CityLife

Eagles Of Death Metal

ONCE seen as a successful rock star’s frivolous side project, Eagles of Death Metal’s public perception has changed to the extent a full Academy 1 fawns on them like returning heroes.

Singer Jesse Hughes, together with Queens of the Stone Age main man Josh Homme, have created three albums of straight-down-the-line, no frills, dumb rock that, powered by a sense of mischief and with tongue firmly in cheek, have quietly transformed EODM into a cult concern.

Although he doesn’t play live (QOTSA drummer and man-mountain Joey Castillo fills in), Homme’s stamp is undeniably all over the songs, the more throwaway moments of the Stone Age back catalogue the blueprint for rasping rock tunes that provide a great Saturday night soundtrack.

It is to Hughes’ credit that he manages to stamp so much authority on proceedings.

Befitting of a man with the best facial hair in rock, Hughes is charismatic enough to hold up the few lulls, with the constant cries of ‘Jesse’ from the crowd approval enough.

With those around him possessing flying V guitars and devil horn poses galore, what could have ventured into parody falls just on the right side of amusing.

Some of the tunes are variable, and a series of covers range from the inspired (Jesse’s solo Ramones effort) to the ill-advised (Stealers Wheel’s Stuck in the Middle With You) but everything is carried with a degree of panache that is infectious, and in I Want You So Hard (Boy’s Bad News) they have perhaps the best rock tune of the last few years.

It is difficult to see where any musical progression will come from, but for a night of does-what-it-says-on-the-tin visceral rock thrills, it doesn’t come much better.