Few artists have so successfully managed to make a career out of joy as the Flaming Lips. Their shows, always eccentric, now represent huge, multi-coloured carnivals of joy, soundtracked by some of the weirdest music ever to calmly edge its way into the mainstream. Even now, with Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots firmly assured of its classic status, it’s hard to fathom how such a heady brew of psychedelia, trip hop, pop, and acid rock found its way to the masses, and yet find its way it did. Released in 2002, the album, with its glorious artwork and oblique subject matter, somehow went on to sell well over 500,000 copies in the US alone and tonight, we have gathered in our masses to celebrate its anniversary – a little late perhaps, but then the Flaming Lips have rarely, if ever, been straight forward.
Wisely eschewing support for tonight’s show, the Flaming Lips have decided to grace us with two sets, the first being a straight run through of Yoshimi; the second, a collection of odds, sods, and hits. However, before the band take the stage, they decide to pay tribute to Birmingham’s favourite sons, with War Pigs blasting from the PA.
And… it’s the wrong version!
Having emerged to mass applause from an audience really not too fazed by it all, the band shuffle a little awkwardly before offering to start over, and the crowd get to sing along once again, something they do with gusto as Wayne cheers from the wings. This time, it’s the correct version and, from there, we’re into Fight Test as confetti streams from the stage and three giant, inflatable robots appear from nowhere, neatly replicating the album’s cover.
From there, we’re hooked. Those who have seen the Lips before know that Wayne is a generous host, hooked on applause and given to rambling monologues between songs. For those fortunate enough for this to be their first time, all they can do is look on, slack-jawed in wonder as the stage explodes with light. There’s so much to enjoy here. The evergreen pop of the title track, the jabbering electronica of its follow up (complete with returning robots), the sublimely somnolent In The Morning Of the Magicians – the evening races past and, throughout it all, Wayne lights up the stage with his captivating personality.
Elsewhere, there’s It’s Summertime, a psychedelic epic that warms the audience, and the heartfelt love of Do You Realize – prefaced by the audience sharing hugs and handshakes and sung back to the band at breathtaking volume. Finally, following a glorious All We Have Is Now (which provides the night with its unofficial theme), the first set concludes with the mesmerising Approaching Pavonis Mons by Balloon – a weird little coda to the album which finds the stage once more exploding with a thousand points of light as confetti drenches the crowd.
Who would have thought the first set could pass so fast? With the packed-out audience grinning from ear-to-ear, for a single, glorious hour, the worries of the world are banished by simple love shared between band and crowd, and Yoshimi rides high once more.
A short break allows a moment’s respite from the sweltering heat, with the only worry being a nagging doubt as to whether the Flaming Lips could possibly top that first hour.
We needn’t have been concerned…
It is oft-forgotten but the Flaming Lips, for all of their chaotic exploration of the sonic realm, have amassed more classic songs than may be immediately apparent and, while they may not exist on any chart-friendly compilations, they nevertheless are hardwired into the consciousness of anyone who has worshipped at the altar of alternative rock. The second set, drawing liberally from across the band’s sixteen album catalogue and, in particular, from ninth album The Soft Bulletin (from which we get four tracks), reminds us of this.
The second set starts with the impossibly wonderful She Don’t Use Jelly – a song without which no Flaming Lips set would be complete, before running through any number of amazing tracks. Flowers Of Neptune 6 finds Wayne dressed as… a flower, looking for all the world like a happified version of Peter Gabriel. Meanwhile, Waitin’ For A Superman sees him looking sharp in a Wonder Woman onesie as he looks to the skies with hope. Riding To Work In The Year 2025has gained new poignancy, with the band having survived to a year that was some three decades in the future when the track was written. If Wayne rambles a little longer than usual on this point, it’s hard to begrudge him a sense of wonder that his kooky band has somehow touched an audience in a manner of which most can only dream, despite having never compromised its artistic ideals.
There’s more to come. The audience practically explodes with delight when the Lips calmly pull their feted Chemical Brothers’ collaboration, The Golden Path, out of the bag (complete with bouncing sun and dancing aliens), while The Yeah Yeah Yeah Song provides yet another mass singalong moment. With time running short, the Lips simply remain on stage for a short encore – A Spoonful Weighs A Ton and, closing the night, Race For The Prize, which sees Wayne brandishing a massive inflatable bearing the words “fuck yeah Birmingham”. There’s so much innocence to the gesture, so much joy within it, and so much love emanating from it, that it’s impossibly endearing, and the band leave the stage to loud and enduring applause.
What a glorious, life-affirming evening. It is easy to become bogged down by burden of modern life and the seemingly endless negativity that proliferates through social media. Tonight provided the perfect antidote. A nod back to a more innocent time and a reminder that we’re not actually alone, even if it sometimes feels like we are, for three amazing hours we drifted in a unique world entirely of the Flaming Lips’ making, and now all we can do is think about returning.
