EELS + THE INSPECTOR CLUZO – THE ROUNDHOUSE, LONDON 27.3.23
Eels return to the UK for the first time in four years, this particular show (and presumably the whole tour) having been postponed due to the dreaded Covid. Sadly there is no Brighton date this time around (there hasn’t been since 2013’s Brighton Dome gig) and so we ‘play away’ and head off to the Roundhouse on Chalk Farm Road in London for the night.
Support comes from The Inspector Cluzo, a French rock duo consisting of Malcom Lacrouts on guitar and vocals, and Phil Jourdain on drums and backing vocals. When not out on tour or recording, these guys run a sustainable farm. They don’t have a bass player, as their bassist failed to turn up for rehearsal in 2007, so they sacked him and didn’t bother with a replacement.
They are essentially a classic rock version of the bands John or Frauds. The influence of AC/DC and ZZ Top shines through. They are really quite quirky, in a good way. Phil Jourdain has a very battered crash cymbal, with an intact cymbal directly underneath. As he plays, bits occasionally fly off the battered cymbal. What Health & Safety would say about this I really don’t know. This is essentially shrapnel isn’t it?
The entire setlist comes from current album ‘Horizon’, with the exception of ‘Put Your Hands Up’, which comes from their third album, ‘The 2 Musketeers’. As the set draws to a close, guitarist Malcom gradually dissembles the drum kit, with the bass drum ending up on its side being played like a tom-tom. They’re a lot of fun, but bear in mind that their quirkiness at no point detracts from their musicianship. They are a superb and very entertaining live band, and for this in particular they are ideal tour mates for Eels.
The Inspector Cluzo setlist:
1. ‘Act Local Think Global’
2. ‘Running A Family Farm Is More Rock Than Playing Rock’n’Roll Music’
3. ‘Horizon’
4. ‘The Outsider’
5. ‘The Armchair Activist’
6. ‘Rockophobia’
7. ‘Put Your Hands Up’
Ah yes, Eels. A band who are not easy to pin down or define, other than to say that they’re really bloody good, often hilarious live, and that their songs cover some very difficult subjects with some deliciously dark humour. Even their line-up is somewhat fluid, with some of the musicians who play on the recordings not necessarily playing live, and vice versa. The only real constant is E, or according to his passport Mark Oliver Everett. Tonight he is joined onstage by The Chet on guitar, Big Al on bass, and Little Joe on drums. What do you mean those aren’t their real names?!!! Those are what E says their names are, and what E says goes. He’s in charge here. Right???
Whatever they’re called, they’re superb musicians. On ‘Amateur Hour’ Big Al plays lead bass that’s on a par with the late great John Entwistle. When E isn’t playing guitar, instrumentally they are a classic three piece. Or as E says: “you can be old as f*ck, and rock like f*ck”. Considering their impressive back catalogue there’s a surprising number of covers. One thing that I’ve learnt about Eels over the years is that largely they play what they want to. So if E wants to play covers three songs into the set, he will. So we get in quick succession ‘Me And The Boys’ by NRBQ, and ‘Whatcha Gonna Do About It’ by The Small Faces, which is followed by ‘Anything For Boo’ from ‘Earth To Dora’ (2020).
This is the second night of Eels’ UK tour, and E tells us that none of the first six songs have ever been played live before, “apart from last night”. For ‘Jeannie’s Diary’ from ‘Daisies Of The Galaxy’ E straps on his guitar for the first time. At the end of the song he tells us “I kinda like old sh*t” before the band go into ‘3 Speed’ from ‘Electro-Shock Blues’. However, if anybody thinks that we’re about to get a bonanza of “old sh*t” then they’ll be disappointed. One third of tonight’s set comes from Eels’ two most recent albums, both of which have been released since their last UK tour, whilst the bulk of the older songs seem to be lesser-known album tracks. As far as fans are concerned, this is a great set. However, some of the less devoted in attendance voice their disappointment after the show: no ‘Souljacker’, no ‘Susan’s House’.
Eels are never less than entertaining though. E utters perplexing one-liners between songs, which have nothing whatsoever to do with either what song has just been played, or what is about to be played. The musicianship throughout is absolutely immaculate. During ‘3 Speed’ The Chet manages to make his guitar sound like a pedal steel by using his tremolo arm.
