Who
The Flaming Lips
Support
Georgia
Where
London Brixton Academy
When
21st January 2017
Price
£36.50
Who with
Matt, Yanyan
Position
In the middle
Comments
I've only just realised it upon totting up the figures, but apparently this was the tenth time I'd seen The Flaming Lips live. They were playing London, followed by Manchester the next night before venturing off into Europe, so I had little choice but to go down to London or miss out. London was on a Saturday night so it was a superior choice to Manchester, and I floated the idea to Matt as a "well we don't have to go, but it would be good wouldn't it?" and was pleased he accepted. Amazingly I hadn't seen The Lips since 2011, but it really didn't feel that long, as their decline into releasing curio albums such as covering Dark Side Of The Moon and Sgt Pepper, and releasing the near-unlistenable The Terror, hadn't done much to maintain my interest. I'd have been much more interested to hear their take on The Stone Roses album, and although I gave The Terror a good few listens I just couldn't get into it. I presume it's intended as a soundscape rather than genuine tunes, as although it doesn't stand out as terrible there is nothing on the record that leapt out as a coherent song that stuck in my brain. I heard the older songs a few times but I mostly played the three new tunes - How??, Sunrise (Eyes Of The Young) and The Castle - that were available on YouTube, along with a few spins of their cover of Space Oddity. Just as with The Terror, none of the tunes really jumped out as being at the same level as their glory days, although all were entirely pleasant.

Despite not rushing desperately to book, Matt had no issue securing tickets, and the distraction of knowing I had a weekend in London slowed down my job search for the first three weeks of 2017, although I fear that the market would have remained as pathetically slow no matter how much effort I applied. As I didn't have the cash and would have had only a week to hear it, I didn't buy the new album in advance, and I didn't have the opportunity to hear it online either. I spent much of my time recording a long-postponed compilation album of the songs that first got me into each of my favourite acts, split by year and presented in chronological order, and my determination to finish this kept me busy. I was also watching Adam West's Batman intensely, hoping to finish it ahead of my trip to London also. I headed down to London on the Thursday night, one day ahead of the dystopian inauguration of Donald Trump, feeling some relief that I had this positive excursion to offset the horror. On the Friday I ventured to the Science Museum, annoyingly arriving one week before the unveiling of Tim Peake's Russian capsule. I was delighted to finally photograph the "complete" building to complement my extensive photography in the Natural History Museum on my last trip. I then ventured over to a Russian Cathedral by Hyde Park, being delighted to find the doors open and no-one stopping me visiting or taking photos. Even more wonderfully I popped into the National Gallery to discover they'd changed their policy and that we are now allowed to take photos, which was a glorious turnaround in a gallery I'd expected to be eternal photo Nazis. Could this be a sign that the tide is turning and arbitrary no photography policies are being lifted? Let's hope so!

For tea we went to a Vietnamese restaurant I'd had eyes on for a good while, enjoying a delicious meal that was far larger and more expensive than anything that Vietnam had to offer, although it was fairly authentic to be fair. After the meal we headed to the new Lego shop in Leicester Square, before an impromptu trip to the nearby M&M's store, which was a ludicrous place with four floors dedicated to the mediocre snack. The intense aroma of the sweets took away all temptation to eat any, but I was in wonder that so much commercialism could be built up around such a tiny product. It could be the defining example that future generations use to prove that capitalism can lead to frivolity gone mad! The Lego shop was also quite extraordinary, featuring a huge replica of Big Ben and an actual-sized Tube train, and it was well worth the visit! My night was disrupted by a Facebook comment from a Trump supporter, which was so knuckle-headed it was difficult to fathom how to respond. I was shocked to think I knew anyone who could think the man was anything other than profoundly terrible, although it was also a reminder that seemingly nice and intelligent people can support him too, and that having hopelessly misguided beliefs doesn't make you a bad person. In my view I'd be willing to forgive them if they're big enough to reject Trump and everything he stands for should he prove a quarter as bad as so many people fear, although I'd be delighted to be proved wrong and for him to somehow grow up and lead with wisdom. After seeing his conduct as President Elect and in his first week in office I really struggle to see just how he could prove us wrong, so my present hope is that he fails catastrophically, but in a way that doesn't drag the rest of the world down with him. The middle ground of him being like Bush and being better than feared but still quite bad may be more likely, but I suspect the best way for people to learn is for one side to be proved either gloriously correct or appallingly wrong, so the lines of politics can be redrawn accordingly and we stop being as polarised.

