Gig Review: Eels at Rock City

This gig was originally scheduled for 2020 to support the release of the thirteenth album by Eels, Earth to Dora. Following multiple delays due to the global Covid pandemic, it finally takes place nearly two and a half years later. It’s still been a busy couple of years for the band though; they released another album, Extreme Witchcraft, and lead singer Mark Oliver Everett made a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it cameo in Antman and the Wasp: Quantumania. 

Now, the man they call E is back to the day job. But first up is The Inspector Cluzo. The support band lack the clumsiness of their movie namesake but they more than make up for it with riffs big enough to fill Rock City. The world needs more band like this - the all-action rock ‘n’ roll two-piece make a lot of noise, have a song about Iggy Pop’s dick, and feature a drummer who’s happy to crowd surf in his black tie and waistcoat.

Coming on to a shonky cover of Thus Spoke Zarathustra, the theme-tune to 2001: A Space Odyssey, Eels take to the stage wearing dinner jackets - looking like the most unlikely lounge band ever - as they launch into recent singles Steam Engine and Amateur Hour.  

With every Eels tour, it’s always fun to see what new covers the band is going to roll out. Last tour it was The Who and Prince. This year, we’re treated to Me and the Boys by NRBQ and Whatcha Gonna Do About it by The Small Faces. Including those covers, the first half-dozen songs are all live debuts for the band. 

E refers to that as he points out weird it is to be back in front of an actual audience, claiming “we just sat at home and aged” during lockdown. He even claims that the band doctor has given them all fitness trackers to wear - a skit that plays out over the course of the gig as each band member hits their fitness goals. 

Older songs 3 Speed, Jeanie’s Diary, and Peach Blossoms are thrown out, but it’s I Need Some Sleep that elicits the first mass singalong rather than the deeper cuts. 

E wants to play All the Beautiful Things (apparently Miley Cyrus’ favourite Eels song), but guitarist The Chet said “not in Nottingham” before the gig. Cue pantomime boos. As they begin to play it anyway, there’s a cheer in the audience, which leads to E admonishing the crowd, “you don’t know what this is, it sounds like twelve of our songs!”

Little Joe is the first member of the band to hit his fitness goal. “It’s always the drummers first.” Meanwhile, offstage, there’s a mix of confusion and knowing smiles when My Beloved Monster is mashed up with You Really Got Me by The Kinks.

There’s a funny bit where Little Joe pretends to FaceTime with his daughter before the band take his phone off him and perform Drummer Man down the line. Then the big hits and fan favourites are brought out - Novocaine for the Soul still gets a massive reaction some 27 years after its release, and everyone joins in during I Like Birds. 

The show ends with Baby Let’s Make it Real before E thanks the audience for “the perfect opening night.” A few minutes chanting and clapping soon sees the band back on the stage where they kick off the encore with Friendly Ghost. It’s the first time the band has played the song in a long time and E fluffs a few lines - the only really obvious mistakes in the whole show, which is impressive considering how long it’s been since they last played live. A triumphant Last Stop: This Town closes the show for a second time. 

And then it’s off into the night for Eels. Well, it would be, but the audience haven’t had enough yet! Upon returning to the stage E demands to know, “don’t you people have jobs tomorrow morning?” A huge cheer shows that people would rather crawl into work tired on Monday morning rather than have the show end. 

A heartfelt Earth to Dora, an imperious Wonderful, Glorious, and a valedictory cover of God Gave Rock ‘n’ Roll to You by Argent close the second encore. With that, the floor lights come up on an incredible show and all that’s left is for the crowd to join the merch queue before heading off into the night. In an uncertain world, it’s good to know that Eels are out there making amazing, honest, beautiful music. 

rock-city.co.uk