Electric Six – Bristol O2 Academy (06/12/24)

The date is Friday, December 6th 2024…and it’s notable if not purely for the fact that, the government remembered to collectively unblock us, and bombard us with those text message equivalents to air raid sirens. There I was, stood at the bar in The Hatchet Inn, sipping a pint of Camden Hells, when a cacophony of message alerts and alarms rang out around the pub, to an almost deafening level. I know they are designed to inform you of serious events and keep you safe but fuck me, chuck 999 on speed dial afterwards in future! I nearly spilled my pint and had a heart attack. The heart attack I can deal with but who’s replacing my pint?!?! 

Were we being attacked by an invading country? Was Gorgo back? I mean the government IS a circus (That’s niche) …I digress. No… we had a severe weather warning. Storm Darragh was about to inconvenience us to the point where, Uber Eats drivers were still delivering sustenance on scooters in heavy rain and gale force winds. I guess the barometer for dangerous weather conditions is essentially tips? Nevertheless, regardless of the UK weather warning, there were shenanigans to be had at the O2 Academy in Bristol, as Detroit funk-rockers ELECTRIC SIX were storming the city themselves. All About The Rock were there for the improper dancing, and this hatchet man wasn’t missing this for anything. Here’s what went down… 

Given the weather the initial queue for the show was relatively small, which is understandable. It hadn’t quite come into full effect at this point, but it was cold, it was wet, and you can see why people opted out of queueing. There was one lady behind me with a younger child, who, when the security guy was telling people to shuffle along, said that the young boy was autistic and struggled with personal space…bitch you’re taking him to a sold-out rock concert in a relatively cramp, compact 1,600 capacity venue, the math’s aren’t mathing here, he’s probably not autistic but just a little shit, though we’ll leave it at that. We get into the venue, I get my comp ticket, I grab a can of Hooch like some 1990’s reprobate as the lager selection is awful and they don’t even have Jack Daniel’s…as we await our support for the night, who turn out to be ENJOYABLE LISTENS [8] 

One minute I’m checking my phone for more weather updates, the next minute I’m looking up at Luke Duffet standing solo on stage commanding attention…and before I even hear a single note of anything musical, I like this guy. Honestly if Denholm Reynholm from “The IT Crowd” and NICK CAVE had a love child, it would be the gentleman stood before me. Introducing himself as the band, as his bassist was elsewhere on karaoke duty, he opens with “That’s Where The Blood Is”, and you know what? This is wonderful. It’s on the verge of hypnotic. 

Their brief set here is heavily focussed on the new album “Trapped In The Cage Of A Hateful Bird” and the blend of synth-rich indie pop blends elements of DEPECHE MODE with a more croon-based vocal performance, harking back several decades with a certain nostalgic timbre. It’s quaint, it’s quirky but ultimately catchy and you can’t help but be mesmerised here. There’s a brief moment of joviality, as the backing track loops on his laptop set up and he has to step in before he continues, as he gestures towards his non-existent bassist, before the set resumes, and he’s really quite the charming entertainer.  

Tracks like “Tear Up The Pictures Of My Kids” easily let you understand why they’ve been chosen as support for this tour. Lyrically absurd but delivered with a seriousness over some wonderful electronic indie. “International Space Station” has this light-hearted country-blues vibe to it that could have come out of Sun Studio in Memphis, which is honestly refreshing; they’ve captured a vibe here that’s honestly quite interesting. Older tracks like “A Laugh And A Half” embrace a similar aesthetic and I can’t help but think this wouldn’t be out of place on the Eurovision episode of “Father Ted”. Overall, with the comedic stage presence, almost parodying Mick Jagger or John Cleese at times with some sporadic dancing, and their sound in general, this has been an enjoyable listen and then some. One of the best support acts I have ever seen, and I genuinely want to catch them again. They really have been a laugh and a half. 

Eventually then, after another trip to the bar to try a house Mojito, which in all honesty could have gone on and subsequently ruined my lamb dinner it was that minty, we have tonight’s headliners ELECTRIC SIX [9] who absolutely deliver the goods (Just as Dick Valentine promised when I messaged him prior to the show).  

Last year the band were celebrating twenty years of “Fire”, so only now they’re really embracing their latest album “Turquoise” on the live circuit, and they open with the title track tonight. It’s an astounding return to form as far as albums go, one of the strongest in their catalogue, and despite the early issues with sound and volume from the venue, the light funky tones of the track come through fine. It’s a wonderful track about tranquillity and the search for peace in an ever-testing world. 

Album highlights like “Panic! Panic!” really showcase the guitar fuelled rock ‘n’ roll the band are known for, with its throwback, bassy garage aesthetics and subtle synth sprinklings making this simply a fun, energetic track. “Hot Numbers On The Telephone” gives off certain, creepy stalkerish or harassing qualities on face value, but it’s delivered quite masterfully, with chilling instrumental choices at times, before “Staten Island Ass Squad” rounds off the cuts from this particular record. It’s great to hear four tracks from the new album and the band are clearly still inspired and delivering, but as good as these tracks are, with the legitimately impressive back-catalogue these dudes from Detroit have, it’s the hits that naturally get the biggest receptions. 

2007 album “I Shall Exterminate Everything Around Me That Restricts Me From Being The Master” (A title so ludicrously long it deserves full recognition), gets a nod with the super infectious “I Don’t Like You”. Another fantastically energetic guitar driven track which brings with it chorus of sing-alongs and a faultlessly simple solo; the crowd lap this up. “Down At McDonaldz” is a more subdued offering vocally until the chorus, and the mixture of synth, piano and hard rock supporting that brief burst of rap only highlights the bands creative nuance. The crowd love this and everybody is singing along here. 

“Switzerland” gets a showing with “I Buy The Drugs” and “Mr. Woman” especially going down well, again, bringing that energy, before we get deeper cuts like “The New Shampoo” and “Hello! I See You”, which in truth could have been replaced by better songs off of their respective albums. “Cheryl vs Daryl” springs to mind but we appreciate the funk here, we do.  

The funny thing though? Despite literally touring two decades of the album just last year, a big part of tonight’s set still comes from “Fire”…such is the testament to the pop-culture status of the album. OF COURSE people are still here going ape shit for “Gay Bar” and “Danger! High Voltage”, garnering the biggest participations of the entire night. “Naked Pictures (Of Your Mother)” always goes down well, unless it’s like, the days when Limewire was big, and you’d download the song, and your mother would see the file titled naked pictures of your mother on the family computer, and there’d be an inquiry. No? Just me? I jest; my mother can’t use a computer (Thank fucking Christ). Tracks like “Synthesizer” get a fantastic reception and in my eyes is an underrated part of their entire catalogue, while “Dance Commander” gets everybody shifting as expected. The weather outside might be frightful, but two decades later, “Fire” is still delightful, and Bristol knows it. 

Dick Valentine may have a very dry demeanour on stage and is minimalistic as far as front men go, but the lyricism, the multifaceted nature of their creative output and the perfect blend of dedication, aura and professionalism ensure that Electric Six are still to this day one of the best live bands you’ll ever see on stage. The depth of their repertoire instrumentally and stylistically is often overlooked BECAUSE of tracks like “Gay Bar”, and too often people view them as a niche, comedy band, but trust me…give them a chance, deep dive that discography and you too will soon be getting into the jam. Tonight was fantastic, and if you haven’t given them a chance, I fully recommend you rectify that at your next convenience. With that being said there’s a storm coming in, and I’d better leave before the O2 Academy becomes the H2O Academy…let’s pull the plug on this party.