The next day was much more leisurely, featuring a walk across Blackheath and Greenwich Park - neither of which I'd explored before - on our way to the Meantime Brewery tour we'd been unable to do last time as it had suddenly sold out. It proved absolutely wonderful, as in fact we were just taken to a bar filled with vintage drink glasses and treated to six beer samples curated so that the tastes complemented each other wonderfully. The tour guide also sold himself as having the best life ever and not only regaled us with banter but joined in on the drinking. Hilariously the tour itself was only a few minutes at the end, but as we'd all been beered up no-one particularly minded seeing little of the brewery! Afterwards I insisted we head through the Greenwich Tunnel - which I hadn't been aware even existed - before also insisting on a diversion to Trafalgar Square to check out the Trump protest. Astonishingly despite being up to date with my social media I hadn't grasped that a protest was planned until the news started to report it as in progress, but I was keen to be a part of it and hoped that the crowd hadn't dispersed. The march had been billed as a women's march but it had been very peaceful and inclusive, allowing a great forum for people to express their frustrations in a positive way with a particular focus on women's issues. Sadly the bulk of the crowd had vanished, but a powerful display of anti-Trump signs had been left out, and a hardcore of protesters remained. If so many people had showed up for a protest that had somehow slipped my notice it was mind boggling to think how many could have attended if everyone had known about it in advance! It was an encouraging sign that I'm not alone in my frustrations, and I was proud to be part of it in a small way, although I did comment that we'd have to indulge in an apology protest if Trump turned out to not be as bad as we thought!

After this snippet of civil disobedience we walked to Victoria and headed to Brixton, and I was surprised by how run-down the area around the National Rail station remained, even if the surrounding community had apparently been improved. It was perhaps harsh to judge as it was already dark, but it was hugely disappointing to walk into Wetherspoons to enjoy Burns Night haggis to find that there wasn't a single spare table in the place! It was utterly rammed, and I just hadn't expected this, although as it was Saturday night perhaps I should have anticipated a bit of a rush. Instead we ventured to KFC, where I got my hands very greasy and enjoyed my first variety meal there for a good few years. I'd intended to boycott America and American products, but it's so difficult to know what does and doesn't result in cash going back to Trump's America, and I feel I'm doing my bit by not travelling over and ensuring no expensive purchases I make come from there. As the toilets in KFC were locked we headed to Brixton Academy, first downing a bottle of Coke to ensure I wouldn't need a drink during the gig. This seemingly worked perfectly, as I don't recall feeling thirsty or indeed any desperate urge for the loo, so I must have struck a decent balance! Upon approach I took a photo of the iconic green-lit dome of Brixton Academy, before noting that the queue snaked completely around the block. The board above the venue said that the concert in fact had sold out, and the night was not only intensely cold, but there was a 15-minute delay before the doors opened. Frustratingly it seemed that there was an effort to let O2 customers in first via a premium queue, and as this meant we were all forced to wait longer in the freezing cold I was not at all impressed. A few fans in costume were hanging around the backstage entrance, and after a search where I encountered no fuss we entered the venue, enjoying the Art Deco lobby.

