Kool and the Gang anyone? Their classic ‘Ladies Night’ heralds the entrance of the Eagles of Death Metal onto the ABC stage. Jesse Hughes shimmys around, posing for photos, with his aviator shades on he looks every inch the Rock God. After a few minutes the guys get their gear on and start the show with ‘I only Want You’ from first album, ‘Peace Love Death Metal’. This is good ole’ fashioned rock ‘n’ roll with surf riffs thrown in for good measure. Hughes is a very charismatic front-man who really knows how to get the crowd going, and he keeps lapsing into fits of giggles.
I can’t help but notice that the front of the bass drum is covered in bras – no doubt who makes up the core audience at these gigs! After ‘I Came to Make A Bang’ the crowd are chanting Jesse’s name and he looks awe-struck and a little embarrassed, but you can tell he’s absolutely loving it. There is also a rather large collection of moustaches in the audience, both real and stick on, which he takes time to mention.
We are treated to a version of ‘Stuck In The Middle With You’, because, as Jesse informs us, ‘Gerry Rafferty came from Glasgow!’ After this he announces special guest singer, ‘the fruity Miss Koko Bubbles’ to sing with him on ‘Prissy Prancin’, but unfortunately her vocals are drowned out.
Next up is ‘I Got A Feelin'(Just 19)’ and guitarist Dave Catching takes turn to pose for the crowd, to whoops, hollers and devil horns a-plenty. Jesse takes time to comb his beard in a red heart shaped mirror, much to the crowd’s amusement. ‘Anythin ‘Cept The Truth’ is next, then the ultimate crowd pleaser and undoubtedly their best known, ‘I Want You So Hard (The Boy’s Bad News)’. Bassist Brian ‘Big Hands’ O’Connor does his extra deep voice line, “the boy’s bad news” to wild cheers, and the crowd take over vocal duties on the harmonies.
The band go off-stage, then Jesse returns alone. He urges the crowd to applaud the security for ‘the amazing job they have done here tonight’, and catches a sweatband that was thrown at him, which he proclaims to be “a perfect fit and just my colour!” He sits down with his acoustic guitar and gives us the first verse and chorus of the Stones’ ‘Brown Sugar’ before being joined by the others for the remainder. The show is finished with ‘Cherry Cola’, then most recent single ‘Wannabe in LA’, which is extended into a guitar duel between Jesse and Dave, with the lights flashing on and off them as they do their part. A proper rock ‘n’ roll group hugs rounds the show off nicely and you are left with the real sense that this band are totally in love with their music and their fans.