Fun is never far away. All of the band are wearing fitness watches and have exercise goals. As they achieve them the words “exercise goal achieved” are projected onto the backdrop behind them, together with a sketch of the band member concerned. Unsurprisingly drummer Little Joe reaches his goal first.
When E plays guitar, he switches instruments after every song. During one changeover he invites Chet to tell jokes. This doesn’t quite work as Chet asks us if we know any good jokes. We don’t. E tells us that he has accidentally insulted Sarah, the guitar tech. He then tells us that the guitar changes are scripted, before “formally apologising” to her. The crowd chant for Sarah as she tunes E’s guitar. E alleges that she says “here you go princess” as she hands his guitar back to him. It could be true! Who knows?!!! After ‘All The Beautiful Things’ E tells us that “Sarah was not responsible for the wrong chords that I played in that song”.
We head to older territory with ‘Dog Faced Boy’ from ‘Souljacker’. Nobody quite does angst like E. Next up we get a real oldie, sort of. The song is ‘My Beloved Monster’ from ‘Beautiful Freak’, or specifically the lyrics from ‘My Beloved Monster’, sung to the music from The Kinks’ ‘You Really Got Me’. It works, but leads to some confusion. At least Eels don’t deconstruct their oldies in the same way as Dylan!
Funtime is here again as E tells us that drummer Little Joe is Facetiming his six year old daughter between songs. Sarah (let’s hear it for Sarah!!!) brings out a little stand, puts Little Joe’s phone on it, and places the stand in front of The Chet. Chet then proceeds to play a version of Nancy Sinatra’s ‘Drummer Man’ to Little Joe’s daughter. Allegedly!
What is probably Eels’ most famous song, ‘Novocaine For The Soul’ gets an outing. Then after two more songs E tells us that “this is the last song of the evening before we go through the charade of leaving the stage. Or is it a charade? It’s in your hands”. Honesty is always the best path. Probably.
After ‘Baby Lets Make It Real’ the band leave the stage as promised. The crowd shout for more. They chant Sarah’s name (best to keep the crew happy as well) and after a few minutes the band return. E tells us “here’s one we haven’t played since 1968, in this very room, with three of The Beatles in attendance”. This of course is a bare-faced lie, but it doesn’t make ‘Friendly Ghost’ or ‘Last Stop: This Town’ any less welcome.
The band toddle off again. This must be it then right? Wrong. They come back for the title track from 2020’s ‘Earth To Dora’, and another title track: ‘Wonderful, Glorious’ from 2013. The band then repeatedly play the chorus from Argent’s ‘God Gave Rock And Roll To You’ while E paces the stage, soaking up the applause, behaving like the star of the show, which he absolutely is. However, like so much tonight, this is purely tongue in cheek. E is lucky to have such a skilled band, who are so willing to join in the fun and frolics. This has been a superb show. There may have been something of an emphasis on the last two albums, but why not? They’re great albums. Just because a band has been around for a decade or three it doesn’t mean that every show has to be a greatest hits set, especially when they’re producing new music of the quality that Eels are coming out with. More power to your collective elbows chaps.
Eels setlist:
1. ‘Steam Engine’
2. ‘Amateur Hour’
3. ‘Me And The Boys’ (NRBQ cover)
4. ‘Whatcha Gonna Do About It?’ (Small Faces cover)
5. ‘Good Night On Earth’
6. ‘Anything For Boo’
7. ‘Jeannie’s Diary’
8. ‘3 Speed’
9. ‘The Gentle Souls’
10. ‘Peach Blossom’
11. ‘Who You say You Are’
12. ‘That Look You Give That Guy’
13. ‘It’s A Motherf*cker’
14. ‘The Deconstruction’
15. ‘All The Beautiful Things’
16. ‘Dog Faced Boy’
17. ‘My Beloved Monster’ / ‘You Really Got Me’
18. ‘Drummer Man’ (Nancy Sinatra cover)
19. ‘Novocaine For The Soul’
20. ‘I Like Birds’
21. ‘Are We Alright Again’
22. ‘Baby Let’s Make It Real’
(encore 1)
23. ‘Friendly Ghost’
24. ‘Last Stop: This Town’
(encore 2)
25. ‘Earth To Dora’
26. ‘Wonderful, Glorious’
27.’God Gave Rock And Roll To You’ (Argent cover)