The bar area also featured some information about all the historic gigs that had taken place in the venue since it had opened, originally in 1929 and as Brixton Academy in 1983. I had last visited the room almost ten years ago for Arcade Fire in March 2007, and I did recall the lovely slope that enabled the fans to enjoy the best views wherever they stood. Even at the very back you could see brilliantly, and it's hard to believe that the capacity of 5000 is almost double that of Wolverhampton Civic Hall. The hall must be brilliantly designed, and even standing near the front we could barely see the balcony above us. The sides of the stage featured some beautiful historic (or convincing fake) statues, along with arches and balconies that would fit in comfortably in ancient Rome, with a passageway linking the two sides directly above the impressive stage. The room was much more impressive than I recalled, although I suspect I may have confused it with Manchester Apollo, which I'll have to revisit too at some point. There were large mushrooms to either side of the stage, leading to my inevitable joke about there not being "mushroom" inside. After scoping out the room I suggested we settle on the second row behind a central set of railings, correctly predicting we'd enjoy both great views and relative calm. There were a couple of twats who didn't know that there was a railing and insisted on going under it rather than going round, but for the most part the fans were very well-behaved, much as you'd hope for from a Flaming Lips crowd. Some very cool dangling things were on stage throughout, seemingly to project light and to stop the large stage from appearing too cavernous. First up were support band Georgia, who consisted of two members, including a possibly Japanese girl on keyboards. Due to their unGoogleable name I find it hard to verify, as it seems they're not even the only band called Georgia!

The singer gently let it slip that her Dad was in Leftfield, who'd famously claimed to have "broke the ceiling", although how much damage they actually caused is up for debate. She contemplated if The Flaming Lips could do it tonight, and I must say that their set went down pretty well with the crowd. After coming from a women's march I was naturally more inclined to favour a female act, although I must confess that I struggle to recall any interesting details about their songs. It passed the time pleasantly enough, but didn't make an impact, and it's perhaps a shame that I hadn't gone to the effort of learning some of their tunes beforehand as I'd done for The Lottery Winners and Fuzzbox. The singer - who I understand is actually called Georgia - also played drums, with one high above her and another below. After Georgia left the stage things were set up for The Flaming Lips, with this duty having long since passed from the band to regular roadies. Steven appeared first to help out a bit and to take a photo of us on his phone, before Wayne showed up to tease us with his portable smoke machine, then leaving and rejoining the stage a few times to seemingly no purpose. I'd presumed he was setting himself up for the bubble stunt, so was surprised and disappointed that he didn't. Also the sight of Wayne and band emerging from a giant vagina was not part of the show, and as it turned out the band simply stepped up and launched into Race For The Prize. I shot a video of the intro and another of the ending, capturing a barrage of large balloons being released to accompany those smaller ones already distributed by the fans. The video screen made surging rainbow patterns and Wayne kept setting off his glitter cannon. For a normal group it would be an incredible start, but by The Flaming Lips high standard it was perhaps their weakest opener ever. And that's not to say it was bad, it was wonderful and passionately delivered, but it is to say that it didn't live up to the ludicrous levels set in the past.

Wayne looked wilder than ever with increasingly unkempt hair featuring a shock of white, which was so striking I wonder if it was dyed to make it look more dramatic? As usual he was wearing a suit, but I've never before noted flowers at the base of his mic. Steven and Michael certainly did nothing wrong, but they faded into the background more than ever, and who could blame them for wanting to be part of the show but shunning the limelight? Wayne hilariously reappeared with a sign made out of huge silver balloons reading "Fuck Yeah London", quickly tossing it into the crowd whereupon it was ripped apart by the fans as enthusiastically as if they were a hoard of rabid zombies! Some of the letters survived and were carried out triumphantly afterwards, and the band then launched into Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots Pt. 1. Wayne declared that we hadn't done the karate chop loudly enough though, so the song was restarted, which could have been frustrating but it was just a privilege to hear the fantastic intro a second time. Also the balloon situation remained ludicrous, as they were constantly floating around and very few of them were being popped. It took a good few songs before they seemingly vanished, either by chance or through a dedicated popping program, and some got caught in the rigging at the top of the stage. I thought I was taking some fantastic photos but the abundance of balloons ruined many of them, as they showed up as black rather than in their original bright colours. Perhaps this was vindication of my taking so many shots now I see how few have turned out well! A giant inflatable alien and a large thing that could have been an Egyptian mummy flanked the sides of the stage, and if there were any fans dancing tonight to the sides I missed them amid the chaos. Also the classic old inflatable sun from 2003 reappeared, looking battered with age and with his brother presumably no longer in existence. It was so hard to believe that their near-headline set at Glastonbury 2003 had been over 13 years before, and itself had come only four years into my liking of the Lips. They crammed so much quality into 1999-2003 that the period felt longer!

