EAGLES OF DEATH METAL (London Astoria, 11/03/07)

Despite having contracted what seems to be the Plague from some unknown agency, I rather enjoyed Eagles of Death Metal at the Astoria tonight. A far more light-hearted outfit than Josh Homme’s other band (stoner rockers Queens of The Stone Age), they provide simple, no-frills, straightforward rock ‘n roll. Their material could certainly never be called ‘varied’, but there’s no denying these guys are masters at what they do- the band played loud and tight, and that’s all you need for a show like this. Homme’s tongue-in-cheek strutting and good ol’ boy charm added immensely to proceedings; although he sometimes overdid the banter, it was clear that he was having the time of his life up there and that enjoyment was conveyed very much to the audience. Because I wasn’t feeling too good, I stood at the back of the venue for once which means I felt a bit detached from proceedings, but their 90 minute set clipped along at a swift pace and I must admit I did feel a lot better afterwards. Respect to the healing powers of ROCK!

Oh, and they played a cover of “Stuck In The Middle With You,” which made me exceedingly happy. No-one's ear got cut off, which made me less so.