Gig review: Eagles of Death Metal

Published on Monday 2 November 2009 18:02

EAGLES OF DEATH METAL **** PICTURE HOUSE, EDINBURGH

MIDWAY through this gig – one of the most entertainingly rowdy Edinburgh has seen in a long time – a pink bra landed on the stage next to singer Jesse Hughes. He couldn't resist the bait, picking it up: "This sure beats a T-shirt any day of the week! I tell you now, I will not give this back. Can you dig it?" This last phrase served as full stop to just about every statement Hughes made all night, although whether he was referencing Arlo Guthrie or The Warriors was unclear. What was certain was that the crowd did dig it, and with furious energy.

Formed by Hughes and Queens of the Stone Age's Josh Homme (who sadly isn't a touring member of the group), the original intention of California's Eagles of Death Metal was to be just what their name suggested: an unlikely hybrid of the Eagles and a death metal band. The reality is a bit more prosaic, a two-hour set of rowdy bar-room rockers marshalled by Hughes, with crowd surfing and rowdy singalongs throughout.

There were noisy, speeded-up covers of Stealers Wheel's Stuck in the Middle With You and the Rolling Stones' Brown Sugar, and favourites from the band's own catalogue including Secret Plans, I Got a Feeling (Just Nineteen) and I Want You So Hard (Boy's Bad News).

"Every time I walk out and see rafters filled with rock 'n' rollers it thrills me to my toes," he said at one point. Amen to that.