The Flaming Lips bring their 'Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots' show to Manchester for the second time in just over two years. I'm not really complaining though as it is a great album.
The stage is a cluttered mess before the show starts but as the band take to the stage the piles of pink plastic are inflated and transformed into 'Yoshimi's titular pink robots. 'Fight Test's psych pop take on Cat Stevens' 'Father And Son' is an excellent start. 'One More Robot/Sympathy 3000-21' has much more of a driving beat than the studio version yet manages to retain its heart. 'Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots, Pt. 1' is absolutely glorious. 'Yoshimi, Pt. 2' is pretty chaotic, with giant balloons and streamers joining the robots and lasers. 'Yoshimi' is such a profound album and 'In The Morning Of The Magicians' is the first time tonight that I'm really moved, with the 'What is love and what is hate? And why does it matter?' refrain really touching a chord with me. The weird carnival psych of 'Are You A Hypnotist??' is elevated by an incredible chorus. 'Do You Realize??' is an emotional tour de force. It is uplifting yet devastating, and makes you grateful for what and who you have in your life but still makes you question your place in the universe. This is followed by the equally emotional 'All We Have Is Now'. The triumphant fanfare of 'Approaching Pavonis Mons By Balloon (Utopia Planitia)' closes the album set.
The band take a short break while the crew clear up the stage. To be honest, I need a break too after something so emotionally intense. The dumb as rocks 'She Don't Use Jelly' opens the second half of the show in a real fun way. Of course, it is 'The Soft Bulletin' material I really want to hear and 'The Spark That Bled' is fantastic. 'Pompeii Am Götterdämmerung' is thrilling and sounds absolutely massive. The climax with frontman Wayne Coyne swinging a light around his head in otherwise darkness is very atmospheric. A country tinged 'Waiting For Superman' is terrific. 'The Golden Path' is essentially a dancefloor heavy, sunny psych take on 'Where The Streets Have No Name' which sees the band joined by a crew member wearing the shittest sun costume you've ever seen. Giant aliens also join the party and it's just stoopid fun, like Flaming Lips have always been. Deep cut 'Riding To Work In The Year 2025 (Your Invisible Now)' is excellent, 'The Yeah Yeah Yeah Song (With All Your Power)' is powerful and energetic, and sadly, as relevant as ever, The staging for the song is ludicrous, with Wayne holding a giant pair of lips while two eyeballs dance behind him. A cover of Daniel Johnston's 'True Love Will Find You In The End' is incredibly moving and features some splendid slide guitar. The closing 'Race For The Prize' is euphoric. Their gigantic balloon says 'Fuck yeah, Manchester' and I couldn't agree more. They have the amazing ability to make you feel so happy yet so sad at the same time. Awesome.
The Flaming Lips *****
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