Live review: Electric Six

Wednesday 21st February, Club Academy

Say what you will about Electric Six, but they have perseverance. You likely know them as the band that had two hits 15 years ago, with ‘Danger, High Voltage!’ and ‘Gay Bar,’ but to end one’s assessment of the band there would be a disservice.

Last year, Electric Six released You’re Welcome and How Dare You, their 16th and 17th albums respectively, and they are showing no signs of slowing.

Part of Electric Six’s charm is that they don’t really take themselves too seriously. Each member of the band has an alias, with frontman and original member Tyler Spencer adopting the stage name ‘Dick Valentine.’ This definitely showed in the performance; most band members had a wide grin on their face throughout.

Playing an impressive 21 songs, Electric Six opened with ‘Rock and Roll Evacuation’ from 2005’s Señor Smoke, followed by ‘Naked Pictures (of Your Mother)’ from their most well known 2003 debut album, Fire, drumming up a party atmosphere with songs pretty much everyone in the crowd was familiar with.

Clad in suits gaudy enough to rival a stereotypical 80s used-car salesman, the band powered on through the set.

Between songs, Dick worked the crowd with the fluency and grace only a veteran in this industry could pull off. Finger guns, slick spins, and off-microphone talking gave the impression that while Dick was entertaining the crowd, he was also entertaining himself.

Playing both songs from their new album (Valentine alluded to the fact they were being ‘asked’ to do it by their record label) and classics, it was obvious what the crowd was there for.

While their newer songs were met with some dancing, applause, and cheers, when ‘Gay Bar’ came on, the crowd went wild. While I expect Electric Six expected this, it shows that they really can’t shake the songs they are most well-known for.

Finishing the marathon set, the band members all swapped instruments for a cover of The Dean Ween Group’s ‘Show Stopper.’

Electric Six showed they could still ride off the success of their two most famous songs while keeping the gigs fresh, aided by the fact they don’t take themselves too seriously and just want to have a little fun.

7/10