Wayne Coyne, The Flaming Lips (Photo: Gary Mather for Live4ever Media)
Only minutes until The Flaming Lips come on stage, and the tension is becoming palpable.
De Niro and Walken in Deer Hunter tense. And for much the same reason. Seeing The Flaming Lips live is turning into the musical equivalent of Russian roulette. Every band has a poor night, and The Flaming Lips surely are no different? If anything they are long overdue. Yet they just keep turning up, plugging in and blowing minds.
So will tonight be the night that the wheels finally come off?
Not at all. Thankfully the live juggernaut keeps on going. Panic over, bullet dodged, good luck to to the rest of you. As is almost becoming expected, they are pretty much faultless. It is a show with everything: charisma, passion, warmth, excitement, effects, a motley and very assorted cast of characters, excessive volume, nudity and, most importantly, amazing music.
The performance is on a grand and colourful scale, it’s as if Manchester has thrown an opening ceremony for the summer. The Flaming Lips seem to have captured a rainbow in a box. Regardless of what it’s like outside, it is only ever the brightest summers day at their shows.
False modesty and claims of 20 years since the last time they played opener ‘The Abandoned Hospital Ship‘ are hard to take seriously considering its epic beauty. It sets the tone for the entire night, and somehow the band manage to sustain this, which is more difficult and impressive than they make it look.
Frontman Wayne Coyne is leading the charge from the front, dressed like a sparkling metallic Roger Daltrey meets ‘Aladdin Sane’ era David Bowie, and with hands full of tinsel trying vigorously to create a swirling vortex of shimmering silver. He’s quite simply irresistible throughout.
The Flaming Lips live at Manchester Apollo, May 2014 (Photo: Gary Mather for Live4ever Media)
Colours and spectacle seem as important as the music. They love to surprise, while equally fulfilling everyone’s expectations of their live shows. It just gets bigger and bigger, you wonder where it will eventually stop. But not for too long, as out comes the next surprise, or moment of awe.
It is a huge effervescent volcano of joy and wonder. Fifteen foot inflatable creatures and huge psychedelic graphics, lasers and wardrobe changes. It’s a feast for the eyes, and an epileptic’s worst nightmare – who knew they were one and the same thing?
Yet always central to all the beauty, pageant and slight of hand, is the music. This never disappoints. It could be a greatest hits tour. They have been prolific over the years and have so many songs, that the omissions become more notable. Left out are more classic songs than many bands will ever record. Yet even with all the missing favourites you never feel short-changed, as every song is not only beautiful and a classic, but vital, regardless of their vintage. They even manage to find time to throw in The Beatles’ ‘Lucy In The Sky with Diamonds‘ and plead with the crowd to adore them with a cover of The Stone Roses’ ‘I Wanna Be Adored‘.
However, it is recent hit ‘Watching The Planet‘ that is the standout of the night – which considering they played such classics as ‘She Don’t Use Jelly‘, ‘Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots‘ (with the all important karate chops), ‘Do You Realize?‘ and even ‘Race For The Prize‘ – makes this an incredible feat. It is huge, managing to fill every cubic metre of air with pressure and intensity.
Watching the Flaming Lips live is the musical equivalent of onomatopoeia. The sound is literal, and direct. It feels warm, simple and familiar. The performance, like the sparkly jelly that dances on stage with them, is virtually intangible, yet beautiful and bright.
The tense moments have passed, and the audience can do nothing but adore them.