The Flaming Lips at the Manchester Apollo (2/2) By Joe Hakim

(1/2), (2/2).

This being The Flaming Lips, they were bound to have an unusual support act, and San Francisco's Deerhoof didn't disappoint. They were a three piece band - occasionally augmented by a guest - whose sound I would describe as being somewhere between Pizzicato Five and Death From Above 1979.

Their diminutive lead singer, Satomi Matsuzaki, sang in a high-pitched Japanese pop wail, throwing kung-fu shapes from behind her bass, while drummer Greg Saunier hammered his kit with such ferocity that he kept having to grab various cymbals and drums to prevent them from falling over. I have to say that they really impressed me. Despite the uncompromising aural assault, they still managed to cram each song with enough melody and catchy hooks to infect even the most cynical music reviewer (I'm running out of things to say goddamn it! Why do you think I haven't written a review for months?)

As the equipment for The Flaming Lips was brought on stage, it was interesting to see Wayne Coyne and the rest of the band doing a large portion of the setting up. When it was finally time for the band to hit the stage, giant orange (tangerine?) balloons descended onto our heads. I spent the remainder of the gig batting them around. The confetti canons and smoke machines began blasting, and then Wayne rolled out over the tops of everyone's head in a giant space ball. Unfortunately, he had to cut his journey short due to a puncture, so he headed back to the stage and the band kicked off with Race for the Prize.

At the minute, I'm tending to swing between completely immersing myself in music and feeling jaded with the whole 'scene' thing, but this was one of those nights which totally transcends the whole experience of attending a mere gig. I was completely blown away. The smoke machines, the strobes, the lasers, the confetti, the people dressed as superheroes... it was of the few gigs I've been to where I wasn't on drugs, but felt as though I was.

Just the sheer spectacle of the whole thing was amazing, and Wayne Coyne is the sort of front man who's not afraid to engage the audience, bringing a real sense of community between the band and the crowd. At the risk of sounding like an old hippy, there was a real sense of energy being exchanged. During Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots Pt.1 he got everyone to sing-a-long to the final chorus twice until he was satisfied we had hit the right notes, and before The YeahYeahYeah Song he explained that although the song had been written as a protest against Bush, he had now decided it was a cathartic system to enables listeners to rid themselves of the negativity that builds up when we are faced the fact that we can't change things, like the government, by ourselves.

He then ran through the first verse on acoustic guitar to make sure our Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah bits had enough power. It was the most recent stuff from At War With the Mystics, Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots and Soft Bulletin that featured the most prominently, although a couple of older tracks like She Don't Use Jelly got a look in.

Stand out moments have to include The W.A.N.D. where Wayne strapped a strobe light to his chest and sang through a loudspeaker, and My Cosmic Autumn Rebellion, which, he explained, was dedicated to everyone who still thought that the world was a "wonderful place, despite what all the old washed up motherfuckers might say". He careened around the stage with an animatronic dove in his hand while the lyrics to the song were projected onto the back screen.

At the end, Wayne thanked the volunteers who had been recruited that very morning to flank the stage dressed as Santas and aliens (I volunteer to appear as Batman at any future gigs, should they ever require one), and then they went into the final encore, consisting of an outrageous cover of Bohemian Rhapsody followed by a typically stirring version of Do You Realise? which left everyone with a huge grin on their face. I felt psychically recharged as I left the venue. So much so that my usual 'winter block' disintegrated and was replaced by a renewed creative surge which is still burning like the wheelie-bin I had passed on the way to the gig.

Thank fuck for bands like The Flaming Lips. Without them the world would be a much duller place.

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