Oliver Evans catches an Eels show that offers nothing predictable - but plenty of surprises

‘Gimme a hug!” bellows Eels frontman Mark “E” Oliver Everett at fellow band members, all clad in matching Adidas tracksuits, shades and beards, at several points during Monday’s raucous show at the 02.

Yes, this is Eels, a rockshow like no other, a show when you might as well leave your expectations at the door because, 17 years and 10 studio albums later, the determination to keep the show fresh, new and, above all, damned entertaining comes first. So there are few of the big tunes — Novocaine for the Soul, Susan’s House — and even their other big UK hit, Mr E’s Beautiful Blues, is cut and pasted with My Beloved Monster.

Like a modern day Dexys Midnight Runners — who went from donkey jacket-clad soul boys to gypsy folkies to besuited smoothies — you never know the Eels you’re going to get, as they're just as comfortable in prestigious venues with an orchestra picking through gentle, meditative ballads and blasting through a deafening rock show.

Tonight it’s mostly the fiery, riff-heavy Eels of Souljacker and Hombre Lobo albums, opening with the thunking stomp of Cancer for the Cure and Kinda Fuzzy.

Yet this is not posturing, macho rock — like the inter-band hugs, E’s tongue is firmly in his cheek, spitting out lyrics like “I’m a prize fighter!” and off-setting it all with gorgeous ballads such as Climbing to the Moon.

Personal tragedy may run through his work — he lost a sister to suicide, a mother to cancer and a cousin on 9/11, all within five years of one another — but it’s by turns beautiful, heartbreaking, defiant and touching.

Even the band introductions are unique, riffing on each member’s name through mini-covers of Who Are You?, You Can Call Me Al and Jet before the band respond with Let It E.

The drummer, who hasn’t a song to cover, blasts out his own song Go Kuckles! and then they cover the Stones’ Beast of Burden, nailing its slinky groove, for no other reason than it’s a great song.

Fresh Blood is a dark, brooding song to end an Eels show but the audience should know better. About ten minutes after the house lights go up, with a roadie still packing away, they return for a thunderous Dog Faced Boy. “You little punks think you own this town!” hollars E before they crash into their drummer’s signature tune, but this time the chorus is “go Eels!”. Go indeed.

Oliver Evans