c o m i n g y o u r w a y

August 00

EELS Tuesday 18th Oxford Apollo There are some good misery-bound American songwriters. There are some great ones too. And then there’s E, main man with Eels, who is pretty much in a league of his own, at least over the last few years. From the surprise international success of ‘Beautiful Freak’, through the painfully scarred ‘Electric Shock Blues’, to this year’s masterpiece, ‘Daisies of the Galaxy’, Eels have kept the quality meter running at maximum while exploring the sadder things in life. Not that it’s all self-pity and gloom in E’s world. Like Smog’s Bill Callaghan, E has a gentle, self-deprecating sense of humour which means that all but the most personally painful journeys into sound are journeys of gentle wonder. Eels are perhaps what Nirvana might have become had Kurt lived long enough to cope with his inner demons and discover country music and string quartets. There’s some funny stuff going on in Eels’ worldview. They don’t want people dancing at their gigs (hence tonight’s choice of venue) but they don’t mind larking about onstage or deliberately fucking up every TV opportunity with bouts of pure silliness and toy instruments. Even better, E, a man with a phobia of crowds, has to face sold-out gigs almost every night. But what’s most important is that Eels are a fantastic pop group, pure and simple. If you haven’t bought a copy of ‘Daisies…’ yet then get down to HMV pronto and discover this strange, beautiful land for yourself. Or, better still, get yourself a ticket for this gig. Should be the best funeral party you ever attended.