Sebastian Reynolds praises a masterclass performance from American indie-rockers Eels

Mark Ernest Everett has long been respected as one of the great American indie song writers.

He is also a gifted articulator of the pain and tragedy of loss, having candidly drawn on his experience of losing his whole family (as documented in his beautiful, poignant autobiography Things The Grandchildren Should Know), as well as going through a pretty nasty divorce (see the album Souljacker) and plenty of failed romances and all manner of bizarre adventures.

Musically, Everett has dabbled in many forms of popular music, from neo-classical chamber music through folk/country, scuzzy garage rock and everything in between. Last week’s Oxford show, however, finds Everett and his band, visually and musically, with their feet planted squarely in ’50s rock & roll and swing balladry.

The set features material drawn from the band’s 20-plus year career of 15 albums, even back to early breakthrough indie pop masterpiece Beautiful Freak, with a beautiful rendition of My Beloved Monster.

It is a testament to the huge wealth of their back catalogue that Everett and co could have played a completely different set of Eels material and it would have been equally as excellent.

The thematic quality of 50s pastiche is established by the opening foray of Where I’m At, from the most recent Eels record The Cautionary Tales of Mark Oliver Everett, and a hauntingly sweet rendition of When You Wish Upon A Star.

The set ends with a four-song encore which includes Turn On your Radio, by Harry Nilsson, and Can’t Help Falling In Love, by Elvis Presley. ‘E’ (to give him his stage name) is an affable, honest and dryly witty frontman who, despite long years spent performing thousands of gigs to millions of people, still exudes a a sense of humble acceptance of his place in the world as a singer and musical hero to many thousands.

Tunes such as Elizabeth On the Bathroom Floor perfectly sum up E’s lyrical dexterity. He has the ability to deliver his vignettes of loss and love in a nakedly frank but perfectly understated and un-selfpiteous voice.

This performance was a masterclass, an exemplary display of the writing and performing of some of the best pop music of the last 50 years. Long may Eels continue.