The Flaming Lips - Apollo, Manchester (29/4/23)

I first heard of The Flaming Lips back in 1990. I read a review in Metal Hammer magazine of their new album 'In A Priest Driven Ambulance'. I didn't check the record out at the time (and I never have) as it sounded too weird for me. However, the name of the band and the record stuck in my memory. As a side note, it amazes me how different metal magazines were in the 80s and early 90s, covering acts which they wouldn't touch now such as The Flaming Lips, Prince, Peter Gabriel and Tori Amos.

I didn't actually hear them until some time later. When they released 'The Soft Bulletin' in 1999, the music press went just crazy for it and it was crowned album of the year by many magazines. I always buy the end of year music magazines for the end of year lists to see what I've missed and what is worth listening to. After all the adulation it was getting, I knew that I had to buy it. As soon as I heard the opening track 'Race For The Prize', I knew that I made the right choice. It is an utterly glorious piece of uplifting orchestral psych pop. It is truly life affirming and is one of my favourite tracks of all time. The rest of the album wasn't as immediate and took time to grow on me but it is certainly a masterpiece.

Tonights show sees the band playing the follow up 'Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots' in full. This is an album which I didn't own for a number of years. I bought it at the time but rather than keeping it, I gave it as a gift to my girlfriend at the time. It was an album that I only really listened to at Jayne's and I still associate the album with her.

The Flaming Lips definitely seem more high tech than the last time I saw them. The usual confetti cannons, balloons and zorb balls are present but this time are accompanied by a huge LED screen and four giant inflatable pink robots.  Encased in his zorb bubble, Wayne Coyne's vocals seem weak during the opener 'Fight Test' although they do improve greatly for the excellent and emotional psych ballad 'One More Robot/Sympathy 3000-21'. 'Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots Pt 1' is an obvious early highlight. The robots periodically inflate and deflate, meaning that the stage is rather cluttered so the band just stick to set positions without moving. 'Ego Tripping At The Gates Of Hell's lush melodies are hugely affecting, as is the whole album. I'd forgotten how emotional the 'Yoshimi' album is. 'Do You Realize??' sees Wayne singing beneath a giant inflatable rainbow and the technicolor, life affirming psych pop balladry is glorious. 'All We Have Is Now' is crushingly sad yet uplifting at the same time.

The band return to the stage after a short break for an additional set, and kick off with the stupid yet fun 'She Don't Use Jelly' whilst a number of giant balloons bounce around the audience. The excellent 'How??' sees Coyne wearing a Wonder Woman cloak. 'Assassins Of Youth' has a pounding beat, although I'm not sure they need two drummers and it never quite sounds like two anyway. Madonna's 'Borderline' is transformed into 60s psychedelia with a slight garage edge, although everything sounds uniquely Flaming Lips. The final three numbers of the encore sees them mining 'The Soft Bulletin'. 'Feeling Yourself Disintegrate' is heartbreaking, yet the lush symphonic pop manages to make it strangely uplifting. Seeing all the lyrics on the LED screen makes me appreciate what a great lyricist Wayne Coyne is. The beauty and tone of the words does make me feel a little sad throughout though. The woozy psych pop of 'A Spoonful Weighs A Ton' is incredible whilst 'Race For The Prize' is so good it makes me weep. Wayne even pulls out a giant balloon which reads Fuck Yeah Manchester which is cool. It feel like more than a concert though. It is a poignant, profound experience which stayed with me for days afterwards and I still can't shake.

The Flaming Lips ****