hecklergigs - The Flaming Lips, Edinburgh Usher Hall, 19/4

Basic band formulas for playing live usually goes like this: turn up, play some songs off your new album to promote it, play older tracks to keep people happy and then bugger off to the next city on the list.

This isn’t what The Flaming Lips do at all. Come to one of their shows and you’ll have the most surreal gig experience of your life. Ever. We guarantee it.

Before The Flaming Lips came on stage to show us all how a gig should be, it was The Go! Team who had the task of warming up the crowd; a good strong set had everyone dancing around to songs from their debut album Thunder, Lighting, Strike. Some happy music to keep everyone smiling. Usually after the support act troop off, most people head to the bar to get something in before the main attraction rolls onstage as, let's face it, watching roadies setting up isn’t exciting, is it?

Not at a Flaming Lips show, where multiple comic book characters started connecting guitars to amps and multiple wires to things. Maybe Wonder Woman and Superman are running out of villains to fight. Oh, and Jesus was also there to help out too. How kind of our saviour…

If it wasn't bonkers enough already with multiple characters running around, the lights went down and on came The Flaming Lips to a storming reception from the crowd, followed by ten Santas on the right of the stage and ten aliens on the left. Later explained to us that it was the representation of Christianity and Tom Cruise's latest trendy activity, Scientology. Now everything was in place. But instead of getting stuck in to proceedings, front man Wayne Coyne explained that he wanted to attempt something that he’d never done before. Cue a giant plastic ball which Wayne steps in to and then walks all over the crowd who can’t believe what they are seeing. Wayne reveals that they’d never done that at an indoor gig, only at festivals.

Now we we’re ready to set as the pounding drums of Race For the Prize kick in. Cannons bellow out confetti which engulf those of the crowd who are packed like sardines at the front of the stage. Coyne also has a little toy he plays with when he’s not singing away - his streamer gun is fired in all directions. Imagine a party popper but ten times the size, the power and excitement.

As the song progresses, giant yellow balloons are thrown in to the crowd by the aliens and dancing Santas which give the audience another excuse to dance and act like lunatics. These sorts of antics continued all the way through the gig, especially through the newer songs from their At War With The Mystics album. Notable songs that got a magnificent reception included the single The Yeah Yeah Yeah Song and The W.A.N.D.

Old favorites like Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots were also played to keep the hardcore fans happy. This song also involved four separate solo reprises from Coyne who got the audience to take the roof of the Usher Hall off. Seeing The Flaming Lips is an experience like no other. You just don’t get a selection of well performed songs with some visuals. You get a show that will put a smile on your face and have an experience like no other.

If you have the fortune of seeing The Flaming Lips live we urge you to. But watch out! All gigs afterwards will be shit in comparison.

[review by Matthew Laidlow]