For regular concert attendees, it keeps getting harder to be impressed at shows, but when The Gathering announced the return of The Flaming Lips as their latest consignment, we knew that the evening of Dec. 1 will present a whole new level of entertainment.
Sydney's psychedelic dance stalwarts Jagwar Ma opened the show nicely, propping up the atmosphere with wild tunes of bass-heavy and technological prowess. Slipping into a delirious coma of psychedelic noise, knobs were twisted and keys were pressed as they worked tunes off their debut album Howlin’.
Gabriel Winterfield took off his fishing hat, apologising for his non-appearance at Laneway earlier in the year due to a torn cruciate ligament. Apologies were duly accepted as he hopped around manically, working out the opening lines to ‘Come and Save Me’, within the limited amount of space on the elbow-to-elbow stage.
While bands clamour and climb to the top with their music as their sole driving force, a limited breed of artists devote substantial time and careful attention into their live shows. The Flaming Lips represent that dying cluster of bands that are better seen live than heard on a record.
Carefully starting their night with the slow sounds of ‘Abandoned Hospital Ship’, the Oklahoman natives showered the crowd with confetti and balloons toward the crescendo as faces got swept in exhilaration and hands reached out for the sheets of vibrantly coloured paper-fall blanketing the Coliseum grounds. In ‘Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots’, Wayne Coyne sweeps out a thread of silvery alphabetical balloons with 'FUCK YEAH SINGAPORE' on it, pushing it onto the crowd while breathing in layers of lavish sonic arrangements.
While in ‘The W.A.N.D’, Wayne pops into his signature man-sized bubble ball, rolling over the wide-eyed crowd onto a dedicated podium. Standing atop, he views the landscape like a man on Mars. Bewilderment must have surely overwhelmed him, as hundreds of fans from different backgrounds, different experiences, different continents share a simultaneous experience with Wayne Michael Coyne being in the epicentre of it all.
The night finished off with a rousing display of ‘Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds’, off their latest release With a Little Help from My Fwends, a full album cover of the Beatles’ Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band. With Miley Cyrus having no part in tonight’s song (phew), the seven-piece engaged in an intimate sing-a-long backed by a similar sounding organ on the original. The spectacle ended on a massive high as band members slowly dispersed backstage and reluctant fans laid on a field of pink and gold, making confetti angels amidst others dashing for the last train home.
It's becoming apparent that the new generation of fans don’t go to shows just to watch bands play music — they go to concerts expecting immersed, engaged and enthralled. It takes showmanship, a larger than life presence and raw passion to genuinely stir up the crowd and at 31 years strong, The Flaming Lips know the exact measurements and ingredients to cook up the perfect show.
Photo: The Gathering Facebook page; Darren Ng
For regular concert attendees, it keeps getting harder to be impressed at shows, but when The Gathering announced the return of The Flaming Lips as their latest consignment, we knew that the evening of Dec. 1 will present a whole new level of entertainment.
Sydney's psychedelic dance stalwarts Jagwar Ma opened the show nicely, propping up the atmosphere with wild tunes of bass-heavy and technological prowess. Slipping into a delirious coma of psychedelic noise, knobs were twisted and keys were pressed as they worked tunes off their debut album Howlin’.
Gabriel Winterfield took off his fishing hat, apologising for his non-appearance at Laneway earlier in the year due to a torn cruciate ligament. Apologies were duly accepted as he hopped around manically, working out the opening lines to ‘Come and Save Me’, within the limited amount of space on the elbow-to-elbow stage.
While bands clamour and climb to the top with their music as their sole driving force, a limited breed of artists devote substantial time and careful attention into their live shows. The Flaming Lips represent that dying cluster of bands that are better seen live than heard on a record.
Carefully starting their night with the slow sounds of ‘Abandoned Hospital Ship’, the Oklahoman natives showered the crowd with confetti and balloons toward the crescendo as faces got swept in exhilaration and hands reached out for the sheets of vibrantly coloured paper-fall blanketing the Coliseum grounds. In ‘Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots’, Wayne Coyne sweeps out a thread of silvery alphabetical balloons with 'FUCK YEAH SINGAPORE' on it, pushing it onto the crowd while breathing in layers of lavish sonic arrangements.
While in ‘The W.A.N.D’, Wayne pops into his signature man-sized bubble ball, rolling over the wide-eyed crowd onto a dedicated podium. Standing atop, he views the landscape like a man on Mars. Bewilderment must have surely overwhelmed him, as hundreds of fans from different backgrounds, different experiences, different continents share a simultaneous experience with Wayne Michael Coyne being in the epicentre of it all.
The night finished off with a rousing display of ‘Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds’, off their latest release With a Little Help from My Fwends, a full album cover of the Beatles’ Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band. With Miley Cyrus having no part in tonight’s song (phew), the seven-piece engaged in an intimate sing-a-long backed by a similar sounding organ on the original. The spectacle ended on a massive high as band members slowly dispersed backstage and reluctant fans laid on a field of pink and gold, making confetti angels amidst others dashing for the last train home.
It's becoming apparent that the new generation of fans don’t go to shows just to watch bands play music — they go to concerts expecting immersed, engaged and enthralled. It takes showmanship, a larger than life presence and raw passion to genuinely stir up the crowd and at 31 years strong, The Flaming Lips know the exact measurements and ingredients to cook up the perfect show.
Photo: The Gathering Facebook page; Darren Ng