Eels Live in Brighton, March 2nd 2008

You know that you are in the presence of greatness when a band decides to run a documentary about quantum physics instead of booking a support act. Not quite as bizzare as it sounds, 'E' (born Mark Oscar Everett) from Eels recently took part in a documentary about his father, an incredibly famous (in certain circles) physicist who came up with the parallel worlds theory. If your eyes are already starting to glaze over, just imagine all those hideously boring science lessons you were forced to endure at school and then think how much more enjoyable they would have been with the musical soliloquies of Eels' devestatingly good back cataloge to accompany you. In all honesty, I hated physics, which I foolishly did to A-Level but even I was captivated by the complex quantum confusions that seemed so in-tune with the son's heart breaking compositions.

The rest of the gig continued to build on this introduction of 'genius' as we were carefully guided through a cross-section of some of Eels' best songs. Accompanied only by 'The Chet' and both dressed in boiler suits, it was an entirely unique evening, as The Chet played saws with bows, read extracts from E's autobiography and regularly swapped instruments with E mid-song.

As one would predict, there were the usual dunces in the crowd that were more interested in drinking eight pints before the band even started (thought process: "what, watch a documentary on science...I don't think so, i'm getting another pint!"). These simpletons joined the many that have gone before them at gigs the world over, heckling the guy with the mic, shouting "play a song" and "stop talking" that gave me painful flashbacks of being at a Ryan Adams gig. SHOW THE GUY SOME RESPECT! HOW WOULD YOU LIKE IT IF SOMEONE STARTED SHOUTING AT YOU IN THE STREET, TELLING YOU TO SHUT UP OR PERFORM LIKE A MONKEY? E must also have been expecting it, as he was sufficiently resilient to the cries and calmly continued with what he wanted to do - after all, it was his gig and no one else was contractually required to be there.

So aside from these regrettable 'incidents', the genius and showmanship of E (and the remarkable Chet) shone through and amounted to what was an enjoyable show stuffed full of great compositions. The earth didn't move for me as it does when listening to Eels records but the guy's brilliance was undeniable.