I shot a third video during Yoshimi, but very frustratingly I spotted that there were stains on my camera that showed up whenever I zoomed in on bright lights. Annoyingly these stains won't come out, which means yet another camera has been rendered useless by a tiny fault that should be fixable for £5ish, but which capitalism pressurises me to buy a replacement product for cheap instead and to hell with the waste! Normally a new or unknown song is a low point, but The Flaming Lips had the best possible plan for inverting that old rule. They launched into a tune from Oczy Mlody called There Should Be Unicorns, and at first I thought Steven was singing it and Wayne was absent. But a few glorious seconds in, the back of the stage opened up and Wayne emerged riding a huge white unicorn. Yes, a fucking unicorn! He'd also managed a quick costume change into a furry white hoodie, and the reins of the unicorn were glowing brightly as it was held steady by a couple of roadies. Was the song good? Who knows, I'd have to hear it again to make up my mind. But this moment was absolutely wonderful, and undoubtedly the high point of the night as it was The Flaming Lips experience taking advantage of an increased budget to drive the insanity to a whole new level. Although old stunts like the fake blood and the hand puppets will always be sorely missed, it was gratifying that in this moment the band had trumped their old glories by attained new and bolder heights. As well as singing, Wayne also set off some glitter cannons, and obviously I shot another video to capture this wonderful moment, not that this is something I can imagine forgetting in a hurry! Next up was Pompeii Am Götterdämmerung, which my previous reviews suggest I'd only heard live once in 2009, so that instance must have made quite an impression as it felt like the fifth time! The gong was wheeled out and the light show was dramatic and exciting, and it proved a welcome reintroduction to the set and novel use of the gong, even if you couldn't actually hear it being struck.

I'd feared that the night may focus heavily on new material which I didn't know so I was pleased by the balance, which if anything concentrated too much on the old while abandoning some of the greatest gimmicks of the past. A key example was the band launching into What Is The Light?, which was traditionally followed by The Observer. It was nice to hear again, but it's an unusual choice to retain when you consider the greater moments that have fallen by the wayside. However, it was still a good combination, and The Lips provided a new spin on the moment as a giant rainbow arch was revealed on the stage as it gradually inflated out of nowhere during The Observer. I shot a video of What Is The Light? right up to the moment where the watch alarm sound was recreated perfectly, which was nice. Wayne made an inspiring speech afterwards about the uncertainty over whether the arch would actually inflate, and the risk of the exciting moment going wrong as Japanese technology battles with UK plug sockets, before making us laugh by suggesting the scene was reminiscent of a car wash. Perhaps in America, but here that comparison made amusingly little sense! Wayne was surprisingly muted compared to old, perhaps feeling that the speeches between songs had started to overshadow the music and felt like preaching to the converted rather than making a difference. I missed the interludes, but at the same time was happy that our attention was drawn to the wonderful songs and that more material could be crammed in. At this point there were still millions of balloons flying around, but they did start to vanish soon after. Next up was How??, which is one of the new tunes I did know. It was okay, most distinguished by a great moment where Wayne approached the back of the stage to be met by a wall of feedback that instantly stopped when he stepped away. Pleasant enough, but I was yet to be convinced that the new material could come close to the old.

