Eels @ O2 Academy, 24 Aug

Mark ‘E’ Everett has the blues, it’s no secret, with the untimely deaths of his father and sister, and the loss of his mother to cancer, it’s no surprise that his lengthy career is rife with emotionally wrought reflective songs that are just plain sad. With such weighty subject matter to contend with one might suspect that tonight’s show may be a cumbersome affair of intimate storytelling, one man breaking his heart and singing his woes, but this couldn’t be a less accurate description – rocking as he does, like there’s no tomorrow.

Everett seems somewhat possessed; adorning a white boiler suit, slick shades, that legendary beard and navy headgear which he apologises for in saying “I'm sorry I couldn't find a tartan bandana.” His band – all blessed with beard power, all in shades and other forms of questionable headwear, sporting tartan ties for the occasion – arrive as if they’ve walked straight off the set of Blues Brothers. There’s no doubting their musical chops too.

Ignoring his salad days in favour of newer material, E predominantly showcases songs from his recently completed trilogy of records – Hombre Lobo, End Times and Tomorrow Morning. Tonight the material from Hombre Lobo provides the most face-melting goodness; Prizefighter, Fresh Blood, and Tremendous Dynamite see the band in their element, sounding fat, meaty and carefree. The brand new songs from the newly released Tomorrow Morning are more tempered but still a pleasure – particularly Spectacular Girl. In contrast, the starker material from End Times suffers a little from the scale of the venue, save for the more upbeat Gone Man – with its bluesy-refrain and skiffle rhythm proving a real treat.

The band are in high spirits, playing with arrangements and mixing up their older material with not a hint of preciousness, resulting in titillating versions of classic Eels songs. Mr E’s Beautiful Blues is given some fanatical La La Bamba meets Twist and Shout reformation, whilst My Beloved Monster is now a white soul epic, and gone is the acoustic balladry of I Like Birds, now a full-on punk rock, blink and you’ll miss it corker. Dog Faced Boy, and Souljacker (Part1) although more in keeping with their original recorded versions prove to be rippers also.

Cover versions are peppered throughout the set as though on a whim, so we’re treated to The Rolling Stones She Said Yeah, The Lovin’ Spoonful’s Summer in the City and even a stunning rendition of Gershwin’s Summertime which has Everett jumpin’ and hollerin’ like a certified maniac.

After a mammoth 23 songs, E still has time to do a copious amount of walking off and back on when the encores kick in, three in total, which include an ice-cold stoner-rock version of I’m Going To Stop Pretending That I Didn’t Break Your Heart. Turns out Mr. Everett is quite the showman; if this is the blues then let the man howl.