E, possibly America’s most celebrated
depressive, almost didn’t make it here tonight, he got so worn down by the prospect
of touring that he made plans to stay still for a long while. But here he is,
because an emotional masochist can change one’s mind, up on the Royal Festival
Hall’s buffed, hallowed boards, full of pomp and ceremony, in a 3 piece suit,
leaning on a cane he doesn’t need, chain smoking and supping something from a
small glass tumbler. Reminding us quite a lot, in fact, of when we saw Stephen
Merritt (also lounging in the top 5 of America’s most celebrated depressives)
on the same stage many years ago with his Magnetic Fields. But is he really as
serious as all that now? Well he’s got strings in tow, a quartet of elegant
ladies in floaty dress, a double bass, and all the pianos he could need. It’s
certainly a stab at lending his troubled songs a deeper maturity, a universal
quality, a move away from the comfort-blanket gawkiness of the rock show he’s
left behind. And it does work, immediately. Songs like ‘Spunky’, made more ominous
and looming, ‘Flyswatter’, sounding like a woozy ghost dance in the orchestra
pit, and the now more dignified ‘Grace Kelly Blues’, are offered a new gravitas
by this treatment, drifting carefully with a higher brow of intent. “Here’s
one that goes way back to before most of you were born… 1996,” he quips, adding
“ask your mom and dad, it’s one of their favourites. And the Queen’s. Whatever.”
So of course he couldn’t stop himself reverting back to some of the larking,
even surrounded by such rehearsed grandeur. It is his comfort blanket, after all.
And of his further quirks, the magnificently jaunty and daft ‘Birds’ really gets
the rabble going (as much as they can in a venue where you have to politely wait
for applause before you can take your seat) and he couldn’t resist a break with
the convention of the night, cranking up the distortion for a lairy ‘Dog Faced
Boy’ – again, apparently at “her Majesty’s request”. But we probably shouldn’t
be surprised that he couldn’t extinguish the aspect of his character that he built
a reputation and career on, and it certainly results in us leaving the venue with
as stiff a grin as at previous Eels gigs. Though that he couldn’t find utter consistency
with this fresh presentation was a little disappointing in retrospect, especially
considering how well the suit fits. Relevant sites:
http://www.eelstheband.com/
James Berry for Crud Magazine 2004©
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|
| 04/05 British Sea Power - Live - Scala, London
04/05 Eels - Live - Royal Festival Hall, London
04/05 Doves, Elbow, Longview - Carling 24 , Manchester
04/05 Joy Zipper, ICA London
04/05 The National - 100 Club, London
04/05 Redjetson / Liberez / Twentysixfeet - Marquee, London
04/05 The Warlocks - Bethnal Green Working Men's Club
12/04 Clap Your Hands Say Yeah - ULU, London
12/04 Elbow - Live -Brixton Academy, London
12/04 Franz Ferdinand - Live - Alexandra Palace, London
12/04 Morning Runner - Kings College London
12/04 Carling Weekend Reading Festival 2005
12/04 Sigur Rós - Brixton Academy, London
12/04 Crud Top 20 Albums 2005 |  |
January 2001
July - August 2001
September - October 2001
November - December 2001
January - March 2002
April - July 2002
August - December 2002
January - March 2003
May - August 2003
November 2003
January - March 2004
April - September 2004
October - December 2004
January - March 2005
April - December 2005
January - August 2006
September - December 2006
January - September 2007
October - December 2007
January - May 2008
June-December 2008
| | |
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