I was very disappointed by the absence of the inflatable bubble at the outset, so was absolutely delighted when Wayne vanished and reappeared inside it, and even more so when it was synced to a performance of Space Oddity! Wayne actually sang the song from inside the bubble on the stage, only briefly stepping into the audience but falling flat on his back as he came back onstage. He continued singing and fortunately didn't seem to have hurt himself, but the scaling back of the balloon moment was perhaps an indication that Wayne was concerned by the risk of injury from indulging in such a gloriously insane stunt. I can imagine him at 80 years of age being pressured to perform the stunt because it's "what the fans expect" while being pushed into the bubble with his zimmer frame, which is an amusing thought! Although to be fair I scarcely could have imagined The Lips would be continuing their fantastic live show with such energy after forming in 1983, and they may yet have many more years in them, but presumably enough creative acumen to know when the right time comes to stop. Wayne talked of how they'd been playing the song for the past year since Bowie's sad death, and how if it wasn't for this weird slim guy from England they may not have had the belief to form a band of their own. I shot a video of the crowd singing along and the spotlights beautifully illuminated the bubble, but otherwise the cover version was delivered fairly straight, albeit with a buildup of feedback before hitting the chorus. Next up was another new tune I was fully familiar with - The Castle - which was sung in front of a backdrop of what looked like the Disney castle as seen through the infra red eyes of a Predator. Wayne took off his white furry coat to reveal a striking black and green camouflage baggy top, making me wonder how he can perform so well in all those layers without getting terribly sweaty. Clearly it's not due to lack of energy, and perhaps the air conditioning in the venue was a help, as it was genuinely cold when we first got in, only reaching an acceptable temperature as the show started.

I didn't mind as hot and sweaty gigs are not at all pleasant, and I did actually say outside that it would be nice if the venue was cold so our thick coats wouldn't become a burden once inside, so it was a good surprise that a venue actually kept the heat down. Some fans had embraced the Newcastle solution of just wearing t-shirts, but as it was freezing outside and we'd also had a full day in the cold I wasn't ready to indulge in such madness. Few fans were in costume in fact, and most had sensibly wrapped up warm. Next up was Are You A Hypnotist??, and it took me a while to identify the song. I was quite sure I'd never heard it live before, and I do believe that is the case, so this was great to hear as I'd often felt that it was an obvious live number that would have been much more comfortable in the live set than the so-so In The Morning Of The Magicians had proved to be. Steven was on drums and playing in the most accomplished manner possible, and I shot a short video to capture the simple lighting and delights of a song that had been neglected for far too long. Next up two giant inflatable eyeballs appeared onstage for a rendition of The W.A.N.D., and although it repeated all the hallmarks that had been cribbed from Lightning Strikes The Postman such as the strobe light vest it felt better than ever, and I'm sure for fans who never got to appreciate Lightning Strikes The Postman live it has become almost as essential a part of The Flaming Lips set. I shot another video capturing the insanity of the strobes, and also recall a great moment when Wayne caught one of the balloons and made eye contact with the fan who'd thrown it, commented that he could see the look of absolute joy in his eyes and how gratifying that was.

The main set then drew to a close with A Spoonful Weighs A Ton, which I knew was coming as Wayne namechecked Georgia and the tale of Leftfield breaking the ceiling, before asking us to do the same while chanting "love!" to the next song. I reckon that the bass was more likely to cause the damage than our singing, but Brixton Academy remained standing regardless. The Teletubbies video that had been rekindled to glorious success in 2011 for The Soft Bulletin tour had sadly departed again, and this could have been because the video screen was not as sharp as in the days of old, focusing on lights and more abstract images rather than full videos. The lights were pleasant and the song was as monumental as ever, and it was lovely when "love" was flashed on the screen at the opportune moment and we were asked to chant. I shot a video of the verse and great sound quality before the bass cut in, featuring Wayne relishing the moment by punching the air with passion, but as great as it was I do miss the proper video. The band left the stage and re-emerged quite swiftly to launch into Do You Realize??, which perhaps is the best choice of closer but it should have been accompanied by another song or two, and it is undermined somewhat without the intro video of old and by how the band start it off slowly before delivering a shorter rendition of the tune in full flow. The original naughty video still featured on the screen though, and I shot a short video of my own of the faster chorus. What the song had lost in delivery though was perhaps negated by the passion of the crowd, who over the years have grown more enthusiastic about this song that they'd mustered when it was first played back around 2002. It was gratifying that people had cottoned on to the wonder of The Flaming Lips, but also sad that they hadn't attracted this much love when they were at the peak of their powers in the 1990s. Wayne had defied my prediction by not launching into long speeches about Trump and not re-appropriating the anti-Bush songs in protest, but he couldn't resist a brief comment at the end about love and unity and standing up for what's right, and it seemed from the look on Steven's face that Wayne had sworn to silence and couldn't quite manage it!

