Review: The Flaming Lips perform The Soft Bulletin at Hamer Hall, Melbourne, October 3rd, 2019
The last time that The Flaming Lips visited Australia was back in 2016; almost a full year before the release of their 14th studio album, Oczy Mlody.
While fans hoping to hear cuts from a new record were somewhat disappointed, many looked forward to the group’s return, sure they would hear some new favourites when they found their way back to Aussie shores.
While two new albums have been issued since their last trek down under, earlier this year saw the iconic rockers announce they would indeed be coming back to Australia in 2019, this time to perform their classic record The Soft Bulletin in full.
Originally released in 1999, the album came two years after the disastrous (and divisive) experiment that was Zaireeka, and heralded a new era of growth and sonic ability for the band.
Copping an extremely rare perfect 10 from Pitchfork, The Soft Bulletin has been considered to be on the same level as classic albums like Pet Sounds – a title which frontman Wayne Coyne himself finds hard to believe.
With The Flaming Lips having kicked off their latest Aussie visit earlier this week with a trip to Brisbane, Victorian fans lapped up their chance to witness the legendary outfit on Thursday night, when the band took to the stage for a two-night residency at Melbourne’s Hamer Hall for the Melbourne International Arts Festival.
Check out The Flaming Lips’ ‘Race For The Prize’:
To anyone who has seen The Flaming Lips before, the grandiose nature of the band undoubtedly precedes them. For newcomers, seeing them play live is an experience that can never again be replicated in quite the same way.
While fans always knew that these shows from the band were going to be something special, when the lights came down on Thursday night and the troupe of kooks from Oklahoma City graced the stage, it became clear that all hell was about to break loose.
After kicking things off by matching the projection of celestial bodies by performing Richard Strauss’ ‘Also Sprach Zarathustra, Op. 30’, The Flaming Lips dove headfirst into their celebration of The Soft Bulletin as the opening drum beats of ‘Race For The Prize’ served as a warning bell for the chaos to come.
Within seconds, confetti was blown into the arena from cannons, while an influx of balloons made us feel as though we were living in a gumball machine. Explosions of colour followed on the giant backing screens as the song’s iconic melody rang out, while Wayne Coyne moved around the stage like a man possessed.
Clearly enjoying things as much as the fans were, cheers of local pride soon rose up as Coyne brought a blow-up balloon that read “Fuck Yeah Melbourne” onto the stage.
Already, it was clear to everyone that this performance was bordering on pure euphoria, with smiles plastered upon the faces of everyone in attendance as they cheerfully belted out the lyrics from this album opener.
Considering that The Soft Bulletin boasted only two singles, you could easily have been forgiven for thinking that after fans spent their energy with ‘Race For The Prize’, we’d be facing something of a lull in energy for most of the performance.
However, such is the power of The Flaming Lips and their 1999 record that barely a moment went by in which fans were left silent, with Coyne reminding us during ‘Waitin’ For A Superman’ (the other single) that the appropriate way to express our love for the group is not with silent reverence, but rather with an outburst of noise.
Indeed though, the outfit proved that even an album not full of commercial hits is still the basis for a mind-blowing show, with each and every sound, motion, projection, and light feeling as though it was carefully crafted to be as psychedelic as possible, while managing to accompany and contextualise the brilliant music that the group was delivering.
Performances of fan favourites such as ‘The Spiderbite Song’ and ‘Buggin” undoubtedly served as highlights for many, while the performances of the record’s songs ranged from either deafeningly loud and/or blinding, to subdued and emotional, with Coyne and Steven Drozd tackling ‘Waitin’ For A Superman’ as a powerfully-adept duo.
Check out ‘Waitin’ For A Superman’:
Of course, with the formalities of The Soft Bulletin out of the way, The Flaming Lips were now free to return to the stage, squeezing the remaining minutes out of their 110-minute set, and dipping into cuts from the record that followed chronologically, Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots.
As an inflatable pink robot was brought onto the stage for the record’s title track, a fast-paced version of the tune was aborted so that Wayne Coyne could provide us with information on the finer points of karate noises, before embarking on a slower (yet no less powerful) rendition of the classic.
Soon, the emotions were raised once again, with The Flaming Lips paying tribute to the recently-departed Daniel Johnston with a gorgeous performance of ‘True Love Will Find You In The End’.
Following a brief discussion of Johnston’s life and music that almost bought some fans to tears, the delicate eloquence of the late musician’s work was brought to life by little more than Coyne and the band’s keyboard section.
After dishing out ‘All We Have Is Now’, the evening came to a close with a luscious performance of the one-time Official Rock Song for their home state of Oklahoma, ‘Do You Realize??’.
Accompanied by an inflatable rainbow, the track’s existential nature became a point of celebration, with confetti and joyful singalongs helping to close out one of the most amazing and colourful performances that anyone will find anywhere.
Check out ”Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots, Pt. 1”:
While it’s easy to label The Flaming Lips as one of those bands who have to be seen to be believed, the truth is that their live performances are impossible to truly appreciate until you’ve been amongst the action, getting showered in confetti as Wayne Coyne’s vocals fill the air.
In fact, while their reputation as stunning live musicians is undoubtedly well-established, nothing can compare to what a show from the band makes you feel. Nowhere else can a simple melody make you feel at one with hundreds of other people, while a psychedelic showcase of colour and sensory delights dance around you.
It’s this feeling of euphoria that follows when The Flaming Lips perform live. Add a performance of their most-revered album into the mix as well, and you’ve got one show that should not just be recommended to any music-lover, but one whose attendance should be mandatory for anyone with even a passing interest in music.
Check out ‘Do You Realize??’ by The Flaming Lips:
The Flaming Lips @ Hamer Hall, Melbourne 3/10/19 Setlist
‘Also Sprach Zarathustra, Op. 30’ (Richard Strauss cover)
The Soft Bulletin:
‘Race For The Prize’
‘A Spoonful Weighs A Ton’
‘The Spark That Bled’
‘The Spiderbite Song’
‘Buggin”
‘What Is The Light?’
‘The Observer’
‘Waitin’ For A Superman’
‘Suddenly Everything Has Changed’
‘The Gash’
‘Feeling Yourself Disintegrate’
‘Sleeping On The Roof’
Encore:
‘Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots, Pt. 1’
‘True Love Will Find You In The End’ (Daniel Johnston cover)
‘All We Have Is Now’
‘Do You Realize??’
The Flaming Lips The Soft Bulletin 20th anniversary tour
Remaining Date
Friday, October 4th
Hamer Hall, Melbourne, VIC
Tickets: Melbourne International Arts Festival
