of a third encore and a rather dull ‘Dog Faced Boy’ is counter-balanced by some enjoyable jamming for the dedicated remnants.  Live at least the Eels are becoming a formidable rock band; to those who persevere with their studio journey though there really is so much more to them than that.

Kindly published by Venue:
http://www.venue.co.uk/music-live-reviews-e/20424-eels

Best Track: Click on link below
Eels - Prizefighter

Setlist:

1.  Bombs Away
2.  Kinda Fuzzy
3.  Open My Present
4.  Oh Well (Fleetwood Mac cover)
5.  Tremendous Dynamite
6.  In My Dreams
7.  On the Ropes
8.  Peach Blossom
9.  Prizefighter
10. The Turnaround
11. New Alphabet
12. Fresh Feeling
13. The Sound of Fear (Introducing the band/Renewing E's Rock Vows)
14. Wind Beneath My Wings (Bette Midler cover)
15. Go Knuckles!
16. Itchycoo Park (Small Faces cover)
17. Souljacker, Part I
18. Wonderful, Glorious

Encore:
19. I'm Your Brave Little Soldier
20. My Beloved Monster / Mr. E's Beautiful Blues

Encore 2:
21. Fresh Blood

Encore 3:
22. Dog Faced Boy
23. Go EELS! (Go Knuckles Reprise)