Eels: Royal Albert Hall

Ron Hart on May 19, 2015

The last time Eels played Royal Albert Hall, they came strapped with track suits, a string section and a wall of guitar fuzz. After the band’s return to the famed London theater on June 30, 2014, they came back to the stage sharply dressed and stripped-down to a core five-piece lineup that frontman Mark Oliver Everett would dub “The Gentlemen’s Eels.” The show was recorded and filmed for this generous CD/DVD set as the band unspools an elegantly diverse set, heavy on their sweeter pop material, with a particular emphasis on their 2000 masterpiece Daisies of the Galaxy, via great renditions of “It’s A Motherfucker” and “Grace Kelly Blues.” By the end of the show, Everett had delivered a gorgeous solo piano reading of Harry Nilsson’s “Turn on Your Radio” at the end of the Eels’ second encore before having his way with the massive house pipe organ for a “phantom” take on Daisies fave “Flyswatter.” For fans of the pop of Eels, Royal Albert Hall is a must own.

Artist: Eels
Album: Royal Albert Hall
Label: Eworks