A
bearded man dressed in white stands centre stage flanked by a menagerie
of furry creatures: dolphins and deer, eagles and pandas, tigers and
kangaroos.
"As
the night progressed, Coyne's
exploits became
increasingly comical:
a glove puppet led one sing-along, while later he smeared fake
blood on his forehead..." |
No, not
Knockwood Primary's adaptation of Noah's Ark, but Flaming LipsÂ’
frontman Wayne Coyne, and somewhere among the menagerie of inflatable
sunshines, giraffes and chickens is the rest of this Oklahoma three-piece.
If
the appearance of the bizarre cast of creatures doesn't surprise
you then the second song of the evening might.
It's a cover of The White Stripes' 'Seven Nation Army' - sung through
a loudspeaker while rabbits point searchlights into the watching
crowd.
A
few songs in and the set was brought to a halt with the first of
numerous monologues from Coyne.
jarring contrast
Rant
number one covered the 'buffoons' in power and here Coyne clearly
had the support of the crowd.
Then
he dropped in the crass: "People are dying in Iraq every day.
At the moment it's American boys, but soon it could be you English..."
and the cheers lessened perceptively.
This
wasn't the only jarring contrast in the show: the images on the
video screen behind the band were carefully juxtaposed to shock
and manipulate the audience: at one point a handcuffed Chinese boy
being shot by soldiers was intercut with three jumping women in
swimsuits.
 As
the night progressed, Coyne's exploits became
increasingly comical: a glove puppet in the shape of a nun led a
sing-along to 'Yoshimi Fights the Pink Robots pt 1', while later
in 'The Spark That Bled', Coyne smeared fake blood on his forehead.
strangely
poignant
The
songs still broke your heart and the glorious
spectacle onstage only added to the party. But the evening was continually
marred by Coyne stopping to turn the houselights up and witter on...and
on.
The
closing number, a cover of Bing Crosby's 'White Christmas' (again
sung through a megaphone along with fake snow and swaying furry
animals), made a strangely poignant ending to a night which had
included some moments of undoubted brilliance.
But
as we drifted out I felt a little cheated. It was a shame. When
your songs speak so eloquently, it's probably wise to let them do
the talking.
|
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