It did make me wonder why Wayne had ceased to be so outspoken. Perhaps he'd felt a futility in preaching to the converted or angering those who didn't agree with him, or maybe he felt things had now got so bad that ignoring them and focusing on love and unity was the best way forward? Who knows, I am learning that disagreeing with those who hold the most horribly misguided views can feel like a fool's errand and it is easier to just quietly disown them and hope that they come round to change their views in the light of new evidence, or that the quiet majority who don't speak out one way or another will consider both sides and vote with their conscience to end this madness at the next opportunity. The show had finished 10 minutes or so before the 11pm curfew, similar to how it had kicked off 10 or so minutes after the traditional 9am start, and What A Wonderful World was played as we made our way to the exits, sounding more poignant than ever and keeping a nice link to Lips shows of the past. My ears were whistling but getting back from Brixton was a straightforward journey, although I was rushed and denied the chance to buy a Coke amid unnecessary paranoia about not catching our train, which we were comfortably in time for despite the crowds. I stayed up late, posting images from the Trump protest which didn't attract as much attention as I'd hoped. More people not speaking out against him worries me and makes me wonder about the goodness of people I know, as sadly I feel a decision to remain silent is no longer conscionable, as silence implies appeasement or acceptance of this political nightmare. I only hope that my images were lost amid a vast sea of anti-Trump footage, and that anyone who is silent knows that this is horribly wrong. I've learned that challenging and pressuring people to speak out often results in the exposure of appalling attitudes or a perverseness that they take the opposite position just to be contrary and in outrage of being told that the pro Trump/Brexit side has ceased to be a morally justifiable viewpoint now it has nudged into majority and we start to see the nightmare of its reality. Being quiet and hoping things settle down may work, but it's hard to not lose some respect for people who aren't bold enough to take sides and speak out.

I also stayed up late writing a few notes, which I added to a week later to form this review, and found one lone piece of confetti in my coat which I've now filed amongst my other Flaming Lips confetti. The Lips had played nothing from The Terror, either indicating they've rejected the album as a failure or never saw it as a proper release in the first place. Also there had been no She Don't Use Jelly, which was tragic as I'd presumed it had only been dropped last time due to the focus on The Soft Bulletin. However, it did sometimes feel like the fans now knew and appreciated the later songs more than Jelly, and it was sometimes greeted with a cruelly muted reaction, so this may have gone the way of Postman and been dropped due to crowd ignorance as well as a forward-thinking focus. The lack of Embryonic material similarly suggested the band hadn't remained enthused by any of its tunes, and The Yeah Yeah Yeah Song and Free Radicals were sorely missed as their rallying cry against political nonsense would have been more powerful than ever. Sadly there'd been nothing played from before 1999, which was a shame as digging a true rarity out of the vault to kick off the encore, such as Brainville or dozens of other classics, would have meant the world for hardcore fans. Both Waitin' For A Superman and The Gash would have been far more appreciated than What Is The Light? and The Observer, and I fear that the continued ignoring of Talkin' 'Bout The Smiling Deathporn Immortality Blues (Everyone Wants To Live Forever) may itself last forever. As far as I can tell they last played it in 1996! The Flaming Lips could slay us all by really delving into their history with a tour entirely focused on pre-1999 material, before another tour reverting to newer songs, but bringing some of the classics I've mentioned back into the fold. The next day we ventured to Kew Gardens, which was impressive despite so much being closed, before I finally got to enjoy a Burns night haggis special in the evening. I'm giving this gig 9/10 as it certainly didn't strike me as The Flaming Lips disappointing us so a lower mark would be cruel, but I do hope they do even better in future, while remaining grateful that after so long they can still perform so wonderfully.
Setlist
Race For The Prize
Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots Pt. 1
There Should Be Unicorns
Pompeii Am Götterdämmerung
What Is The Light?
The Observer
How??
Space Oddity
The Castle
Are You A Hypnotist??
The W.A.N.D.
A Spoonful Weighs A Ton
Do You Realize??

Mark: 9.0/10