Flaming Lips + Stardeath and White Dwarfs @ The Academy, Birmingham – 17th November 20009

Mentions of ticker-tape, dancing animals, balloons, and more aside had set my imagination whirring before seeing The Flaming Lips. Their gigs have been described as transcendental celebrations of life rather than run-of-the-mill rock concerts, so I had high hopes my mind would be at least partially blown at some point at the O2 Academy in Birmingham.

Before the madness could ensue, the many early-comers were treated to support from Oklahoma progsters Stardeath and White Dwarfs, led by Dennis Coyne, nephew of The Flaming Lips’ Wayne. Stardeath kicked off with a crowd-pleasing Black Sabbath cover, after which they settled into their own brand of space-rock, obviously influenced to some degree by uncle Wayne.

Having sat through a lot of lacklustre support acts in the past, Stardeath really caught my attention. They veer from loud, cataclysmic rock to ethereal soundscapes, belying their years in terms of cohesion and invention. One track in particular began with a hypnotic bass and drum battle, culminating in an epic, strobe-fuelled finale.

And when I say strobe-fuelled, I mean it. Many in the audience had to shield their eyes in fear of permanent damage to their retinas. When the strobes weren’t on the offensive, a thick pall of smoke made seeing the band almost impossible. Other than being deprived of some key senses, I enjoyed their set.

Despite the agonisingly long wait, the anticipation for my first live ‘Lips experience was as palpable as anyone’s in the sweaty, sardine-packed room. This was shoved up another notch after lead-singer/mad professor Wayne informed the crowd, by way of an important safety announcement, that he’d be taking a trip over them in his space orb.

To the uninitiated, the space orb is a big inflatable hamster ball that Wayne gets inside to crawl over the outreached hands of the audience. Crowd-zorbing I suppose you’d call it. Suffice to say, it was one of the craziest things I’ve seen at a gig, and possibly anywhere, ever. Actually, did I mention the band had just emerged from a glowing space vagina before the orb stunt?

Getting to the gig-proper, The Flaming Lips kicked off with joyous anthem Race for the Prize, filling the room with masses of balloons, punctuated with explosions of ticker tape and flanked by dancing yetis. Wayne’s face was projected onto the big semi-circular screen at the back as he sang, giving him the impression of the baby-faced Sun from the Teletubbies. All this created a hyperactive party atmosphere, one which surely could not be sustained throughout.

Unfortunately that was the case. After a few classics including a slow, teasing rendition of Fight Test and more fun with giant balloons, the ‘Lips moved onto some newer, bleaker, more raucous material from their latest album Embryonic, which although I very much like, had a deflationary affect on the atmosphere in the room. Long, indulgent prog has its place, but after a few hours on my feet in the oven-like conditions, I, and several people around me, felt the gig was turning into something of an endurance test.

Wayne’s rambling, optimistic speeches between songs suffered the same fate. His belief in joy is admirable and infectious, but his awareness of audience patience and stamina is perhaps a little misguided.

All was not lost however, as soon the more well-known and upbeat tunes returned. The Floyd-esque Pompeii-am-Gotterdammerung and the rollicking, bass-driven rally against America’s wars The W.A.N.D brought the energy and excitement back to the set.

Finishing with Do You Realize???, The Flaming Lips came full circle back to the streamer-strewn party vibe, ending the night on a high with a wave of their patented optimism and papering over some of the sensory overload of the middle-section of the set. All I can say to round up is: A hamster ball, on top of the crowd, after emerging from a glowing lady’s nether-regions… now that’s an entrance.

review – Ian Ravenscroft
Photos – Katja Ogrin

About Author