LIVE: The Flaming Lips
Intimacy is something that large venues invariably fail to provide for those attending gigs, and the Royal Albert Hall ought to be no exception. But despite the size of this vast arena, the cosy exuberance that comes with seeing the Flaming Lips made venue and band a match made in cosmic heaven.
If singer Wayne Coyne had wanted to reach out to his audience, then his distribution of large white balloons, torch-light beams, confetti and plumes of bright ribbon launched from a gun • all of which bobbed and danced throughout the night • should have been enough.
But before the Lips even burst into their fi rst track, the front-man had a good feel for the occasion when he jettisoned himself into the crowd in a giant bubble, fl oated over the standing contingent for a while, before returning to the stage accompanied by deafening cheers and then to smash out well-known and energetic hit, ‘Race for the Prize’. It was an opening of spectacularly epic proportions, and there was no lull at any point before the end.
Not even coming close to emulating the critical acclaim of previous album Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots, the Flaming Lips’ latest offering At War with the Mystics nevertheless boasts the electronic magic and musical mastery that has come to defi ne the Oklahoma trio. Free Radicals was the fi rst to be experimented, but it was current single The Yeah Yeah Yeah Song that received the most welcome reception.
Flanked by a dozen prancing people cloaked in Santa Claus outfi ts on one sideof the stage, and a similarly- sized group of fi gures wearing head-torches and blue polystyrene boiler-suits on the other, movement, eccentricity and colour were three things that may best sum up this awe-inspiring show.
They did not deliver what is arguably their most renowned song Flight Test, most likely due to the court case that saw Cat Stevens win a plagiarism battle over its writing, but the band still managed to round off a sensational gig in style. Final track Do You Realize?? heralded more confetti, balloons, dazzling strobes and an audience participation of wellpracticed standards.
The Flaming Lips have a youthful zest, a teenage kick and a dash of boisterousness which they make up for with their mature texture, soothing melody and, most notably, the apparent greying of Wayne Coyne and bassist Steven Drozd’s need to sit down for the whole performance. The Lips, just like the massive balloons which managed to make their way to the absolute rafters of the auditorium, where sat the thirty and forty-somethings, managed to reach out to everyone.
Catch them while you still can.
27th Apr 2006