Beck - Shepherds Bush Empire - 2/9/06
5/5
By: Keri Kennedy
What's the best gig you've ever been to? There are probably a few contenders for the top spot, The Strokes at ULU? Radiohead at Glastonbury? White Stripes at The 100 Club? There's always the ones that blow the others clear out of the water, at least until the next one. Well, Beck at Shepherds Bush Empire is going to be a difficult one to top, just under an hour and a half of a genius, his band and puppets at work is something I'm sure everyone in attendance will remember for a long time.
In keeping with his current stint of live dates, Beck's puppets take to the stage to perform 'Loser', then, two minutes in, Beck himself - watched from the balcony by the real mini-Beck, son Cosimo - finishes off with a heavy as hell version of the early classic. Already the place is pumping like a hip-hop gig.
Following with a mix of familiar hits and new tracks from forthcoming LP 'The Information', Beck, although looking slightly distracted, has the Empire in the palm of his hand. 'Devil's Haircut' is met with a call and response from the crowd, while newbie 'Nausea' fits right in with it's stripped down bluesy style, much in the same vein as 'Loser', albeit with a Latino edge thrown in. New single 'Cellphone's Dead' is funky and slap bass heavy - thanks to afro'd and leather clad Justin Meldal-Johnson - and carries on straight into 'Que Onda Guero', with which Beck takes the room to that hip-hop gig level once again. Everyone waves their arms as if Goldie Lookin' Chain were onstage, not some little blonde haired guy who can rap better than all of them put together.
'Tropicalia' is a return to the quirky side of Beck as he croons like a cabaret singer in the corner, surrounded by his band for a calypso clap along, though the real good stuff is just around the corner. While Beck strums through 'Lost Cause' and a cover of The Korgis' 'Everyone's Gotta Learn Sometime' - which he also played in the soundtrack to 'Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind' - the rest of the band sit down to dinner. Listening to Beck's background music of Hank Williams' 'Lonesome Whistle' and Sea Change's 'The Golden Age', the band gradually build up their cutlery percussion, the puppets come over and join in, and it all builds into a full on rendition of the fantastic b-side 'Clap Hands', complete with plate bashing and a mid-way mix-up with the classic 'One Foot In The Grave'.
Pre-encore, the puppets take over for 'Puppetron', a mini-film in which Beck puppet and band go on a tour of Shepherds Bush Green, including a stop off at the public loos. While '1000bpm' comes over the PA, 'Beck' returns onstage in a grizzly bear suit, another band member is in a teddy bear outfit, Justin's got a crash helmet on, and it all ends in chaos - the bears start shagging and Justin's now body popping his arse off. 'Where It's At' continues what is now a house party, only for it all to end on a high with a wall shaking 'E-Pro' leaving everyone screaming for more. Beck has brought on a night of brain-rattling basslines, killer melodies, shout along choruses and total weirdness. Only a pillock would have expected anything less.
Photo Credit: www.joshhallphotography.co.uk @ V Festival
Artists in this article: Beck
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